3 Well Paying Careers That Don't Require a 4 Year Degree

Getting the best job, even without a degree.


Let's face it - not everyone has the time, money or aptitude to get a 4 year degree. Even though many experts agree that people who have a degree have an easier time finding good jobs, that doesn't mean that without one you will be stuck working minimum wage jobs. In fact, there are many jobs that pay well that only require, at most, a two year training commitment.


Here are 5 well paying careers that don't require a bachelor's degree:


Dental Assistant - This career is growing much faster than average and offers many job perks. The flexible work hours appeal to those who have families or are raising young children. Not only that, the pay is good. To become a dental assistant, you first have to attend a dental assisting program, which typically takes about a year. Then you have to pass an exam. Another option is to take a two year associate degree program. Dental assistants earn an average of $32,000 a year.


Surgical Tech - This job field is growing rapidly and requires training courses that range from nine months to two years, depending on if you want a certificate or an associate degree. You can find programs at community colleges and vocational schools. Surgical techs work in operating rooms helping surgeons and finishing completed procedures. On average, surgical techs earn $38,740.


Radiological Technician - Although licensing requirements vary from state to state, most states require a certificate or a two year degree. This field is growing and these professionals handle medical procedures like taking X-rays. The average salary for this job is $52,210.


Have you considered any of these career fields? Please share your thoughts in the comments.


By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog and Beyond.com.. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

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Where Are All Of The Jobs? See Which States Have The Most Job Openings

See which states have the most job openings, which ones have the highest unemployment rates and how the crime rates stack up.

It looks as though the job market is continuing its small, but steady upswing. Unemployment rates nationwide have dropped slightly and over 190,000 new jobs were created during the month of February.

While this is very exciting news, the new jobs aren't hitting every state equally. In order to help you sort out where the jobs are and which states are the best for finding a well paying job and which are the worst, I found this great infographic that breaks all of the data down to make it a little easier to understand.

As you can see from the data, some states are actually doing pretty well right now. The infographic takes into consideration things like unemployment rates, per capita income and crime rates to decide which states have the most resilient economies.

Here is the graphic: Source: eBay Classifieds

As you can see, the majority of the fastest growing careers are in the healthcare industry. Biomedical engineers are in the highest demand, followed by home health aides and personal care companies. Which makes a lot of sense. As the baby boomer generation ages, they are putting a higher demand on quality healthcare. Since they are enjoying longer lifespans and more active retirement years, they are accessing options like home health care more frequently.

In addition to the figures for the fastest growing occupations, the numbers for crime rates give us a better look into the health of the state's economy. States that have high unemployment rates, high crime rates and high per capita income are having a more difficult time getting their economies back on track. When most of the middle and lower class citizens are out of work and the only people who really have any money to spend are the wealthy, typically it's harder to find a job and the crime rate goes up.

But, as you can see from the infographic, things are looking up. Slowly, granted, but still looking up.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

Education, Training and Career Guidance for Displaced Healthcare Workers

by Alex A. Kecskes

Looking for work in the healthcare field but can't find a job? Been laid off? Need career guidance?

Comprehensive Training Systems (CTS) recently announced that it will help you gain access to jobs in the medical industry. Their new program, known as Allied Healthcare Pathways to Careers, helps dislocated workers and low-income young adults get the education, training, and career awareness they need to land a job in the medical field.

The program helps job hunters explore career options, provides paid externships, job placement, and even on-the-job training. To qualify for the program, you must have been terminated or laid off within the last 12 months, or be between the ages of 18-21 with a low qualifying household income.

CTS has partnered with local colleges to establish and identify new practices in the healthcare and to develop career advancement opportunities for young adults and those who recently joined the ranks of the unemployed. Participating colleges include San Diego's City College, Mesa College and Southwestern College.

CTS is a non-profit community-based organization serving San Diego’s employment and training needs. It has successfully placed more than 6,000 candidates in employed positions through collaborations with various agencies. So what are you waiting for?

For more information visit CTS.

For an added perspective, check out this video of Mesa College's new healthcare training facility:

For more information on health careers, visit http://www.healthcarejobsite.com/

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.

High Tech Healthcare Jobs Picking Up Speed

by Alex A. Kecskes

The economy may still be in the doldrums, but if you're studying to be a healthcare professional, there are plenty of opportunities in the high tech end.

A recent study from the University of California San Diego Extension revealed that health information technology is the career choice for many of today's college students. As healthcare becomes increasingly dependent on devices and systems to manage, diagnose and treat patients, adding IT to your medical studies will make you highly employable.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for health IT professionals is expected to increase by 20 percent in this decade. Helping to fuel this demand was the passage of the 2009 federal American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. It pumped millions of dollars in increased Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals that implement Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems in 2011. In fact, hospitals will be penalized if they fail to implement an EHR by 2015.

Currently there are very few IT professionals in the healthcare industry. Couple that with the fact just a scant 1.5 percent of U.S. hospitals utilize comprehensive clinical information systems and it's easy to see that trained health IT professionals will be in big demand in the next 5 to 10 years.

Note too, that the federal government recently set out to spend a hefty $2 billion to fill 50,000 jobs in the next five years. Much of that will be directed at the health IT job market, which is good news for young healthcare grads who have added tech savvy to their medical studies.

For an added perspective, check out this video:

For more information on health careers, visit http://www.healthcarejobsite.com/

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.

Physicians Key to Attracting Healthcare Jobs

by Alex A. Kecskes

Amidst the tumult of layoffs and joblessness in today's economy, there is one bright spot—healthcare is hiring. But only if a community can attract and keep physicians in a community.

The American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians and state medical societies recently conducted studies that show the cumulative effect physicians can have on a local economy.

In one Oregon study, statistical modeling was used to reveal that a single physician directly or indirectly supports 12 to 48 positions. Moreover, physician practices support about 11% of the state's labor market, or 242,084 jobs. These jobs take into account people who would be directly employed by a new practice and the staff a hospital or pharmacy would hire when a physician joins a community. (One must also consider the new jobs created as these physicians and staffers spend money in their local economies.)

The Oregon study revealed that physician offices pumped $17.1 billion into the state's gross domestic product. Physician-related jobs contributed $1.5 billion in taxes to state and local governments. Something state and local lawmakers should consider when crafting legislation to attract medical practitioners.

A similar report released by the Florida Medical Association revealed that a single physician brought in nearly 19 jobs and $2.3 million in economic activity.

In general, the impacts of health system reform, the end of month-to-month Medicare payment fixes, and new physicians completing their residencies have prompted health care facilities to add positions. This bodes well for physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other health care professionals.

See full details of The Economic Contribution of Oregon's Physician Practices from the Oregon Healthcare Workforce Institute.

For more information on health careers, visit http://www.healthcarejobsiteblog.com/

Alex A. Kecskes has written hundreds of published articles on health/fitness, "green" issues, TV/film entertainment, restaurant reviews and many other topics. As a former Andy/Belding/One Show ad agency copywriter, he also writes web content, ads, brochures, sales letters, mailers and scripts for national B2B and B2C clients.