There are plenty of jobs that can may a decent wage without forcing you to mire yourself in debt going to college. What follows is a discussion of the blue-collar job market, and several jobs in the sector along with their duties and expected wages.
However, the current trend towards globalization (well, nearly 20 year trend) has moved many jobs out of the U.S. Some argue that the cheaper goods we get in return aren't worth the associated costs of dismantling our industrial base and attendant retraining and unemployment, but the effect has been that a lot of old standby blue-collar jobs simply don't exist in today's economy. Here's a survey of the ones that are left.
All of these jobs require specialized knowledge, and every single one of them is eligible for technological disruption to some extent or another. But for now, if you've got the skills, these are the best jobs out there to be had without a college or professional degree. In many cases, many of these jobs pay comparably to lower and mid range office work, and a lot of them have skills that are transportable. Most of these jobs beat the $43,318 median income listed by the U.S. Census Bureau. While none require college education, a significant fraction of them require professional certification.
Building and Construction Inspectors:
These jobs are generally learned by working in them as an apprentice; certification exams and textbooks on building codes are a regular expense of this kind of work. However, apprenticeship programs are available. This job is suitable to people who have a high attention to detail; it averages about $44,000 per year, depending on the local construction market.
Plumbers and Steamfitters
These professionals install and maintain most types of pope fittings, ranging from municipal water systems to residential and commercial buildings. Most members of the plumbing trade are taught through trade-related training programs that can take a year or two to complete. Plumbers can move into hydraulic engineering jobs with a bit of further education. Typical annual salary is in the range of $48,000 to $53,000 depending on certification and experience.
The people who work the rivet guns putting up skyscrapers are typically the products of four-year apprenticeship programs. They learn a wide range of skills from practical structural engineering and basic metallurgy to handling power tools and safety procedures for working on girders and support beams. This is hard work, and typically pays hourly. A good steelworker will make in excess of $60,000 per year; average ones get around $20,000 per year. As the building trade has become greener, this job has started to change – different materials require different techniques, and a greater emphasis on prefabricated materials is coming to the fore.
Public Safety Officer
Police go through a 12 to 16 week training stint and then a 6 to 12 month probationary period. A dedication to public service is critically important; many veterans go into this field. Demonstrated skill and experience can lead to promotions, and the salary range starts at about $45,000 per year.
Public Transportation Operators
Bus drivers and streetcar/subway operators make a good living, and it's a job with extensive growth opportunities as the cost of owning a car skyrockets. Critically important for this job are physical stamina, good concentration skills, and the ability to pass a drug screening. Typical salary starts at $48,000 per year, and rises rapidly in some metro areas.
Agricultural Manager
America's farm productivity is incredible, and the people who "stay down at the farm" to make it happen tend to be educated and planners more than anything else. Exposure to both agricultural science and basic veterinary practices are useful to land this job; once you've got it, it pulls in about $50,000 to $55,000 per year. Expect to work long hours and get your hands dirty on occasion.
Aircraft Mechanic and Avionics Tech
These jobs tend to be dominated by ex military personnel, who use the skills they learned in the Air Force or Army to move into a high paying civilian job. Without a military background, this usually requires two years of schooling through a community college program. Typical pay rate starts at $41,000 per year and climbs rapidly. Working for a major airline gives extensive benefits, but the work is hard to find right now with the way fuel prices have cut into their margins.
Electronics Technicians
Electronics gear breaks, leaving more businesses dependent on keeping office machinery running. Conversely, as home entertainment systems get more complex (and flat screens get larger), the market for people who can competently install and repair them has grown. This career can be pursued with on-the-job training, though a two-year community college course is also likely. Typical pay starts at $42,000 per year and peaks at about $60,000 per year.
Plastics Machine Operators
For certain grades of materials, it's still cheaper to pay to have them made locally than to ship them from China, and plastics machine operators are the ones who baby-sit the machines doing extrusions and presswork. Most are taught on the job, though there are a few formal training programs. The typical work environment is usually a small company of less than 50 people all told. Typical pay is about $44,000 per year.
Conclusion
There are plenty of decent paying blue collar jobs out on the market – this list only touches on them briefly, and excludes a couple of the commonly cited ones (getting into the Brotherhood of Elevator Installers is, for example, a rigorous process that's harder than most college degree programs.) If you're willing to work, there's work available, some of it quite lucrative.
