On January 11, 2017, Susannah Snider published “25 Best Jobs that Don’t Require a College Degree” in U.S. News. The jobs she listed were . . .

  1. Maintenance and Repair Worker
  2. Veterinary Technician
  3. Personal Care Aide
  4. Medical Assistant
  5. Insurance Sales Agent
  6. MRI Technologist
  7. Medical Secretary
  8. Physical Therapist Aide
  9. Medical Records Technician
  10. Wind Turbine Technician
  11. Home Health Aide
  12. Computer Support Specialist
  13. Clinical Laboratory Technician
  14. Hearing Aid Specialist
  15. Radiation Therapist
  16. Optician
  17. Cardiovascular Technologist
  18. Occupational Therapy Aide
  19. Massage Therapist
  20. Physical Therapy Assistant (apparently this is different from “Physical Care Aide, listed above)
  21. Respiratory Therapist
  22. Dental Hygienist
  23. Web Developer
  24. Diagnostic Medical Sonographer
  25. Occupational Therapy Assistant

Very Well, But . . .

Individuals who have not yet earned a college degree from a four-year institution can certainly find employment in those jobs. They are all jobs that can offer long-term employment. Plus, people can work them while they are concurrently completing undergraduate programs. In other words, they are good career choices.

Yet we noticed that in the list above, only two jobs (Computer Support Specialist and Web Developer) fall solidly within the STEM professions. Aren’t there a growing number of technical, STEM-based jobs that non-college grads can work on a permanent or interim basis? We believe there are. (See “Entry-Level Cyber Security Jobs for Students,” a post that appeared on this blog on January 29, 2018.)

When we think of STEM-related jobs that individuals can work without completing four years of college, we come up with a list that includes . . .

  1. 3D Printing Technologists
  2. CAD Specialists
  3. Computer Graphic Artists and Designers
  4. Cyber Security Analysts
  5. Laboratory Technicians
  6. Web Developers

Those are only the first six tech careers that come to mind. They all offer good employment possibilities today, like the jobs that Ms. Snider listed in U.S. News. Plus, they are all good options for students to work while, or before completing undergraduate degrees.

If you would like to have a deeper understanding of what is happening in today’s job market, Participate in the National Career and College Pathway Study.

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