Trade jobs, particularly in the U.S., offer lucrative salaries of over $100,000 for elevator and escalator installers, requiring only a high school diploma. Although these positions have physical demands, they provide a pathway to six-figure income without college debt. Other high-paying trades include electrical power line installers and aircraft mechanics, which also face challenging work conditions. While elevator installers are highest-paid, job openings are limited. General maintenance and repair jobs, despite lower average pay of $46,700, are more numerous and may provide better job security.
Despite significant stigma surrounding vocational careers and assumptions that grad jobs are the only path to success, a new report highlights that tradies in the U.S. can earn six-figure salaries without the added debt of a college degree.
Candidates must be willing to endure working in both cramped areas and high spaces. They must also be fine with getting on their knees to crawl on some jobs and being on call 24 hours a day.
Although elevator and escalator installers are the highest-paid tradies, they're not the most common or in-demand workers—with just 2,100 job openings each year and limited employment growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Those wanting to hedge their bets and increase their chances of landing a blue-collar job may wish to look at general maintenance and repair jobs. Although maintenance and repair workers earn significantly less than elevator and escalator installers, they're the most common.
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