Find a Good Paying High School Diploma Job

Find a good-paying job after high school.

When I finished high school, I was told (along with everybody else) to continue with my education. High School Diploma Jobs, they said, don’t pay much in today’s job market. So, I went off to college and never took employment very seriously, even as I worked my way through college—just study, study, study.

But that was just it. While working part-time during college, I couldn’t help but notice the state of the job market. It belied a different truth. I could easily make a living with a high school diploma if I wanted to quit college and work full-time. While it’s true, the statistics show college-educated people make more than three times the income of someone with a diploma, that doesn’t mean you can NEVER find a High Paying job with a High School Diploma.

Sure, you may have to go through on-the-job training in a job you find with a diploma, but when you look at the annual salaries of some of these jobs, you might gladly ask, “Where do I sign up?”

Get a Job After Graduating

“80 percent of success is just showing up,” movie director Woody Allen said once. What does this mean in the context of finding a job? Well, for me, working part-time during college, I saw high-paying jobs for HS grads dangling like low-hanging fruit seemingly everywhere. It was rather startling, but I realized that few saw these jobs.

Putting on my “I’m-at-work” mask sharpened my perception of the job market around me, jobs that looked easy to get. So, that’s an interesting observation I made that has always intrigued me: For someone with a diploma, I guess the motto is “get a job to find a better job.”

Needless to say, I would never have seen that had I not “shown up.”

People say, “Persistence Pays.”

In that light, consider Woody Allen’s remarks. Just do the bare minimum, for instance, attending a job interview. Go in with an open mind. When a prospective employee asks to see proof of your education, be ready to produce a diploma, a copy, or a place the employer can contact to provide a high school transcript. Shape a resume that looks appealing and informative. Beyond that, show up, be honest in your job interview, and be flexible and live with the outcome. Remember, people believe that persistence pays off.

Frightened of Failing?

People also say, “never fear failure.” An ancient philosopher said failure is just a measure of success. It’s a well-known story: The ancient philosopher pointed to the pole vaulter who cleared 10 feet. That’s quite an accomplishment, but did the pole vaulter feel successful? On the next round, the pole-vaulter raised the bar one inch to 10 feet-one inch. Unfortunately, he failed and knocked the bar off. But by engaging in the pole vault a second time, he discovered success: That one inch of failure measured ten feet of success! That story’s so old I don’t know who to even attribute it to. Failure is just a dot on a map you’re following.

Entry Level Job Route

So, another opportunity for people who won’t quit is the entry-level job market: Your typical bus driver, server, and cook jobs are great entry-level jobs that lead to higher-paying jobs. A line cook starts at the minimum wage and a line cook job can lead to work as a sous Chef (as much as $50,000)or even $100,000 a year as a Master Chef. Every fledgling restaurant today needs to have a qualified chef. Hiring a line cook doesn’t guarantee success in the restaurant business, and great chefs career-climb to greatness.

In the same way, there are healthcare careers that pay. Home health aide workers are in great demand. Start with an entry-level job and start working your way up in a pharmacy or up the career ladder at an airline.

Steps to Boost an Entry Level position

One of the best things you can do when looking for an entry-level job is to work your resume over, crafting it to highlight the skills you believe you can market to a recruiter. Dedicate your resume to one job by playing up relevant things concerning that job, and get your resume out in front of people.

• Attend job fairs and approach recruiters.
• Update your social profile.
• Update your resume at job sites.
• Don’t be afraid to answer ads posted on signs outside plants. If it says, “we train,” that’s a good sign.

Government Jobs

You can find good-paying jobs working for the government at every level, and often it requires contacting a human resources office when you see a job offer that doesn’t require a degree. Suspend your disbelief at what must be an oversite. In all likelihood, it’s not an oversite.

Whatever the situation, take advantage of the opportunity to pitch your skills.

Jobs that Require Significant On-the-job Training

Maybe you had a teacher in high school who was impressed by your grasp of practical concepts and felt you could get a job in an industry in town, starting right after high school. The only snag was that the job would require training. Many of these jobs are offered with on-the-job training. Consider these examples:

• Banking or financial services
• Hospital technicians
• Machine Operator
• Assembling and manufacturing

While jobs that require only a high school diploma can be very competitive, especially if the pay is impressive, the fact that you’re out there looking for just that opportunity means you have a leg-up going in. The less work an employer must do to fill a job, the better, and if you’re job-hunting, you can provide that advantage to an employer. The less work, a prospective employer, must do, the less competition.

You may discover success in your failure (the philosopher’s example). And, of course, Woody’s adage works: show up.

Some Jobs Anybody Can Do

Work at a fast food place, get a job as a janitor or hire out with the neighborhood security service. This is the kind of work I looked for when I needed to meet college expenses. If you feel you’re a square peg fitting into a round hole, one of these jobs, while hardly the domain of special people, will do the trick. And you can start building a mountain of money to start your own business.

For self-starters who can run a business, you can start a custodial service, hire yourself as a housekeeper, or work independently as a delivery service of lightweight deliveries like those serving floral shops. Many of these employers may want to hire you as an employee. This kind of activity leads us to the next section:

The Boot Strapper Thing

Believe it or not, you can create a job situation where you hire yourself. I did it when I started an online bookstore. I found that it wasn’t my best hire when I hired myself, but it had to do. Boy, I made such bad decisions I wanted to fire myself! Maybe you’ll find the same is true.

There are ways to make good money through self-employment, and you can start out part-time, making it work after your eight-hour job is over. Since you’re hiring yourself, you hardly need more than a high school diploma. Start your online store, become a landlord, blog, or deliver food. The bar can be incredibly low to get into these businesses, and the sky’s the limit in the money you can make. The only drawback is that businesses with a low entry bar are highly competitive.

Self-employment is demanding, but the rewards can be more than just monetary. You also learn about management, bookkeeping, taxes, and a sense that the buck stops with you. That can be a fantastic experience for anyone.

If you liked my article, consider subscribing to my newsletter below: