You can find a career without college!

Clara Boles
December 20, 2022
Newsletter Article

If you haven't gone to college, don't stress! You can find a job easily. Here's how and why:

A time filled with lots of decision and life change, graduating from high school. I know when I was in high school the narrative sounded like ‘if you go to college and get a degree, you will have a successful career.’ That is really all we heard, so we all felt the pressure by our mentors and peers to do just that, go to college.

We were not part of conversations that talked about career options if:

A) we didn’t go to college

B) have a family farm that could support the next generation right out of high school

SO – here is the hot question: “How can you find a career without college?”

Know that not going to college is OK!

Really it is! You are not a failure if you don’t go to college. Also, know that you really shouldn’t go to college because everyone else is. There are a ton of opportunities and very successful career paths that do not require a four-year degree.

Hear the facts:

It is important to note that 35% of all jobs posted on AgCareers.com did not list a specific minimum education level, up from 29% in our last analysis. Unspecified positions accept a range of educational levels based on experience. Almost all positions require a GED or high school diploma, even if not stated. Employers’ educational requirements remained largely the same as previous years. The biggest difference was those stating a minimum high school education, up from 26% to 33%.

AgCareers.com also surveyed employers in our annual Agribusiness HR Review; employers were asked what about the education level they desire in candidates. Employers said their greatest need was for employees with a high school diploma (78%), bachelor’s degree (68%), followed by an associate degree (44%), and certification (18%).

Get familiar with the options

Take a personality test. Check out AgCareers.com’s Career Profiles and see what matches best with what you enjoy. Another way to see what you like is by job shadowing! I ALWAYS wanted to be a TV news anchor. One day, I decided to set up a job shadow at the local station and learned very quickly that was not what I wanted to do with my life. I am extremely glad that I had that experience then rather than had gone through college for something that I was not passionate about.

Look to the trades

Remember when I said that all we learned about in high school was going to college? Well, shocker, but that left a sizeable gap in the trades. Now more than ever, skilled workers are needed in the trades. Some skilled trade jobs could be:

HVAC Technician
Plumber
Electrician
Truck Driver

The success is also there

I think people have this idea – and I know I did, that if you don’t have a career where you have gone to college, you sit at a desk and you have to dress up every day, that you that you won’t make money. Well, was I wrong. Working in the trades can actually make you a very good living! Based on AgCareers.com salary data average salaries in the above roles are: