No college degree? Here are jobs where can still earn 6 figures.

A assemblage diploma is nary longer the summons to a high-paying occupation that it erstwhile was. Conversely, workers without a bachelor's grade tin gain six figures successful a scope of occupations, a caller survey finds.

Nearly six cardinal full-time workers without a bachelor's grade earned astatine slightest $100,000 successful 2023, according to a new report from Lending Tree, an online lending marketplace, which analyzed the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The survey sheds airy connected the galore alternate pathways to a high-paying vocation that don't necessitate a four-year degree.

"This study is beauteous wide impervious that you don't person to spell to assemblage to gain a truly important income, and if you are considering a antithetic route, determination is plentifulness of crushed to judge that successful an atrocious batch of fields you tin beryllium each spot arsenic successful, and each spot financially unchangeable without that assemblage degree," Matt Schulz, main user concern expert astatine Lending Tree, told CBS MoneyWatch.

The 5.7 million, oregon 9%, of noncollege workers earning six-figure salaries worked successful a scope of fields, including bundle development, motortruck driving, elevator repair and more, according to the study. The study comes arsenic young radical question the worth of a assemblage degree, and measure whether the rewards are worthy taking connected the important pupil indebtedness earning a grade often requires. 

Over the past 10 years, young workers successful the U.S. without a bachelor's grade person seen their net increase, according to a study from the Pew Research Center. Amid rising tuition costs and mounting pupil indebtedness obligations, 29% of U.S. adults accidental the outgo of assemblage is not worthy it, according to the aforesaid study.

The unemployment complaint for young radical who precocious earned a assemblage grade was adjacent to 6% earlier this year, supra the nationalist mean of 4.2%. That's successful part, economists say, due to the fact that AI is weighing on immoderate young assemblage grads' aboriginal occupation prospects.

$100,000 and above, and nary assemblage degree

At slightest 40% of workers without bachelor's degrees successful 2023 earned six figures successful 20 occupations, according to Lending Tree. They included bundle developers, income engineers, craft pilots and aerial postulation controllers and others. 

Noncollege main executives were besides connected the list, with 64% earning astatine slightest six figures. To beryllium sure, the survey doesn't suggest that young workers should expect to ascend to executive-level positions without assemblage degrees. Rather, the precocious stock of noncollege grade holders earning six figures arsenic CEOs apt represents workers who person started their ain businesses, according to Schulz. 

"It speaks to the accidental that tin travel from starting a tiny concern today," helium said. "You're not needfully talking astir Fortune 500 companies."

These occupations person the highest stock of workers without degrees earning six figures, according to Lending Tree's analysis:

• CEOs and legislators
• Architectural and engineering managers
• Software developers
• Sales engineers
• Computer and accusation systems managers
• Power works operators, distributors and dispatchers
• Elevator installers and repairers
• Computer web architects
• Computer hardware engineers
• Firefighting supervisors
• Information information analysts
• Petroleum, mining and geological engineers
• Locomotive engineers and operators
• Aircraft pilots and formation engineers
• Aerospace engineers
• Electrical power-line installers and repairers
• Air postulation controllers and airfield operations specialists
• Sales managers
• Nuclear medicine technologists and aesculapian dosimetrists

College nary longer required astatine immoderate companies

Companies are relying little heavy connected a assemblage degree's worth too, with galore loosening requirements for applicants.

 "For the longest time, a assemblage grade was a hard-and-fast request for roles," Schulz said. "That's not ever the lawsuit anymore, and that opens up a batch of opportunities for radical who had doors closed connected them successful the past."

The study besides recovered that San Francisco; Seattle, Washington; and San Jose, California ranked first, 2nd and 3rd arsenic the places wherever workers without degrees were astir apt to gain six figures. 

By contrast, successful El Paso, Texas; and Greensboro, North Carolina, conscionable 4.9% of workers without assemblage degrees earned six figures.

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