
Highest-paying jobs in Valdosta that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in Valdosta that don't require a college degree
From the moment they arrive on campus, today’s high school students are inundated with messages about the importance of receiving a college education. They hear it from their guidance counselors, teachers, parents, family members, neighbors, and coaches. While graduation from a four-year college can certainly work wonders for students’ future careers, it’s not necessary for all fields — something admissions officers and guidance counselors sometimes fail to mention.
To find the highest paying jobs that don’t require a college degree, Stacker consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to compile a list of all jobs that don’t require higher education. All professions that listed a high school diploma, some college education (without a degree conferred), postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education requirements for entry-level positions were considered. Jobs that didn’t list any entry-level education requirement were excluded, as were job titles that grouped several positions together. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.
Keep reading to discover the highest paying jobs in Valdosta, GA that don’t require a college degree.
You may also like: Highest paying jobs in Valdosta that require a graduate degree

#50. Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $37,170
- #171 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,030
- Employment: 67,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Charleston-North Charleston, SC ($59,780)
--- Syracuse, NY ($51,600)
--- Albany, OR ($50,470)
#49. Surgical technologists
- Annual mean salary: $37,900
- #368 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,590
- Employment: 109,060
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($80,450)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($80,170)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($77,460)
#48. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks
- Annual mean salary: $37,930
- #435 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 450
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,140
- Employment: 1,509,370
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($59,750)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($58,670)
--- Napa, CA ($54,940)

#47. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $38,210
- #364 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,760
- Employment: 122,630
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($101,150)
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($94,930)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($93,840)

#46. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $38,620
- #491 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 640
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,890
- Employment: 1,143,260
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($57,830)
--- Boulder, CO ($56,520)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,930)
You may also like: How Valdosta feels about climate change
#45. Bill and account collectors
- Annual mean salary: $38,800
- #188 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $41,280
- Employment: 212,900
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($58,700)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($58,610)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,940)

#44. Self-enrichment teachers
- Annual mean salary: $39,450
- #244 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,230
- Employment: 216,910
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($70,350)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($66,650)
--- Utica-Rome, NY ($63,470)
#43. Loan interviewers and clerks
- Annual mean salary: $39,650
- #308 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,910
- Employment: 238,610
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Salinas, CA ($59,060)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($58,140)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,710)
#42. Automotive body and related repairers
- Annual mean salary: $39,890
- #459 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,660
- Employment: 137,300
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Ann Arbor, MI ($71,350)
--- Ames, IA ($68,340)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($68,060)

#41. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Annual mean salary: $40,500
- #361 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,650
- Employment: 194,330
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($64,140)
--- Decatur, IL ($60,740)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($58,620)
You may also like: Zip codes with the most expensive homes in Valdosta metro area
#40. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Annual mean salary: $40,550
- #281 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,810
- Employment: 56,070
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($84,710)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($77,840)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($76,960)

#39. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $40,830
- #343 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,480
- Employment: 175,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Midland, TX ($100,060)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($99,880)
--- Worcester, MA-CT ($93,400)

#38. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $41,150
- #451 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,290
- Employment: 397,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($72,500)
--- Anchorage, AK ($71,840)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($66,920)
#37. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Annual mean salary: $41,170
- #492 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 370
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,850
- Employment: 641,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Napa, CA ($76,890)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,880)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,410)
#36. Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $41,570
- #420 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,990
- Employment: 629,780
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($62,810)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($62,690)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,350)
You may also like: Closest national parks to Valdosta
#35. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $41,780
- #189 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,250
- Employment: 35,030
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,910)
--- Bellingham, WA ($61,210)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,760)
#34. Opticians, dispensing
- Annual mean salary: $42,640
- #127 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,060
- Employment: 73,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($70,300)
--- New Haven, CT ($69,460)
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($65,010)

#33. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $42,700
- #472 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,280
- Employment: 145,230
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($86,740)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($82,520)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($79,470)

#32. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $42,950
- #477 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,220
- Employment: 367,200
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($74,970)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($71,160)
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($67,140)

#31. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $43,210
- #498 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,350
- Employment: 417,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,580)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($89,500)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($89,190)
You may also like: Metros sending the most people to Valdosta
#30. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Annual mean salary: $43,460
- #299 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,560
- Employment: 149,290
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($66,600)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($66,240)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($60,930)

