Americans that don’t have college degrees do you have difficulty finding decent jobs?

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Not_An_Isopod@reddit

I’ve seen the opposite a few times in my life. People with degrees can’t get jobs. People without them get decent jobs. It probably just depends

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It really depends on the type of job you want and the type of skills you have. I’d say men have an easy entry into construction. My brother in law does not have a college degree and makes good money doing excavating work. Another has gotten into plumbing.

I have a college degree but the kind of jobs I can do just don’t pay well.

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JayRandom212@reddit

If you wanted to, you could do construction, too.

The key is that YOU have a choice. Your brother-in-law doesn't. And construction is notoriously cyclical...each recession all these blue-collar guys -- even skilled trades -- feel the pain.

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Ok_Let_7612@reddit

That’s just not true… plumbing particularly is recession proof … if he was an unskilled tradesmen that might be true

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Outrageous-Pin-4664@reddit

I'm not sure that plumbing is recession proof. New construction takes a dive during recessions, so that work dries up. Any company that relies in part on that type of business will have to lay people off and/or reduce their hours.

Call outs will also drop, as customers feel the pinch of the recession. Guys who are sitting at home looking for another job, will do their own plumbing rather than call someone out.

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Past_Worker_8262@reddit

The freaking sumerians and Egyptians had plumbing. I think we are good on that one mate

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Outrageous-Pin-4664@reddit

What are you even talking about?

Did they also have recessions? Did their plumbers enjoy fulltime employment during those recessions?

I feel like you're trying to have a different conversation from the one I'm having.

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Past_Worker_8262@reddit

I am talking about neccesary jobs for a society to function as opposed to a stock broker. Farmer, plumber, carpenter, etc.

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Outrageous-Pin-4664@reddit

No one suggested that the profession was going to completely disappear during a downturn. The question is whether some jobs are recession-proof, meaning will they suffer proportionately fewer layoffs when the economy tanks. It's a well known fact that new construction takes a dive during recessions. My father was a construction worker, and I worked in the construction industry for over twenty years. I have firsthand experience of this. Construction workers take it on the chin when that happens. Maybe plumbers do better than drywallers, carpenters, and roofers, but they will still feel the pinch.

If you're talking about what would happen in a complete societal collapse, then being handy with tools is going to be much better than being good at crunching numbers. That's not the discussion we're having though.

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Ok_Let_7612@reddit

It depends but maintenance will always need done … I’ve never had a problem even during recession … though if your specialty is new construction then I could see it being rough at certain points

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Outrageous-Pin-4664@reddit

I did drywall for many years, so I'm familiar with the construction business. Plumbers probably get more callouts for maintenance than drywall, but I did work on occasion for people who got a lot of their business from doing repairs.

My experience is that the top workers have pretty good job security regardless of what happens. They might see their hours reduced, but they will still have a job and still get a paycheck, even if it's reduced in size.

Outside of recessions, though, it's pretty easy to find work. I left a job one day, because I was pissed off. I was walking, because my sister had my car, and carrying my tools. I hadn't gone a mile before a drywall contractor pulled over to give me a ride, and offer me a job. It was like that most of the time. There was never any fear of sitting around for months while looking for a new job. There was always some work, there just wasn't always a full week's worth of it.

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Ok_Let_7612@reddit

That’s my experience… 08 was a real shit show in Florida but I think that was state dependent… Florida is overly reliant on tourism and real estate

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Outrageous-Pin-4664@reddit

I was well out of it by '08, but a former coworker (and next door neighbor) lost his mobile home due to that. He stayed employed through it, he just wasn't getting paid enough to keep up with his mortgage. The bank ended up foreclosing on them.

The house sat there for several years, and then Michael knocked a tree over onto the roof. The bank sent people out to remove the tree and cover the roof with a tarp, but they wouldn't spend the money to actually repair it. Rain seeped in over the years, spreading black mold everywhere. When someone finally bought the place, they had to just tear it down and haul it off.

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Ok_Let_7612@reddit

I notice you’re from my homeland, and things there are generally more precarious for all wage workers

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bonir_hunter@reddit

I think a famous German said something about this once

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CamiJay@reddit

You just sound bitter lol.

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PipelinePlacementz@reddit

It depends on the trade. I work for an engineering firm that employs surveyors that do constructions staking. We never lay off even when other parts of our business are slow because surveyors are in super high demand.

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mirakuruflame@reddit

Not true lol I work in collision, recession or not you will still crash your car and your insurance will pay me to fix it.

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Bootmacher@reddit

OP looks female by the snoovatar.

I was a disability attorney for 6 years, and saw what happens when women decide to go into physically demanding work. Some get through the days fine, but they have much more chronic damage than men typically get, and it'll shorten their overall career.

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Positive-Draft3801@reddit

Self selection bias. Women are far more likely to see a disability lawyer for chronic injuries because women go to the doctor more. Im in construction, all the men are suffering chronic pain, they just tough it out. Macho culture and all that. Sometimes when a guy has a fall or gets impaled the other guys have to force him to go to the hospital.

Women in construction are usually given tasks that suit their abilities.

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Bootmacher@reddit

Women in construction are usually given tasks that suit their abilities.

So you're saying...if women did comparable physical work to men, they would be disabled sooner and more often?

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-Boston-Terrier-@reddit

I think what he’s saying is there’s plenty of work for both men and women.

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Bootmacher@reddit

So it's off topic?

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-Boston-Terrier-@reddit

It seems very on topic to me.

I think you’re just looking to argue with someone this morning.

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Positive-Draft3801@reddit

Nah this guy just wants to be offended. Which is funny because this is reddit and Im actually on the un-sexist side, for once. Here it is 2026 and people are still talking women out of working with their hands.

