Highest-Paying Jobs With a Certificate
Answer
Commercial Pilots ($123,220), Ship Engineers ($109,530), Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103,020) top this list. A postsecondary nondegree award is a certificate or diploma from a community college, technical school or similar program, usually lasting a few weeks to two years. Many of these jobs also require a license or a federal certificate (for example from the FAA) on top of the program.
How this ranking works
Includes: BLS typical entry education is a postsecondary nondegree award (certificate or diploma program); at least 5,000 US jobs. Ranked by: Median annual wage. Data: BLS OEWS, May 2025; typical entry education from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Occupations without a published median and the residual “all other” categories are left out. Methodology
| 1 | Commercial Pilots | $123,220 | — | 47,630 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +5.2% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Ship Engineers | $109,530 | $52.66 | 8,400 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +2.7% |
| 3 | Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay | $103,020 | $49.53 | 20,720 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +9.7% |
| 4 | First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers | $93,530 | $44.96 | 99,140 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +3.7% |
| 5 | Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | $92,460 | $44.45 | 36,850 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +4.0% |
| 6 | Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment | $84,890 | $40.81 | 6,940 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +5.4% |
| 7 | Avionics Technicians | $82,280 | $39.56 | 18,830 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +9.4% |
| 8 | Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $79,870 | $38.40 | 138,090 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +5.4% |
| 9 | Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage | $78,240 | $37.61 | 11,560 | Postsecondary nondegree award | −8.7% |
| 10 | Fire Inspectors and Investigators | $75,920 | $36.50 | 13,800 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +4.2% |
| 11 | Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment | $74,090 | $35.62 | 65,010 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +0.3% |
| 12 | Sound Engineering Technicians | $73,130 | $35.16 | 13,080 | Postsecondary nondegree award | −3.1% |
| 13 | Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners | $72,420 | $34.82 | 12,870 | Postsecondary nondegree award | −0.1% |
| 14 | Computer Numerically Controlled Tool Programmers | $68,120 | $32.75 | 28,500 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +5.9% |
| 15 | Lighting Technicians | $68,060 | $32.72 | 8,900 | Postsecondary nondegree award | −4.8% |
| 16 | Surgical Assistants | $66,800 | $32.11 | 22,270 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +6.1% |
| 17 | Surgical Technologists | $64,650 | $31.08 | 117,460 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +5.0% |
| 18 | Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $64,400 | $30.96 | 648,410 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +3.0% |
| 19 | Wind Turbine Service Technicians | $64,120 | $30.83 | 9,980 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +29.5% |
| 20 | Tool and Die Makers | $64,050 | $30.79 | 56,930 | Postsecondary nondegree award | −9.2% |
| 21 | Telecommunications Equipment Installers and Repairers, Except Line Installers | $63,890 | $30.72 | 140,920 | Postsecondary nondegree award | −3.3% |
| 22 | Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers | $61,010 | $29.33 | 409,670 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +10.9% |
| 23 | Paramedics | $60,600 | $29.13 | 100,610 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +5.7% |
| 24 | Firefighters | $59,280 | $28.50 | 345,990 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +3.7% |
| 25 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | $58,640 | $28.19 | 2,062,040 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +3.8% |
| 26 | Massage Therapists | $58,450 | $28.10 | 98,790 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +15.3% |
| 27 | Audio and Video Technicians | $58,100 | $27.93 | 70,230 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +3.9% |
| 28 | Audiovisual Equipment Installers and Repairers | $52,600 | $25.29 | 19,780 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +4.8% |
| 29 | Medical Records Specialists | $51,140 | $24.59 | 194,720 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +7.8% |
| 30 | Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics | $50,620 | $24.34 | 704,640 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +5.0% |
BLS OEWS, May 2025, national cross-industry estimates; projections and typical entry education from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Occupation names are the official BLS titles; linked names have a full pay and how-to-become page on this site.