Career choices for those who don't have a college degree

[crystal_dance]

My brother wants to drop out of his degree program, or at the very least take a break from university for a few years. This is very upsetting to my parents and me but we support it nonetheless. He's going through a rough patch and we know that a break and perhaps a new major someday will really help him.

In the meantime, he needs to be able to stand on his own feet. Does anyone know people who haven't gotten a college degree but are still doing ok? What career paths have they taken and how did they get there?

[wordsmith]

Choices can be very limited, unless there's some sort of vocational training in the mix if not college. Not to say there aren't jobs for those without degrees, but choices are very limited.

My mom, like many of her generation in our demographic area, doesn't have schooling beyond a high school diploma. It was enough for a woman in the late 1960s in middle America to top out her education at that level, unless she had aspirations to go into a field such as medicine or teaching. Most positions available in the area to women (i.e. largely secretarial/admin) did not require degrees at the time. As a young woman, she worked in payroll and admin for several manufacturing facilities, and as a keypunch operator (early computer work) for a small tech firm. She stopped working outside the home to be a stay at home mom, and when her kids were grown, she went back to work after being out nearly twenty years for the most part. She now works as a special education assistant in a school system, as a personal aide for disabled and behaviorally disordered children. However, she was grandfathered in, since she started at a time when that job did not require anything beyond a high school diploma. Now, even a job assisting with special needs children in a classroom requires an associate's degree at minimum. It should also be noted that her job does not come with benefits or any particular job security.

[crystal_dance]

Choices can be very limited, unless there's some sort of vocational training in the mix if not college. Not to say there aren't jobs for those without degrees, but choices are very limited.


He is looking into doing something like an associates degree at devry, etc. while he works part time or full time to make ends meet. in canada there appears to be a great demand for trades people and he appears to be inclined to try that out...

[wordsmith]

There are definitely opportunities for people with continued study,whether it's a collegiate degree or trade/tech school. Whether or not the demand is "great" in the trades, I've noticed here, depends very much on where you are located and what the overall employment and economic scene is like, how flooded the market is with others with your same qualifications, who's doing layoffs, etc.

Generally, you want as much of a safety net as you can get, so you're eligible for as many jobs as possible if something goes south. For some, that might be a college degree. For others, perhaps training in skilled trades.

[yankeeyosh]

Especially in the healthcare industry, there are a lot of decent paying jobs that only require an associates. If you are certified in respiratory therapy, for instance, you can start out at 60-70k. Same for nursing, radiology technicians, x-ray technicians, etc.

[wordsmith]

I have quite a few h.s. classmates that are making decent livings as radiology techs with associate degrees. And that's even in a rural, economically depressed area. It's still got hospitals.

[crystal_dance]

Right, healthcare sounds like a good idea.

[winneythepooh7]

My brother wants to drop out of his degree program, or at the very least take a break from university for a few years. This is very upsetting to my parents and me but we support it nonetheless. He's going through a rough patch and we know that a break and perhaps a new major someday will really help him.

In the meantime, he needs to be able to stand on his own feet. Does anyone know people who haven't gotten a college degree but are still doing ok? What career paths have they taken and how did they get there?

My husband dropped out of college. He is a successful high-end construction business owner with his best friend now. However, I know that dropping out of college is one of his biggest regrets in life, and he feels like he will never ever be able to go back.

Also, since we live in the NYC area, although he does well for the most part financially, it's still not enough to pay for things like health insurance on an ongoing, consistent basis. There are definitely months where it's feast or famine, and most of the $$$ they make has to go back into the business/to pay for their employees. (An aside: I am paying for COBRA for the two of us for the next couple of months, and that's over $1200.00 a month!!).

A lot of our "fights" have been based on his getting fed up with the stress of running his own business, yet he feels like this is all he is able to do in life now. Construction as well is not the type of work people can really feel secure in doing for their rest of their lives, either, because of the hazards and just overall drain on the body. Without having that degree to fall back on, he really feels stuck about what he can do if that ever happens.