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Positive-Draft3801@reddit

Sure, and if i could fly as high as a rocket ship I would burn my feet from the jet fuel.

There's always some one bigger, stronger, or less injury prone. None of my coworkers have almost broken their necks on scaffolding set too low. I have. Does that make me a woman? No I dont think so. Could a woman do what I do? Yes, but probably not as fast or for as long. That's fine, theres a ton of construction jobs that barely take a toll on the body. Its more common to see a woman with a clipboard than with a jackhammer on site. A good boss will find the right task for the right person.

Here let me rephrase your argument "women are too weak and frail to do tough guy job. Women need to be protected." And Im the asshole here? You dont work in construction and if you do, you know you're wrong.

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spontaneous-potato@reddit

Along with the points you made, construction is a very dangerous job, not just because of on-place work hazards from the worksite, but also potentially because of others who aren't affiliated with the job, or even uncontrollable factors.

Workplace injuries are relatively common, and even more so if the workers aren't properly trained or educated, according to my best friend's dad, who was working in construction for almost 25 years before he was forced into disability (due to one of his coworkers not being trained well). He was lucky, some construction workers don't make it out alive.

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MortgageNo8120@reddit

OOP called construction an “easy entry”, so obviously they don’t care about that.

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Ok_Let_7612@reddit

It depends on the job you have … Union construction here can’t say injuries don’t happen but often it’s because macho fools aren’t taking the necessarily precautions

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GeneralBlumpkin@reddit

I work with diesel generators and they say it's a recession proof industry as everyone needs power. I worked during covid too

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Murky_Gur_5845@reddit

That'd why don't persue humanities

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likemy10thaccount@reddit

My guy, your entire sentence proves why the humanities are important lol

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Bawstahn123@reddit

The Humanities are, only slightly jokingly, what make us human.

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Murky_Gur_5845@reddit

Nah humanities is good morally but doesn't pay well and don't alllow you to buy a house in 2026.

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ElementalPink12@reddit

I have a degree in liberal arts and humanities and I purchased a home in 2024.

It's a lot better than a degree in nothing so you can put on a reflective vest and hold a stop sign out in the street for minimum wage with no benefits.

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anonymous_fart5@reddit

What you just described is happening virtually nowhere in the u.s.

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ElementalPink12@reddit

False

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EdwardPotatoHand@reddit

I have a degree in psychology and make solid money in IT.. just sayin lol

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throwraW2@reddit

I’m in sales and work with a lot of psych majors who are doing very well.

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LoiusLepic@reddit

Damn, psychology really is the basic go to degree in the US isn't it?

People will do it but work in many different fields

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throwraW2@reddit

I think because intro psych classes are pretty fun so a lot of people have that as an elective freshman year, find it interesting, then choose to major. But practicly, to actually use it in a full time job you tend to need grad school which not everyone wants or is able to do.

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Murky_Gur_5845@reddit

I mean you can pivot but your psychology degree wasn't a main factor in pivoting.

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diaznuts@reddit

Arguably, their psych degree was the main reason to pivot.

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creatyvechaos@reddit

I think you would benefit from more schooling.

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mistiklest@reddit

Many jobs have historically required or preferred a degree, but haven't been picky about what specifically that degree is in, though.

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Chloebean@reddit

I have a journalism degree and make ~180k (and I have done something journalism-adjacent my whole career). My husband has a history degree but ended up in IT and makes $150k.

There are so many factors other than what your degree is in.

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No_Designer_7333@reddit

Have you seen the housing market? The vast majority of jobs don't allow you to buy a house in 2026.

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JayRandom212@reddit

That'd why don't persue humanities

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mpjjpm@reddit

My undergrad is in anthropology and my salary puts me in the top 10% of earners in the US. And I’m only 43. 🤷‍♀️

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ian9921@reddit

To be fair, a lot of STEM degrees are also really struggling right now.

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mistiklest@reddit

Also, the much maligned psych degree is STEM.

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Jakomako@reddit

STEM just isn’t a realistic option for everyone. Just because someone could get a degree in history, that does not mean they could have just gotten a degree in computer science instead.

Maybe if your intelligence were more oriented towards humanities, you would understand that.

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IcyGrapefruit5006@reddit

I have a social work degree and I don’t regret it. Someone has to do it. I think I’m good at it. I think it deserves more pay, but I will keep doing it without the increased pay because I think it’s important.

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Initial_Fill_2655@reddit

Son of friend has college degree plus masters, former teacher, BP refining has been on strike but ok cause wife is teaching. Tired of hearing You have a choice.

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greggo39@reddit

I have two degrees and don’t use either one. I work for a very large printing company. If I ever left there I could pretty much pick any other printer in the country to work for

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InspiredNameHere@reddit

Question, how long have you worked in tbe company? And do you happen to know what positions are open?

I have family thats been in bad financial times recently and I've been looking for jobs that would be open for them to look into.

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acorpcop@reddit

When I was considering leaving my LE career one of the tempting offers was printing. The local plant printing drink cups (offset litho) was starting $18 an hr in 2012 dollars (that's like $26 an hour starting pay now) and raises were determined by your technical level, which is learning the machines and processes.

I ended up staying a cop, but it was tempting to argue with a machine instead of drunks who have shit their pants and tweakers with meth bugs.

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greggo39@reddit

We have pressmen making $30 per hour, but do quality control and research new technologies and materials.

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chipperlew@reddit

I have a masters degree (MBA) and I’ve never even gotten close to an interview for a job that requires one. Best paying jobs I’ve ever had don’t require degrees.

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WordsAreGarbage@reddit

Care to elaborate lol?

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Aggravating-Fee-9138@reddit

I’m a college dropout and I work in tech. I also have a coworker who didn’t go to college and used to be a hair dresser. I think for both of us it was more fate - putting ourselves out there, being in the right place at the right time and someone saying, “Hey, you’re smart. Can you do this?” And then just working our way up.