#29. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $43,670
- #506 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,310
- Employment: 650,580
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($93,900)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($91,090)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($86,600)

#28. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Annual mean salary: $44,140
- #437 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,690
- Employment: 356,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,020)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($76,750)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($71,710)

#27. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Annual mean salary: $44,400
- #435 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,110
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,340
- Employment: 1,903,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Cape Girardeau, MO-IL ($62,600)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($62,290)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($61,540)

#26. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $44,600
- #222 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,750
- Employment: 54,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($114,400)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($113,220)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($112,950)
You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Valdosta in the last week

#25. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $44,900
- #428 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,020
- Employment: 261,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,900)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($73,400)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($70,480)

#24. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $45,490
- #358 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,270
- Employment: 116,380
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Madera, CA ($76,040)
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($74,800)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($73,360)

#23. Logging equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $46,560
- #40 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,960
- Employment: 25,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($64,000)
--- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($62,910)
--- Longview, WA ($62,780)

#22. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $47,020
- #361 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $90,370
- Employment: 107,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($132,210)
--- Anchorage, AK ($127,070)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($123,460)
#21. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $47,310
- #507 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 430
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,380
- Employment: 1,443,630
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($82,050)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($79,520)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,430)
You may also like: Most expensive homes for sale in Valdosta

#20. Computer user support specialists
- Annual mean salary: $47,960
- #381 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,650
- Employment: 654,310
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($90,480)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($76,920)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($76,510)

#19. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $48,790
- #497 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 300
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,026,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($103,810)
--- Boulder, CO ($101,630)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($97,360)

#18. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Annual mean salary: $49,210
- #414 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,350
- Employment: 172,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($88,140)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($84,690)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($80,570)

#17. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $49,400
- #377 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,030
- Employment: 234,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($109,540)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($106,420)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($103,610)

#16. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $50,850
- #446 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,970
- Employment: 210,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Trenton, NJ ($91,320)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($89,860)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($87,750)
You may also like: Where people in Valdosta are moving to most

#15. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $51,130
- #79 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,450
- Employment: 106,170
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Billings, MT ($88,420)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($76,050)
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($71,340)

#14. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $52,830
- #385 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,370
- Employment: 335,540
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Modesto, CA ($57,160)
--- Bismarck, ND ($57,090)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,820)

#13. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $53,440
- #378 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,780
- Employment: 373,090
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($85,900)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($85,360)
--- Anchorage, AK ($82,890)

#12. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $54,100
- #320 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,480
- Employment: 117,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New Haven, CT ($121,510)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($107,330)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($106,190)

#11. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $57,820
- #304 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $83,270
- Employment: 80,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($171,060)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($145,740)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($135,860)
You may also like: Cities with the most expensive homes in Valdosta metro area

#10. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $57,970
- #491 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
National
- Annual mean salary: $75,060
- Employment: 665,870
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($112,020)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,820)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($101,210)

#9. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $58,010
- #477 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 480
National
- Annual mean salary: $72,390
- Employment: 1,242,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($102,280)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($92,660)
--- Napa, CA ($92,620)

#8. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $58,540
- #196 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,470
- Employment: 125,440
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($86,470)
--- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($86,370)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($85,860)
#7. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $59,760
- #183 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,870
- Employment: 466,910
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,590)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($87,760)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($87,420)

#6. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $60,030
- #481 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $92,320
- Employment: 243,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Portland-South Portland, ME ($129,860)
--- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($121,360)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($121,250)
You may also like: Highest-earning zip codes in Valdosta metro area

#5. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $61,620
- #221 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,340
- Employment: 422,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($104,230)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,470)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($95,620)

#4. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $62,630
- #346 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,330
- Employment: 629,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($98,170)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($97,910)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($90,410)

#3. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $63,650
- #447 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 320
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,590
- Employment: 526,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($93,830)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($93,030)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,870)
#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $63,930
- #403 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $98,760
- Employment: 128,230
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($182,700)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($170,740)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($164,600)
#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $93,150
- #243 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $105,580
- Employment: 144,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($159,890)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($154,170)
--- Trenton, NJ ($144,620)
You may also like: Cities with the fastest growing home prices in Valdosta metro area