BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) –

You might not believe it, but you can actually earn six figures and a never set foot on a university campus.

“Some of my most achieving clients, who are non-degreed, come from either sales or I.T. or sometimes retail management,” said Marlene Wallace, owner of Career Concepts Inc.

Wallace works with high achieving people that want to continue to grow and earn more. She says several of her client’s résumés contain no mention of a 4-year degree.

“We all know that the degree is kind of a point that people use to call a person out. But it does not necessarily mean that there are not a lot of opportunities out there.”

Construction industry jobs, managerial positions, even some policemen can earn $80,000 or higher. Wallace says sometimes all you need is a high school diploma and, a make it happen attitude.

“Talent wills out, and hard work wills out, and drive wills out,” said Wallace.

The U.S. Department of Labor recently listed 40 top paying jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree. Number one on the list was air traffic controller, with a median salary of $108,040.

Granted, not every job is that lucrative but, there are plenty of occupations where a person can make decent cash and not necessarily need a lot of education.

“Achievers are achievers. It’s beautiful and I’m not negating the value of that education and continually learning, whether they have a piece of paper or go for the advanced degrees or not. But if you have the heart and the drive and you are in the area you want to be, then you can continue to grow,” said Wallace.

Top 5 highest paying jobs that don’t require a bachelor’s degree:

  1. Air traffic controller – $108,040
  2. General and operations manager – $94,400
  3. Construction manager – $83,860
  4. Transportation, storage, distribution managers – $80,210
  5. First-line supervisors of police and detectives – $78,260

(Source: US Department of Labor, Median Salaries)

For more information on these jobs, please visit http://www.bls.gov/opub/ooq/2012/summer/art03.pdf.

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Original Article: http://www.myfoxal.com/story/25559445/workers-without-bachelor-degrees-can-still-earn-six-figures