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BananaJelloXlii@reddit

Even those WITH degrees do. The pay scales are so disproprtionate with experience and education levels it's not even funny.

A business will require a BA or higher, 10 years experience and then pay like $35k a year. The pay rates are insulting.

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Past_Worker_8262@reddit

No. Learn a skill and join trades. Far more rewarding imo

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ThisPostToBeDeleted@reddit

No, and yes, it can take a while depending on season, but if I do 20 applications a day for around two weeks, I can find a full time job, on the other hand, most of my jobs don’t pay well and don’t have growth potential so I’m finishing my associates and gonna try getting an apprenticeship

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shaffe04gt@reddit

Totally depends on the person and job they want.

I've got one buddy who went straight to work after high-school got in the union and is now making bank as a union crane operator.

Another buddy dropped out of college after a semester and worked his way up through a restaurant group and is now director of food and beverage at super hign end country club.

With the exception of my friends that are teachers and nurses I dont think any of them even have jobs that are in the realm of what they majored in at college.

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UpbeatPhilosophySJ@reddit

I had this conversation with a friend, both of us drunk, in 1990 after we just graduated school. I went to college, did fine (accountant). He had no desire to do any more schooling. Joined a construction crew he met at a bar, brought his own tools day one. Quit drinking 10 years later when that threatened everything.

Ended up owning his own construction outfit, became a contractor. Did just fine. We are both in mid 50's now.

If you sit on the computer and hope the good stuff comes, it doesn't matter where you live in the whole world. You have to make yourself useful to somebody. If it's no skill labor, you're always going to have issues.

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madogvelkor@reddit

If you can own your own business or be a contractor you can do quite well. I've know guys who were in construction or building maintenance and never did anything else. In their 50s and 60s bodies causing them pain, no savings, keep getting injuries from jobs. Some worked too under the table and their SS is going to be less than it should.

But I also know a guy that owns his own small barber shop and has 3 houses, a luxury car, goes on trips multiple times a year.

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maxman1313@reddit

Also worth noting, running a small business you can absolutely lose your shirt.

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-Boston-Terrier-@reddit

People who have never owned their own business rarely understand that the actual labor is the easy part.

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maxman1313@reddit

It's easier to build a job for yourself than it is to build a business for yourself.

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madogvelkor@reddit

True, that happened to my inlaws after 2009.

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-Boston-Terrier-@reddit

Life is what you make of it.

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bansheesho@reddit

I this is the main thing I tell my kids and anyone that asks. The key is that someone has to want to buy what you are selling. Whether it's trades or college degree work or whatever.

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ZebulonRon@reddit

Not me. I only have a high school education and I have a very decent career and pay for where I live. I go up a little bit every year but last year I made about 75k.

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Individual-Schemes@reddit

Yes so I went back to college haha ^(I'm still in school)

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ResumeFluffer@reddit

I'm back to school, too. :(

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OkayDay21@reddit

Right this is where I was at too. I reached my ceiling and it wasn’t very high so I went back to school. I just graduated and my starting pay is what I was making after 10 years in my former industry.

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elphaba00@reddit

It also depends on the person. I used to work with a woman who had a high school diploma and one semester of community college, and she made a 30-year career out of high-ranking admin assistant jobs. Then you have my cousin, who bitches that she can't find anything more than a minimum wage job and doesn't want to get that "paper" (degree) to improve the skills she has. I'm not even sure if she has any skills, honestly. She wants something cushy (and part-time hours for full-time pay), but employers aren't even going to give her a second look.

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SakaWreath@reddit

My dad died while I was in college so I had to drop out and start working to help my mom with everything.

I had just enough experience to get a low level job and started working my way up. I was in a very specialized industry that lets experience speak in place of a colleague degree so I just stayed in that industry until it imploded.

Without a degree it was impossible to transition out. So I became a plumber and there are a lot of people doing the same thing. If the economy tanks I’ll be back looking for something else. I’ll probably end up with a few part time jobs.

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BigBearOnCampus@reddit

I have trade school certs. So no not really. As a licensed plumber/electrician/HVAC tech, I pretty much have an endless source of income if I apply myself properly. But depressed…so now I’m a straight truck driver

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evasive-company@reddit

I know this isn’t the question, but as someone with a degree I’m have major difficulty finding a job.

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emptybagofdicks@reddit

There are some really good union jobs out there that do not require degrees that can pay over $100k a year and some people with overtime even hit $200k.

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SnooSquirrels4991@reddit

Well, I think that depends. I had relatives who had multiple degrees that ended up doing essentially nothing with their career.

I have friends who are borderline illiterate that make over 100k a year.

This sounds like something a boomer would say but it’s what you chose to make of it.

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BankOk9472@reddit

It more depends on your area. If youre stuck in a small town with limited options no amount of ambition is going to save you. Contrary to popular myth doesn't matter how much you want something...without resources it aint happening.

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PacSan300@reddit

“Live your dreams”*

*Only if you have the resources and connections to fulfill those dreams.

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BankOk9472@reddit

Exactly. People always think im being negative or making excuses. But the sad fact is many highly intelligent people lanquish just as much from lack of opportunity/resources than do from laziness.

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mistiklest@reddit

I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein's brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops.

Stephen Jay Gould

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wileecoyote-genius@reddit

I was in Honduras, sitting at a sidewalk table watching a guy dig through the street with a pick axe. They were digging a sewer line trench by hand. Guy was like 50-60 years old, and was jacked like a 22 y.o. gym rat. We started talking, and I couldn’t believe how witty, intelligent and articulate he was. If he had been born in America he would have been a lawyer or a business owner.

