The Top 15 Highest-Paying Jobs for 2026 That Don’t Require a Degree

As questions about the value of a traditional college degree (or at least the value of studying certain subjects at college) intensify, reports suggest some Gen-Z youngsters are turning away from the idea of college education and are looking to learn a trade. A new study from online resume service Resume Builder underlines the value of this kind of hands-on work in an era when AI is expected to slowly expand into many different industry sectors, upending the job market as it goes. Resume Builder’s analysis found the top 15 jobs for 2026 that don’t require a college degree, and some of the job titles and salary levels are eye-opening. 

The top job per Resume Builder’s list is “Elevator and escalator installer and repairer.” This technology-centric, safety-critical engineering job is expected to lead to a median annual salary of $106,580 next year—with the top 10 percent of workers topping $149,250. In 2024, there were about 24,000 of these jobs, but by 2026 a growth of five percent is expected. It may be a surprising job title to see on top of a non-college job list, but if you think about it, it makes great sense: as of now, AI and robotics wouldn’t threaten this job (though AI may be a useful tool to help predict if an escalator or elevator may fail, and appropriate AI tools might suggest fixes for an engineer looking at unexpected problem.) The job also comes with legal and insurance burdens other jobs don’t, due to the safety issues of the infrastructure in question.

The number two job is a bit more conventional: Transportation, storage, and distribution manager, with a median annual salary of $102,010, and a top 10 percent salary of over $180,000. We live in an era of convenient home shopping, and goods always need to move from point A to point B to support business processes in many different industry sectors, so, like jobs involving death and taxes, this career is a probable long-laster. The number of managers in this sector is also expected to jump six percent over 2024’s figure, so there’s growth here too, and likely a fair number of job openings.

In third place, possibly given a boost by the rocket-propelled growth in power-hungry computer data centers needed to power the AI revolution, is work as an “electrical power-line installer and repairer.” This is skilled and potentially risky work, which fits the median salary of over $92,000 (with the top 10 percent earning over $126,000). Growth of jobs in this sector is expected to hit seven percent over 2024’s number, showing exactly how critical power line workers are. As well as AI power demands, we can guess that clean power initiatives and the rise in EVs may be contributing to the popularity of this kind of work.

The rest of the list is also fascinating. Take a look:

• Aircraft and avionics equipment mechanic and technician (Median annual salary: $79,140)
• Detective and criminal investigator (Median annual salary: $77,270)
• Locomotive engineer (Median annual salary: $75,680)
• Wholesale and manufacturing sales representative (Median annual salary: $74,100)
• Flight attendant (Median annual salary: $67,130)
• Property, real estate, and community association manager (Median annual salary: $66,700)
• Water transportation worker (Median annual salary: $66,490)
• Food service manager (Median annual salary: $65,310)
• Heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technician (Median annual salary: $62,740)
• Athlete and sports competitor (Median annual salary: $62,360)
• Chef and head cook (Median annual salary: $60,990)
• Insurance sales agent (Median annual salary: $60,370)

In an email to Inc., Eva Chan—one of Resume Builder’s career experts—notes that “one of the biggest job search myths is that ‘no degree’ means ‘no education,’ when some of the fastest routes to higher pay are built on practical training.” She added that “people who do best without a four-year degree aren’t looking for shortcuts, they’re choosing a path with clear requirements and then following through. With a solid plan and the motivation to build job-ready skills, a high-paying career can be much closer than most job seekers think.” Her argument is backed up by a recent report that says that in the AI era, one highly tempting career path guaranteed to skirt the job threat inherent in AI tools is to work and study to get a state license in almost any career where this carries weight—like being a CPA or an electrician.

Resume Builder’s advice for people pursuing non-college degrees is valuable: firstly, the company advises young people to pursue “alternative” education paths, because they “allow job seekers to respond to market demand faster than traditional degree paths, helping them gain qualifications and earn higher pay sooner.” This could include vocational training or apprenticeships—both popular options for Gen-Z, and for many companies. Conducting your own research is also advised during the job-seeking process, including “networking, informational interviews, and reviewing resume samples or templates,” which can also help job seekers “better understand employer expectations and stand out during the hiring process.” In an era when AI tools are being over-used by applicants and perhaps HR teams too, this makes sense.