Top Three Paying Careers that Don't Require a Graduate Degree

More and more careers require that applicants obtain more than a bachelor's degree, and even more students prolonging their education for careers that do not require additional degrees. Surprisingly though, there are several very lucrative careers that do not require a graduate degree.

Here are three of my favorite top paying careers that don't require a graduate degree.

Airline Pilot
Airline pilots are always in demand, and the earning potential for pilots in the airline industry depends on where you set your sights. An airline pilot is a great job for no graduate degree work and even though it does require class work, training and money, it is nothing compared to the time and money invested into a graduate degree.

The average starting salary for a commercial airline pilot is around $40,000 and can increase up to $200,000. All commercial airline pilots are required to do both classroom training and in air training with a licensed pilot in an accredited school before they can get their own license. Remember, there is also the possibility to fly as a private charter pilot, and those earnings can be considerably higher than commercial pilots because of the private salary based on employer.

Financial Advisors
A personal financial advisor is an excellent example of a career for a bachelor degree that is currently in great demand and has a lot of potential with both starting salaries and future potential. One of the most important things about doing well in this career is to develop a strong client base from the start and to build your reputation for sound investments because you will be investing with your client's money.

Starting salaries for personal finance advisors range anywhere from forty to sixty thousand, and there are always positions open for good advisors. This is a very demanding and time consuming job, with an understandable amount of stress. There are plenty of benefits on top of a nice income that might outweigh some of those factors for you though so be sure this is something you really want to commit to.

Computer Software Engineers
Careers in the Computer Software Industry continue to explode, and this is a great thing when you consider that there is no need for a graduate degree. The most that is required for a career as a software engineer is a bachelor's degree, with some companies preferring to hire those applicants that have had some experience or experience on their resume. For this reason it is important to do as much intern work while still in college or spend some time gaining experience in the field.

A career as a computer software engineer basically entails building the computer systems that companies will use to conduct their everyday business. It is also necessary to troubleshoot and maintain those computer systems that are already put in place and developed, so extensive knowledge of systems and how they work is necessary. Starting salaries in this career waver around sixty thousand and there is a lot of potential for growth, benefits and travel.