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GeneralBlumpkin@reddit

I have no degree and I made 120k last year before taxes. I'm also kind of retarded

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SnooSquirrels4991@reddit

Dude, same!

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GeneralBlumpkin@reddit

Lmao. What do you do brother? I work on diesel generators. I got 30-40k in taxes taken out of my salary last year it really pisses me off lol

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SnooSquirrels4991@reddit

I’m in the waste management business. Nah, I wish. I sell equipment.

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Cerulean_IsFancyBlue@reddit

I agree that it’s hard to predict, but your choice is not the only factor. Some careers like nursing or constantly experiencing variation in hiring. That goes for some trades as well.

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Dangerous-City6856@reddit

I don’t have a college degree, and I’ve averaged above 200k the last 8 years.

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No-Type119@reddit

There are lots of jobs here going begging in the skilled trades because for a couple of generations people pushed their kids to get four- year degrees.

On the other hand, the slacker types in high school with no goals or motivation — there are few life- sustainable jobs for them to fall back on - poorly paying oarttime service sector jobs. I live in rural America, and the white- collar and better service- sector jobs that used help lift locals without university educations out of poverty just do not exist anymore… bank teller positions, for instance; hardly any of those jobs left.

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acorpcop@reddit

Americans with college degrees often have difficulty finding decent jobs, especially with poor degree choices. There's a lot of baristas with "soft" humanities degrees.

As a matter of fact, there are very lucrative jobs, careers, and trades that don't require college degrees that face shortages. There are many jobs that require skills and accredation or apprenticeship that don't add up to a four year degree that pay damn fine, especially in healthcare, technology, and "gray collar" jobs. My kid's godparent's oldest son just started his academy to be a merchant marine crewman. Their son in law is starting an apprenticeship as an electrician.

My wife and I have a very mundane and completely average middle class life, without any college degrees. I'm a cop, she works in healthcare.

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OpposumMyPossum@reddit

You don't feel like you learned anything about people and communications that you use in police work?

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acorpcop@reddit

I had already been in the job several years at that point. I was not some naive 21 year old when I started. I enlisted in the Army after high school and by the time I got to using my pre GI Bill, I was over a decade into my career, with a DD-214 before that. I mostly found My "peer" students insufferable and rarely cracked a book. The highlight of my on-campus classes (I did a hybrid thing) was playing Magic the Gathering at lunch. My education in people was the years of intake and working the floor at the county jail with the Sheriff's Office. About the only thing useful was a more technical approach to writing.

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Any-Assistance-8103@reddit

Ah a cop who finds people who study things insufferable and was in the military. Lovely

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acorpcop@reddit

That's just an ad hominem attack. Please refute what I have stated.

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Subvet98@reddit

I was almost 50 and had been in IT for almost 30 years before getting my degree. I agree they were in sufferable

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Any-Assistance-8103@reddit

Maybe they just didn’t want an old cop in their class

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acorpcop@reddit

Maybe I didn't (and don't) open my yap about what I did because I (still) don't advertise.

There's no Thin Blue Line stickers on my car. I stay away from 5.11/bro-vet clothing.

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Knittin_hats@reddit

Idk why you are getting so much hate here. I was college aged in college and still found most other students insufferable. I think a lot of teens are treated like oversized children and they sink to the level of that expectation. The amount of whining I heard daily about unfair assignments or test questions and getting points back was ridiculous.

My favorite classmates were the ones who had some real world experience before returning to the classroom. They acted like actual adults.

I'm assuming you meant something along those lines?

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OpposumMyPossum@reddit

Sounds like you didn't go to a rigorous college.

But yes. Older people are more mature.

Is that surprising?

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Knittin_hats@reddit

False assumption, sarcastic answer, ungracious rhetoric.

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OpposumMyPossum@reddit

My kids are in college and they have had hard ass high school teachers for 4 years, and got in school not only for their great grades but for being capt if their teams, starting a business in HS, etc.

People think all colleges are the same and they aren't.

There's a reason top schools are hard to get into.

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Reliable_Narrator_@reddit

I think it’s not unusual for people who have a lot of life experience to find young college students to be immature and insufferable.

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Any-Assistance-8103@reddit

He has an associates, he was likely at a community college. Also finding younger generations insufferable is almost always a you problem (see all the rage about the 6-7 thing)

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OpposumMyPossum@reddit

So you think working with those who broke the law educated you on ALL people. That is something policing does. They get biases based on heir local population and I'm sure you know that from your studies.

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acorpcop@reddit

I met a wide variety of people and your bias comment is laughable. An old phrase I picked up years ago was "empathy, not sympathy".

Also, you deal with far more people than just the ones you arrest on a daily basis as a cop. It's not all "shooting, riding, and roping". 90% of the job is anything but.

What working the jail taught me was how to talk to people and influence them. That's what I meant by "postgraduate". You can't fight 30 inmates when you're locked in the pod with them.

Social station and status mean nothing about the individual. I've dealt with doctors from the country club that committed some of the most reprehensible acts, petty local politicians that have stolen from their own disabled parents, "honorable" murderers, and street dope dealers whose word in certain circumstances I trusted more than Admin.

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Reliable_Narrator_@reddit

My father retired after decades of working as a corrections officer. He could talk to anyone and was deeply empathetic. He had a strong sense of right and wrong but was not at all judgmental.

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LoiusLepic@reddit

Honestly even STEM / business majors struggle sometimes from what ive heard. In any western country getting corporate jobs is always tough and very competitive. There's often 1000 + applicants. If it's im tech your also competing with about a billion Indians

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Prior-Soil@reddit

Where I live police officers need college degrees.

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acorpcop@reddit

Some agencies do, some don't. Some states do, and some states don't. Some states have a 2-year certification program that gives you an associates in CJ too.

