Highest-paying jobs in San Diego that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in San Diego that don't require a college degree
From the moment they first set foot on campus, today's high-school students are inundated with messages about the importance of receiving a college education. They hear it from their guidance counselors, teachers, parents, family members, neighbors, coaches—the list goes on and on. While graduation from a four-year college can certainly work wonders for students' future careers, it's not necessary for all fields—something admissions officers and guidance counselors sometimes fail to mention.
To find the highest-paying jobs that don't require a college degree, Stacker consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to compile a list of all jobs that don't require higher education. All professions that listed a high-school diploma, some college education (without a degree conferred), postsecondary non-degree award, or no formal education requirements for entry-level positions were considered. Jobs that didn't list any entry-level education requirement were excluded, as were job titles that grouped several positions together. Jobs are ranked by 2019 annual mean wage.
Keep reading to discover the highest-paying jobs in San Diego that don’t require a college degree.
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#50. Traffic technicians
- Annual mean salary: $63,390
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,590
- Employment: 7,470
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#49. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
- Annual mean salary: $63,880
- Employment: 300
National
- Annual mean salary: $87,420
- Employment: 33,370
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#48. Electrical and electronics installers and repairers, transportation equipment
- Annual mean salary: $64,580
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,670
- Employment: 9,790
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#47. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Annual mean salary: $64,800
- Employment: 490
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,360
- Employment: 58,930
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#46. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Annual mean salary: $65,090
- Employment: 3,150
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,560
- Employment: 208,480
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#45. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $65,320
- Employment: 1,700
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,480
- Employment: 131,300
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#44. Brickmasons and blockmasons
- Annual mean salary: $65,490
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,470
- Employment: 60,650
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#43. Meter readers, utilities
- Annual mean salary: $65,650
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,250
- Employment: 30,450
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#42. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $66,360
- Employment: 4,740
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,920
- Employment: 542,690
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#41. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $67,400
- Employment: 850
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,490
- Employment: 123,730
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#40. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $67,440
- Employment: 1,930
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,110
- Employment: 133,310
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#39. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Annual mean salary: $68,460
- Employment: 190
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,730
- Employment: 25,570
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#38. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $68,770
- Employment: 3,670
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,820
- Employment: 235,470
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#37. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $69,030
- Employment: 3,030
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,940
- Employment: 287,960
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#36. Insurance appraisers, auto damage
- Annual mean salary: $69,110
- Employment: 190
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,240
- Employment: 13,750
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#35. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $69,700
- Employment: 1,960
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,180
- Employment: 249,090
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#34. Glaziers
- Annual mean salary: $70,920
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,810
- Employment: 52,400
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#33. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $71,290
- Employment: 3,230
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,550
- Employment: 485,700
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#32. Firefighters
- Annual mean salary: $71,550
- Employment: 3,100
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,650
- Employment: 324,620
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#31. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $71,790
- Employment: 480
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,570
- Employment: 38,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#30. Structural iron and steel workers
- Annual mean salary: $72,770
- Employment: 720
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,170
- Employment: 76,570
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#29. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $73,230
- Employment: 4,310
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,220
- Employment: 631,100
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#28. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $74,010
- Employment: 490
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,920
- Employment: 52,270
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#27. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Annual mean salary: $74,110
- Employment: 280
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,970
- Employment: 32,520
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#26. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $74,230
- Employment: 2,580
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,210
- Employment: 405,750
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#25. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $74,390
- Employment: 10,710
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,344,530
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#24. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $75,070
- Employment: 1,010
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,390
- Employment: 110,420
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#23. Airfield operations specialists
- Annual mean salary: $75,990
- Employment: 180
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,620
- Employment: 10,680
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#22. Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
- Annual mean salary: $76,390
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,350
- Employment: 2,160
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#21. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
- Annual mean salary: $76,770
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,990
- Employment: 14,530
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#20. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $77,110
- Employment: 3,430
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,720
- Employment: 220,750
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#19. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $79,350
- Employment: 4,100
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,780
- Employment: 410,050
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#18. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $79,630
- Employment: 5,710
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,440
- Employment: 626,180
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#17. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $80,650
- Employment: 770
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,060
- Employment: 162,330
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#16. Crane and tower operators
- Annual mean salary: $81,920
- Employment: 410
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,530
- Employment: 45,480
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#15. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $82,470
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,370
- Employment: 33,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#14. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $82,990
- Employment: 340
National
- Annual mean salary: $102,870
- Employment: 37,830
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#13. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $87,650
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $77,530
- Employment: 30,020
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#12. Fire inspectors and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $88,350
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,730
- Employment: 13,710
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#11. Gas plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $90,520
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,050
- Employment: 14,410
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#10. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Annual mean salary: $92,110
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $78,220
- Employment: 13,850
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#9. Gambling managers
- Annual mean salary: $92,550
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $84,700
- Employment: 4,450
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#8. Ship engineers
- Annual mean salary: $94,590
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,540
- Employment: 8,410
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $95,230
- Employment: 610
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,960
- Employment: 111,660
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#6. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $100,790
- Employment: 3,040
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,030
- Employment: 105,620
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#5. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $102,990
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,000
- Employment: 46,430
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent
#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $103,260
- Employment: 1,130
National
- Annual mean salary: $103,320
- Employment: 132,040
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

#3. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Annual mean salary: $107,000
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $81,280
- Employment: 22,650
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award

#2. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $119,480
- Employment: 240
National
- Annual mean salary: $82,010
- Employment: 69,590
- Entry level education requirements: Postsecondary nondegree award
#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $137,630
- Employment: 370
National
- Annual mean salary: $94,950
- Employment: 121,340
- Entry level education requirements: High school diploma or equivalent