It would be difficult to support the two of us on my salary alone ;).

[Rage]

It's definitely easier to get school out of the way before you have more life commitments (i.e. family). I have seen people do pretty well in the IT field with something like a microsoft certification, or some other training to be an IT tech. There are really a bunch of different avenues he can go down, but it depends upon where his interests lie and how much commitment he has to a career. Anything from being a state trooper, to a mechanic, to an IT tech are all things that are doable with only a HS degree, but will all still require some form of commited study. Aside from that, you can always make good money as a household goods mover, but that's back breaking labor and I wouldn't want a career of it. I would suggest he take a look at the Occupational Outlook Handbook:
http://www.bls.gov/oco/

I have found salary estimates to be on the low side for where I live because they are a national average, but at least this has some good info about a number of industries. It really just depends on what sort of work he wants to do.

[veriria]

I actually got a job working onboard Amtrak trains. I basically sell chips, pop, and beer in the cafe car on a train and make $40k a year doing so (that figure also excludes tips), and I have great benefits and job security. Its such a good job that its stopped me from going to college for the time being. Is this a bad thing, you ask? Yes, as I'd love to go to college!

However, I have an obscene amount of friends who have already gone to, and graduated from college who can't find a job in their chosen career field. That is a rather scary prospect to me! I can't imagine spending all that money on college, only to have to get a minimum wage/random job totally unrelated to my degree.

So there *are* jobs out there, like mine, that you can get without the need of a degree (although oddly enough, a lot of my co-workers have gone to college, but couldn't get a job in their field. And we're talking most my co-workers are twice my age) they're just a bit harder to find. My job keeps me living quite comfortably and I'm actually buying a house at this time. I don't think I can ask for more than that.

(I can ask to win the lotto, because that would be awesome, but I don't think that is going to happen).

[AsianGeek]

It depends on his skills. IT is probably his best bet if he's good with computers. If he can program and can get experience to back it up, he can do very well for himself. If his skills are in car mechanics, they can also do pretty well for themselves as well. I'm sure there's something out there as long as you have a marketable skill.

[JBoss]

I think a lot of people find that they are not able to find work in the field their degree was in. Im not really sure why this is such an issue for some people, but it is widespread. Personally, I feel most degree's are a waste of time and money, but it is needed to prove something to the powers that be when applying for a job/position. Im a 21 year old guy, with no degree, and I make a good amount of money, I manage people who have MBA's! Do you need a degree to make money and have a good life? No. Does it make it easier? Very much so. The fact that your brother has "some" college will help. It looks better of the resume than no college at all in some cases. If he can interview well, is presentable, and sharp, he should have no problem finding a decent paying job with decent benefits.

[AsianGeek]

the whole thing about a degree is so that you stand out just a little bit more than the guy who doesn't. It definitely helps for careers in engineering and science. It certainly looks good for an employer to have employees with degrees.

[wordsmith]

I actually got a job working onboard Amtrak trains. I basically sell chips, pop, and beer in the cafe car on a train and make $40k a year doing so (that figure also excludes tips), and I have great benefits and job security. Its such a good job that its stopped me from going to college for the time being. Is this a bad thing, you ask? Yes, as I'd love to go to college!


I've travelled quite a bit on Amtrak trains, and the jobs actually look pretty sweet, overall. Was it hard to get?

[AsianGeek]

My friends tell me that those jobs are really boring. It is actually kinda tough to get in, a lot of times you do need to know someone.

[wordsmith]

I was figuring that they're harder to get; they're fairly cushy, from what I've observed.

[AsianGeek]

I actually know someone that can help you get a job in the commuter rail system in Boston.

[wordsmith]

Hah, I don't actually NEED a job, I have one I like in Kansas City...but before I got my job here, and was traveling back and forth to visit my boyfriend, I rode on Amtrak to do so because it was so much cheaper than flying, and enjoyed talking to the people who worked on the train. But thanks!