It was a big wave of "professionalizing" law enforcement about 20 to 30 years ago. Turns out, it's not a white collar job, neither is it blue collar. It's gray collar, a job that requires both knowledge and training as well as practical skills.

Not entirely sure why I would want to spend 4 years in college and take on all that student debt for a job that starts at, on average $50-$60k a year, with screwed up hours, a lot of stress, and regularly dealing with worst of humanity. Half off at Chick-fil-A while on duty doesn't quite make up for those bills from Nelnet.

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Scrappy_The_Crow@reddit

My associates degree in Communications has done absolutely nothing for me professionally.

But was an associates degree a minimum requirement to be a cop? Can you be a cop with a HS diploma or GED?

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ImamofKandahar@reddit

Yes you can.

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Disastrous-Ruin8411@reddit

The definition of a decent job will change person to person. Some people think 60 hour physical labor is a decent job. Some people would die before even considering that.

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anonymous_fart5@reddit

My wife doesn't have a degree and is the sole provider for our household as I'm a stay at home father.

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No-Handle-66@reddit

Welding, construction, carpentry, and the trades (electrician, plumbing, HVAC, etc) all pay reasonably well. None of these jobs will be replaced by AI in the near-term.

Many sales jobs don't require a degree. Same for service or hospitality jobs such as hostesses or servers, but they don't always pay well.

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Top-Confidence4496@reddit

I'm a truck driver without a degree and there's always a trucking company hiring somewhere so very difficult to be unemployed. What's difficult is getting into a high paying company

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MarcusAurelius0@reddit

The truth is nepotism and cronyism is alive and well in the job market. I have watched inept people be placed in power that cannot do their job and they simply slide by, its incredibly disheartening.

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endogenix1@reddit

I got a niche retail job. I was competent and let the store manager know I was interested in moving up in the company. I made sure the DM knew who I was. I took initiative to learn as much about the day to day operation of the store as possible. In two years I was the store manager. I make a decent salary with yearly raises and quarterly uncapped bonuses. I am willing to move out of state so I will probably be a DM within a couple, years making much more with a company car and expense account to boot.

I started college, got pretty far but struggled with math towards the end and decided to take a break. Never went back and now I make more than most of my friends I went to college with.

If you are competent and take initiative you can move up pretty fast in most jobs that have traditionally high turnover. I mean some McDonald's store managers pull 6 figures.

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DMJessus@reddit

I dropped out of college with 2 semesters to go to finish my bachelor of science in sociology with a double minor in physics and psychology. Life got in the way.

For 15 years I worked in data entry and customer service for decent pay. Mostly in the tech field. Then tech went under. I got laid off in 2024 when Meta started their yearly layoffs. I haven't been able to find anything since. The market is glutted with people with my experience level and I don't have the education backing.

I finally got hired last October. I work at a drycleaner because that's what I could get. I begged for it. I'm not proud of that. But it had almost been 2 years since I'd worked and we were almost out on the street.

It pays way less than I'm used to and it's not even the hours I need. It's a complete waste of my skills. I got a grant for CE to get my CPC at a local community college in an accelerated program.

I'm using the CPC as a stepping stone to get back to 4 year school with a steady job that AI shouldn't be able to take away (from comments within the industry). I had a dream back then. Life happened so I dropped out. I'm gonna see it through now.

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shaydog53@reddit

Depends on how much shit you’re willing to put up with honestly.

You can even make more money without a degree sometimes but the job is probably going to be way shittier aka lineman, diesel mechanic, construction, welder, etc.

I also think in the future these types of trade jobs or even some entry level jobs that suck will be more worth it than the jobs a college degree gets you.

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Lothar_Ecklord@reddit

Where I am in New England, a lot of jobs that don’t require degrees (manufacturing, warehouse, automotive services, police, sanitation, parks/state employees, etc etc) are paying bonuses right now, just to be hired, and I have several friends who were over $100k before they hit 30 - especially those who take advantage of all the on-the-job, paid training for machines and equipment. Also, if you’re a plumber or an electrician, you will earn a comfortable living as long as you’re licensed and pick up your phone (and of course remember to show up and do the work lol).

You can make a great living, even in today’s market where jobs that require degrees can be needlessly competitive and pay way less.

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hailstorm11093@reddit

Nope, I'm a guitar teacher who has experience playing guitar and teaching. I also avoided taking retail/food jobs and told myself that I would only pick jobs relevant to music/cameras.

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maxman1313@reddit

On average Americans with college degrees earn more than those without college degrees.

However, many people can and do have good careers without one.

The rub comes when, all else equal, many employers will choose the job candidate with a college degree over one without a college degree.

In summary, in the US, college degrees are a nice to have not a need to have.

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JustGiveMeAnameDude9@reddit

No. In fact, most of the people I know with degrees do not work in a field related to their degree.

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meowmix778@reddit

I have a master's but a very good friend of mine has a high school diploma and for years he was struggling finding a job past retail, sales or physical labor. He was working as a wheelchair mechanic, making decent money but the work was gross.

I got him a job at a bank I worked in their credit department doing clerical work. He does pretty alright for himself there but at least for a white collar job like that, there's a pretty hard ceiling.

I have another friend who did 3 years of vocational school in HS, got a certificate as a diesel mechanic, and worked his way to a district service manager for a truck rental company. He had to relocate a good handful of times, work long and hard hours but he makes well over 100k.

So , YMMV

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yeetskeetleet@reddit

There was a statistic I heard that recent college grads are actually struggling more to find jobs

But tbh I think across the board finding a decent job is very difficult right now

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MVHood@reddit

My spouse and I started as two kids who couldn’t afford college but were smart and worked hard at whatever we did. We became multi millionaires without degrees. Started at the bottom in our 20’s and worked our way up in different jobs. Then we started a business (which is no east feat) then sold that business to retire.

