Going to college can be a huge undertaking. It requires a significant amount of time, money, and effort. For many people, college simply isn’t an option. Fortunately, there are still a lot of high-paying jobs available that don’t require a college degree. In this article, we’ll take a look at 20 of the best-paying jobs that you can get without a college education.

1. Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers
Median Wage: $81,000
Description: You’ll be managing the movement, storage, and distribution of goods. This job requires at least five years of experience in the field, so an entry-level job is necessary before you can get this position. The job outlook takes over the next eight years, showing a projected demand for around 30,000 in this field.

2. Police and Detective Supervisors
Median Wage: $78,000
Description: You’ll be supervising police officers and detectives in the field. You’ll assign cases and patrol routes, and will be responsible for managing personnel. This job doesn’t require a lot of experience, with an average of 37,000 job openings expected in the next ten years.

3. Elevator Repair and Installation
Median Wage: $76,500
Description: You’ll be responsible for installing, repairing, and maintaining elevators, escalators, and other mechanical lifts. It’s a construction job, so you’ll be working with your hands. But, it’s not as common as other jobs, as the outlook predicts only around 8,000 job openings in the next ten years.

4. Nuclear Power Reactor Operators
Median Wage: $75,000
Description: In this position, you’ll help operate control rods, record data, monitor systems, and adjust controls. Fortunately, this position doesn’t require an engineering degree. There will be a demand for nuclear power reactor operators with an estimated about 938 job openings expected in the ten years.

5. Detective
Median Wage: $74,000
Description: You’ll investigate crimes, put bad guys behind bars, and make decent money in the process. There should be about 28,000 job openings available in the next ten years according to the job forecast.

6. Commercial Pilots
Median Wage: $73,000
Description: These pilots are trained differently than a typical college degree education. They fly the planes for passengers. Additional projected demand for the next ten years is only around 14,400 jobs, so this job field is rather competitive.

7. Power Distributors and Dispatchers
Median Wage: $72,000
Description: These people control, distribute, and dispatch power to different consumers and businesses. The on-the-job training in this field takes time, and job openings are limited, however, there is room for upward mobility.

8. Agriculture (Farmer, Rancher, Agricultural Manager)
Median Wage: $69,000
Description: The agriculture field consists of growing crops, raising farm animals for food and for milk. Despite the manual labor, it pays well and is very rewarding.

9. Media and Communication Equipment Workers
Median Wage: $69,000
Description: People that work in this field are in charge of operating cameras at news stations, operating the sound board at concerts, and other similar positions. There aren’t a lot of positions available in this field, but you will learn on the job.

10. Power Plant Operators
Median Wage: $66,000
Description: This job is similar to the nuclear one above except for the fact that these people are in charge of producing electricity using water, coal, etc. Operating the monitoring system for the plant is the responsibility of the operator.

11. Gaming Managers
Median Wage: $65,000
Description: Gaming managers or casino managers are responsible for turning in revenue and making sure the tables are running correctly. There are not a lot of jobs expected to open up in the next ten years, but some are projected to open up.

12. Business Operations Specialist
Median Wage: $65,000
Description: These business operations specialists do things like handle the human resources aspect of a company. They don’t do the specific day-to-day operations, but they are responsible for the administrative work.

13. Transportation Inspectors
Median Wage: $64,000
Description: Inspecting things that involve transportation are the key responsibilities for people working in this position. They inspect things like subway cars, buses, ships, and anything else that transports cargo or people.

14. Electric Power Line Installers and Repairers
Median Wage: $63,000
Description: They are responsible for the installation and repair of power lines such as fiber optic lines for businesses or building power lines to new houses and businesses.

15. Postmasters
Median Wage: $63,000
Description: These people are more like administrative leaders in charge of mail delivery. They make sure that everything runs smoothly, even if things are high stress.

16. Subway and Streetcar Operators
Median Wage: $62,500
Description: They drive subways and streetcars to get people from point A to point B. One needs track lines and must be on the lookout for open positions.

17. Refinery Operators
Median Wage: $62,000
Description: Working at petroleum refineries involves handling the pumps, monitoring gauges, and operating the pumps when needed. There is opportunities for upward mobility with over 15,000 job openings expected over the next ten years.

18. Gas Plant Operators
Median Wage: $61,000
Description: Handling a gas plant only requires making sure that everything is running well, checking equipment, and monitoring control systems.

19. Supervisor of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
Median Wage: $60,000
Description: The supervisor coordinates the mechanics, installers or repairmen. This job field makes up over 150,000 of the projected job openings in this field over the next 10 years.

20. Claim Adjusters
Median Wage: $60,000
Description: Investigating insurance claims to see if they are legitimate and evaluating claims is the main responsibility of these employees. With over 80,000 expected job openings, this is a great job for those looking to make a decent living.

In conclusion, despite the fact that college may not be an option for many people, there are still many high-paying jobs available that you may not have thought of. Many of these positions require considerably less time and student loan debt than traditional degrees. If you’re considering starting your career or looking for a career change, these may be some of the best opportunities to consider.