The Best Jobs for Trade School Graduates

Elevator mechanics, installers, and repairers have a good occupational outlook and high earning potential. The job includes installing, repairing, and maintaining elevators, elevator doors, cables, and control systems, escalators, moving walkways, and lifts. If you’re cool under pressure and good with your hands (and power tools) this might be the perfect career for you. 

• Elevator Mechanic Career Information
• Median Annual Salary: $77,806
• Projected Growth Rate 2016-2026: 12 percent
• Typical Education Required: High School Diploma and Apprenticeship
• Gender Breakdown: 1 percent Female/99 percent Male

If you want to help people and earn good money doing it, you can’t do better than a job as a radiation therapist. Working with oncologists in hospital settings, these workers help administer radiation for cancer treatment. Radiation therapists require licensure, in addition to an associate degree.

• Radiation Therapy Job Description
• Median Annual Salary: $69,504
• Projected Growth Rate 2016-2026: 13 percent
• Typical Education Required: Associate Degree

If you don’t mind getting your hands dirty and aren’t afraid of math, this job could be a good fit for you. You'll be installing and maintaining equipment, collecting and testing samples, recording data, and compiling reports.

While some employers do prefer candidates with a bachelor’s degree, you can often get started in this field with a two-year degree.

• Geological and Petroleum Technician Job Description
• Median Annual Salary: $61,370
• Projected Annual Growth Rate 2016-2026: 16 percent
• Typical Education Required: Associate Degree
• Gender Breakdown: 46 percent Female/54 percent Male

If you want to build a career as a web developer, you’ll probably have to go for a bachelor’s degree eventually. But some employers will accept years of work experience and an associate degree instead. If you love writing, testing, and debugging software, you’ll love this job.

• Web Developer Job Description
• Median Annual Salary: $58,448
• Projected Annual Growth Rate 2016-2026: 15 percent
• Typical Education Required: Associate Degree
• Gender Breakdown: 20 percent Female/80 percent Male

Sonographers administer ultrasounds, as well as preparing patients for procedures, and reviewing and processing images for interpretation by a physician. Job responsibilities also include preparing, maintaining, and operating imaging equipment. They often report high levels of job satisfaction.

• Ultrasound Technician Job Description | Ultrasound Technician Skills
• Median Annual Salary: $55,106
• Projected Growth Rate 2016-2026: 17 percent
• Typical Education Required: Associate Degree
• Gender Breakdown: 92 percent Female/8 percent Male

The job includes cleaning teeth, removing plaque, taking x-rays, checking for oral disease, and educating patients on oral hygiene. Dental hygienists routinely rank among the most satisfied workers. A passion for oral hygiene, as well as a drive to educate patients, will go a long way in this career.

• Dental Hygienist Career Information | Dental Assistant Skills
• Median Annual Salary: $54,989
• Projected Growth Rate 2016-2026: 20 percent
• Typical Education Required: Associate Degree
• Gender Breakdown: 97 percent Female/3 percent Male

Electricians have fairly long apprenticeships – up to four years! – and require licensure to do their jobs. However, that training comes with a paycheck, however small, making it a better financial option for many than the equivalent amount of time in a degree program.

In this job, you'll be reading blueprints, installing, maintaining and repairing wiring, controls and electrical components, and using testing devices to local electrical problems.

• Electrician Career Information
• Median Annual Salary: $52,527
• Projected Growth Rate 2016-2026: 9 percent
• Typical Education Required: High School Diploma and Apprenticeship
• Gender Breakdown: 1 percent Female/99 percent Male

Many respiratory therapists have bachelor’s degrees, but an associate degree can provide entry to the field. People with this job work with children and adults with respiratory issues performing diagnostic tests, consulting with medical staff, and performing treatments.

• Respiratory Therapist Career Information
• Median Annual Salary: $52,042
• Projected Annual Growth Rate 2016-2026: 23 percent
• Typical Education Required: Associate Degree
• Gender Breakdown: 63 percent Female/37 percent Male 

If you want to work as a plumber, you’ll need both attention to detail and a certain amount of physical strength — as anyone who’s ever wrestled with a plumbing project as an amateur can attest. Plumbing licensing requirements vary from state to state, but you can expect to need some sort of licensure, as well as apprenticeship experience. 

• Plumber Career Information | Plumber Skills List
• Median Annual Salary: $50,349
• Projected Growth Rate 2016-2026: 16 percent
• Typical Education Required: High School Diploma and Apprenticeship
• Gender Breakdown: 1 percent Female/99 percent Male

HVAC (Heating, Venting, and Air Conditioning) technicians work on heating, cooling, and ventilation units, installing and maintaining equipment. This job typically requires two years of education past high school, often including on-the-job training in the form of an apprenticeship.

• HVAC Technician Career Information
• Median Annual Salary: $44,604
• Projected Growth Rate 2016-2026: 15 percent
• Typical Education Required: Postsecondary Non-degree Award
• Gender Breakdown: 1 percent Female/99 percent Male

The jobs listed above are those that pay the most and have the highest projected rates of new openings, but they aren't the only options to consider if you're starting your career or thinking about a change.

When you're exploring career options, it's important to select choices that would be the best fit for your skills and interests. Alternatives to consider:

• Best Jobs for Community College Graduates
• Top 10 Jobs That Don't Require a Four-Year Degree
• Top 15 Hourly Jobs

Projected growth data provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook. Salary data provided by PayScale.com.