Certain jobs require a degree of course, but if you want to, you can be quite successful without one. Frankly, I’ve met some real dumbdumbs with graduate degrees. When I was hiring folks, I judged the whole person. Had one employee that worked in food service but I saw potential and hired him and trained him up. After 8 years he’s now making six figures and just bought a house.

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401jamin@reddit

I went to college because that’s what I was told to do. I ended up bored with no direction so I dropped out. I sold weed for awhile and made good money. This didn’t make me happy as I couldn’t be proud of it ( illegal times).

I ended up going to trade school, becoming an electrician, and now I’m a project manager working in an office.

Life is unpredictable.

School provided me with some debt about 10k, selling weed taught me a ton of business skills, and becoming an electrician gave me a foundation to do all repairs in my house.

My wife collected a shit ton of debt from college and post grad degree. The current administration deemed her profession unnecessary and funding went out the fucking door. She’s now working for the post office making decent money.

Again life is unpredictable.

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allflanneleverything@reddit

Answering on my husband’s behalf.

He graduated high school but never attended college or got any certifications. He can get a job relatively easily…but not a stable, well-paying one with good benefits. Construction is ass unless you’re in a union, and at least where we live, it’s very hard to find union jobs for basic construction (electricians etc are a different thing entirely and I can’t speak on it) - no benefits, low pay, inconsistent hours if there’s weather. Food service is a decent option, but again, you rarely get good pay and benefits.

He has found the most success with sales. He hates it because sales tends to be a predatory industry, but it’s kind of all he can get. He actually used to work in a bank doing account management, but left about 10 years ago when was told he needed to get a degree to continue in his role or advance. Note that it wasn’t a degree in finance or business or anything; his manager told him he needed to get any four year degree. It’s garbage but the unfortunate state of things.

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Ok-Ad8998@reddit

I can't say if it is true now, but it worked like that for me. I went to a community college for two years after high school, and had jobs in that field, but wasn't making much career progress. After 5 years of job-hopping to try to move ahead/up, I went back to school to earn my degree. I'm glad I did, although it was pretty stressful at the time.

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One_Violinist_8539@reddit

Even if you have a degree, or two, it’s incredibly difficult to find jobs right now. Our job market is the worst it’s been since Covid.

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BagOfLazers@reddit

Yes

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bamed@reddit

I've worked with a lot of people in the tech world with no degree or an unrelated degree like chemistry or geology. But, I think it was easier to land these roles 20 years ago when there was less competition.

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decorama@reddit

I have friends with degrees who never held a job in their field of study. As for me, with no degree I applied for two jobs that required a college degree and got them anyway. Experience counts.

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SouthCotton1979@reddit

Nope. I got a high school degree and make 250k a year.

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Garage_Beer_Enjoyer@reddit

Baller

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ButterflyS919@reddit

So, I do have a college degree and the job I have now only needs basic education (high school level) and pays better than the job i -did- need a college degree for.

So I guess what do you mean by 'decent job'? My current job isn't really what kids are clamoring to be when they grow up, but its decent pay -and- low average stress.

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Periwinklepanda_@reddit

Same. I worked as a teacher for 3 years making less than 35k (about 10 years ago). I hated it and eventually got a job as an administrative assistant in an office, making more than my teacher salary right off the bat. I was offered a job as the office manager after a year and a half, with a 50% salary increase, but my daughter had just been born and I wanted to stay home with her.

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Murky_Gur_5845@reddit

What is it? Enlighten us

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ButterflyS919@reddit

Public transit operator. And I make more driving that vehicle in the city than I did when I helped people trade stocks and set up retirement accounts.

People might look down on me for having a 'simple job' but seriously, way less stress than getting yelled at by people who made bad investment choices.

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Garage_Beer_Enjoyer@reddit

Nope. I have 15 years of work experience over people my age, and companies find immense value in that.

Now, I make enough money I can go to college on my own time at me leisure without the pressures that come with going right out of highschool. No debt either

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Accurate-Swim5278@reddit

I’ve been a painter for about a year now, I started at $15/hr, now I’m at $25.50/hr.

I know this is uncommon, I’m a fast learner and good worker and I have a great boss.

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lonestar659@reddit

No, I’ve been in IT for 20 years (since high school).

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Wafflebot17@reddit

I’ve had no problem

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ReallyFlatPancake@reddit

Finding jobs, no. I'm older, at mid 40s, and have a semi decent job (65k), but it's tearing my body up. I'm halfway through my bachelor's with the full intent on going through a master's. You can absolutely find a decent career without a degree, but your body can be the tradeoff.

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Turbowookie79@reddit

No. I came up through the trades, carpentry apprenticeship just out of high school. I’m now in management. With my field experience and my construction management experience I can work for pretty much any general contractor I want, and many subcontractors.

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marshmallowblaste@reddit

My husband is doing well in sales. Was never good at school. We are also in an area with lots of sales opportunities which is nice

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claudiatiedemann@reddit

I have a degree but it’s not a requirement at my job. I started out with the company in an entry-level position and worked my way up. Many of my colleagues did the same and have no degree.

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JayRandom212@reddit

Sometimes the thing that stopped you from getting a college degree is the same thing that makes it hard to find a job. It's tough to do research on this stuff because all the samples are biased and most of the variables are (probably) correlated.

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munchies777@reddit

There’s not a whole lot of free lunches out there. Decent jobs usually require some sort of sacrifice. Could be going to college, could be mastering a skill some other way that isn’t college, or could be sacrificing your physical health. There’s trades that pay well because the skills are very specialized, but you need to go to trade school or train as an apprentice to do them, which has a lot of parallels to going to college to get a white collar job. There’s also physical labor jobs that will leave you with a wrecked back when you’re 50, which means it feels good in the beginning when you make money but not after surgery #3.

