Where is the job opportunity if you don’t have a college degree?

I talk a lot about job opportunities for college grads. But the reality is a majority of Americans either don’t attend college or don’t graduate from college.

So where is the opportunity if you don’t have that degree?

Read more: 5 ways to get a great paying job with minimal education

Look at construction and auto repair

Today, there are a number of job categories with severe shortages. As a result, employers need you and that bumps the pay scale up.

All over America, construction companies have a severe shortage of qualified workers. So much so that a quaint old idea is back again in different forms: Apprenticeship programs to develop new talent.

The number of construction companies reporting they can’t find workers is almost all of them. It’s not even worth polling, it’s such a big problem right now. So the pay rates are moving up.

It is true that construction is cyclical. But we went through a 7-year period where virtually nothing was being built. A lot of people that used to do construction have since left the field and there aren’t people to do the work.

Another area that’s in high demand is auto repair–everything from body work to repair work on cars. Yes, it is an area that’s messy, but there are fields that have opportunity.

So in reality, there are any of a number of service work jobs that pay better wages that are sometimes dangerous, but have the opportunity to have a career that pays and offers a good path.

These jobs may not be in an airconditioned office, or even in a comfortable enviroment, but if you want more financial security, think about these areas.  And then let your mind wander to other similiar areas where you may be able to put your natural aptitude and skills to work.

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