Some people start with the last one and build their own business rather than find it. Think a guy that digs ditches starting their own ditch digging company. But that requires a large personal financial risk that other people don’t need to take to make the same money, and also requires learning the skill of running a business. Lots of small businesses fail because the people running them are good with the work but have no clue how to run a profitable business.

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Ow_you_shot_me@reddit

Never went to college or trade schools. Been working factories and warehouse. Pays good, just bought a house for myself and still have the cash for hobbies.

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Adjective-Noun123456@reddit

No, but I'm in a field where certifications and experience are valued.

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TipsyBaker_@reddit

Yeah, but I've also always worked with college grads who were struggling with the same. I just had less debt.

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schwepervesence@reddit

34M here. I have a 2 year community college degree and I am a union electrician. It's a basic associate in arts. I don't have a 4 year bachelors degree. But I felt it was the only way for me to get out of retail hell. It's not bad. Depends on the work and who you're working with.

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Ok_Sentence_5767@reddit

I've never been avle yo really find emplpyment and i have fully given up

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WillShakeSpear1@reddit

“For younger workers (roughly under 40, usually measured as ages 25–34), the median earnings gap is large:
High school diploma only: about $42,000/year
Bachelor’s degree: about $66,000/year
So college graduates earn roughly $24,000 more annually, or about 55–60% higher median income. “
Nat’l Center for Ed Statistics

What more is there to say?

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smugbox@reddit

Yes

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Clear_Event7275@reddit

Even the not so glamorous jobs are good when you are consistently showing up. Would i make more in something like construction or trade work? Absolutely. Can I do it every day for 12 hours a day, getting up at 4am?

Absolutely not.

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FondleGanoosh438@reddit

I have a decent job but I work my ass off. I tried college and realized I didn’t hate learning. I hated going to class and doing homework. Now my job is a one of my hobbies and a career. I’m a cook. I can learn about my job/hobby on my own time and practice it at home. I still read books about anthropology (what I wanted to major in) on my own time. It turns out sometimes what you are academically interested in isn’t always what you want to do passionately. I also think my love of cooking has a lot to do with my love of people and culture.

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jackfaire@reddit

I found my niche in Call Center Work. The field has a high turnover and many people don't last. I've been doing it for most of the last 20 years. I've never made great pay but I've rarely been out of work if I didn't want to be.

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Suspicious-Sorbet-32@reddit

No degree, never had an issue getting a job. I've got a really good job rn.

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Unusual_Form3267@reddit

Nope.

I have never struggled to get a job. I own my own home. I have one car fully paid off, and the other closing in.

I started getting leadership roles in my early 20s, and just kept going up front there.

I think the biggest "life hack" is understanding what skills a job requires, and then knowing how to present that you have those skills. A lot of people don't think outside of the box.

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EmergencySpare7939@reddit

I do have a degree and im struggling with getting a decent job

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scarlettohara1936@reddit

My son went to trade school to be a mechanic. Got all his ASE certs and with 5 years experience is making more than his dad is now. And he loves it so much he'll never work a day in his life

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BankOk9472@reddit

Way to many factors to concrete answers.

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Manny_Deeprest@reddit

I'm a high school dropout. I was let go from a job making $89,440 on April 6 about 5 pm. I had a new job offer April 7 at 9:45am making $110,430. MEDIAN household income in my area is just under $73,000.

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9311chi@reddit

My dad worked in computers, all his life that looks like a Linux administrator and then managing server towers and then some IT stuff

He got laid off every couple of years. His technology changed like when companies went from servers locally to cloud

And over the years employment got harder for him because many jobs started requiring some form of degree to consider you as an applicant So even though he had the skills, his applications would get tossed for lack college education. And I don’t think this is an uncommon thing for people to face in the job market

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sundial11sxm@reddit

Yes

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No-Fix-614@reddit

A lot do, yeah. Not having a degree doesn’t automatically ruin your life in America, but it definitely closes doors and usually makes the path harder unless you go into trades, sales, trucking, construction, tech certifications, or start a business.

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nakedonmygoat@reddit

It really depends on what kind of work you want to do, and you're well-suited for.

Many sales jobs don't require a degree, just an outgoing personality and a talent for making people say yes. Not everyone has that, though.

There are some trades that pay quite well, requiring a stint at trade school and/or an apprenticeship, but not a 4-year degree. There are medical tech jobs that require only an 18 month program, and many of those jobs pay fairly well, although not as well as some of the trades such as plumber or electrician.

Then there are the jobs like doctor, teacher, engineer, accountant, etc, where of course you need a degree.

But if you just want an office job, you pretty much need a degree just to be considered, unless you're okay with working for a small employer who might not offer the kinds of benefits that large employers do.

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PrimusDCE@reddit

No, did the military and it basically bypassed all that bullshit through experience.

The funny thing is I got out during the recession and all my friends were leaving college and couldn't get work.

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ArkansasTravelier@reddit

I never went to college, I feel like I struggled before the age of 25 but after 25 you get considered for management positions just because you’ve existed in the workplace for a decade.

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misagale@reddit

Everyone has trouble finding jobs under the current cluster **** of an administration

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Lower_Kick268@reddit

Currently in my early 20s, none of the people i know with an associates or bachelors are using their degree, the people that opted out of college are doing great and out earning the college grads simply because they have more hands on experience

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jessek@reddit

One of the highest paid people I know didn’t finish college but has had a successful career in software development. I also know people with multiple degrees who work service industry jobs. So it depends on a lot of things: skills, aptitude, what you study, the field you work in.

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PvtDipwad@reddit

No, my highest paying job was $120k/yr. Currently making $60k but hopefully moving to a company that offers $80k. All for the same position, just have my high school diploma and a crap ton of hands on experience.

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NetDork@reddit

I'm in IT and mostly self taught. I got lucky to land in the right place a time or two then impressed the right people to get me more opportunities. Having a degree would've probably opened some doors sooner, but I eventually made it.

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Alycion@reddit

I do. Hubby doesn’t. He went to a trade school. We both moved on from that industry a long time ago. But the experience we had from our own side business made it so a degree wasn’t needed. He’s got a great job. Never had issues finding one. I think it depends on industry. I mean I was the first to graduate in the state I was living in at the time with a degree aimed at web design, coding, marketing, bunch all of it together. So at the time that we swapped to the field, there were no real graduates for it and experience mattered more. Once you are in a field for a long enough period, certain industries stop caring about school and only care about experience. Think of how quick tech goes outdated. Ai a degree from the. 90’s is really no longer relevant today. But the everyday work experience remains relevant bc you are adjusting to the road changes as they happen.

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Sugah-mama21@reddit

My significant other certainly doesn't and makes 6 fiqures a year.

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Davethemann@reddit

I have an associates, so its not the highest thing to get, but i have a solid office job with room for improvement. And a few of my friends who either also went or dropped out to work, or even just joined the military are really well set up

Meanwhile, my other friends who got bachelors are either struggling with what they got, or are doing that thing where they just stay in school seemingly perpetually and are just getting small paychecks from random shit

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Professional-Pungo@reddit

My younger brother doesn’t have a degree.

He can find a job very easy. Are they good jobs is the real question.

There are very solid jobs you can get without a degree but it’s very few

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animepuppyluvr@reddit

I have a friend with no degree. She was a manager at a spa for about $24/hr, but she quit to go back to her photography business (which she also makes a decent amount from).

I have a few friends with no degree but they work in packaging and such making about $22/hr.

Not terrible jobs, but usually boring/repetitive or customer facing.

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MajesticBread9147@reddit

I have kind of lucked into having a decently paying job despite not having a bachelor's degree.

Although especially in this market things are tough. Even if degrees are optional, employers will pick the candidate with the bachelors or especially masters degree over the high school graduate 95 times out of 100.

Industry work experience and the prestige of your former employer helps somewhat, but finding a job that isn't exactly the same thing I'm doing now is much harder.

I plan on getting a bachelor's degree eventually, so I have been saving up about a grand a month for the last few years so I can go.

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Bright_Eyes83@reddit

not me, but i had a technical job in the military

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Logizyme@reddit

Plenty of high paying jobs in the trades and sales that don't require any college. Plenty of jobs in the government or unions that have nice benefits and stability.

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Zenthane@reddit

I have a decent job that I got without a degree, though I am graduating in 2 days. I make $65k a year

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Traditional_Trust418@reddit

Depends on the type of job

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Icy-Candidate-6467@reddit

I don't even have a high school diploma lol But I can find a job tomorrow, driving for any carrier. But I like UPS.

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Mr-Snarky@reddit

In 35 years I’ve never been asked about a college degree.

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trolldoll420@reddit

I have a degree and I once lost out on a job at age 28 because my college GPA had been 2.88 instead of above 3.0, isn’t that ridiculous? Didn’t even get the chance to tell them I was the #3 top US-ranked employee at the global company I worked for. Suck it, Qualtrics!! Degrees and GPAs aren’t the most important thing once you have valuable experience. It’s fine now though, that was 9 years ago.

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S4ntos19@reddit

Now that I have managerial experience, not anymore.

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stringstringing@reddit

Not getting low paid jobs. The problem is more about wage stagnation than unemployment.

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No_Importance_750@reddit

Some people go to trade school and make good money in trade jobs.

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Trialbyfuego@reddit

It depends. You can get a job at Walmart and work your way up to manager and then even a corporate position later on. This is the classic approach. Get a job and work hard and get promoted a bunch of times from the bottom all the way to the top. Doesn't always work out though.

You can also get vocational training and/or get certified for something like welding or HVAC without getting a degree. You can also work for the city or county or police department or school district or whatever and then get promoted or live within your limited means.

You can start a business or work for your friend. There's sales. Tons of jobs. However, it's hard to get the nice cushy jobs especially at a young age without a degree. And for many industries (teaching, medicine, STEM, etc) a degree is necessary.

A college degree is basically like 6 promotions in itself but if you're a hard worker you can get those promotions the old fashioned way instead of paying money for school.

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Educational-Sort340@reddit

I quit my job as a general manager of a Taco Bell at 25 (started at 23 and definitely worked my way up) ….. joined the military at 25 and doing well for myself and my family!!!!!! No regrets!!!! And no degree!!!!!

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Ms-Metal@reddit

Not at all. I didn't go to college but I did go to a technical school where I learned a bunch of computer languages and knowing those languages is more than enough for most jobs I wanted. In fact right now, programmers in those languages are very much in demand because a lot of them have died, unfortunately I've been retired for a while and then I really don't remember how the code in them without really delving back into my original books. But not having a college degree never held me back in my career. Except I was always told IBM would never hire me because you had to have a degree. Not true, they did recruit me, directly, not through a headhunter but I did not want to move to where the job was. So yeah knowing the languages was more than enough throughout my entire career. Same for my husband although he went to a different school but still not a college.

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DDrewit@reddit

Wait, have or don’t have?

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chinchillazilla54@reddit

Yeah. Going back to school this year, although I'm doing it overseas so I can get the hell out of here so it's kind of a twofer.

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HelpfulLoquat8658@reddit

bachelors degree helps with getting higher paying job, but unless it a professional field, a masters or phd is a little redundant. There are actually several companies that dislike hiring phd because they think they will be to academic/not cut out for corporate world

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