Blue collar jobs that pay well

Roll up your sleeves and get to work applying to these excellent careers today.

By Monster Staff

Just because you don't have a college degree doesn't mean there aren't promising career paths available to you. In fact, you can find a job that pays well even without a degree under your belt. Blue collar jobs tend to rely more on an apprenticeship, associate degree, and hands-on training in order to prepare you for the work ahead.

So if you're interested in a career that doesn’t require you to be sitting in college classrooms for four years (or longer!), Monster teamed up with online salary database PayScale.com to bring you a list of blue-collar jobs with good pay—all of which are available on Monster right now.

Senior piping designer

What you’d do: Draw up plans for the construction, operation, and layout of piping systems that are needed to move utility resources, such as water, sewage, petroleum, and natural gas.
What you’d make: $92,600 per year

Find piping designer jobs on Monster.

Air traffic controller

What you’d do: Maintain safety in the sky by authorizing and monitoring aircraft for landing and takeoff, communicating weather changes, determining changes to flight patterns, and supervising ground traffic.
What you’d make: $90,600 per year

Find air traffic controller jobs on Monster.

Elevator mechanic

What’d you’d do: Many blue collar jobs on this list require specialized skills to assemble and fix complex machinery. For example, elevator mechanics install, repair, and maintain elevators (including doors, cables, motors, and control systems), escalators, and moving walkways.
What you’d make: $88,200 per year

Find elevator mechanic jobs on Monster.

Locomotive engineer

What you’d do: Ensure the safe operation of freight and passenger trains. This involves checking the mechanical aspects of the locomotive prior to departure, as well as monitoring speed, brakes, and other gauges during operation to ensure a smooth ride.
What you’d make: $80,900 per year

Find locomotive engineer jobs on Monster.

Journeyman lineman

What you’d do: Lineman work on power lines or at power plants on lines and generators used for the distribution of electricity. Lineman can also be responsible for the installation and maintenance of telephone, cable, and fiber-optic lines.
What you’d make: $74,700 per year

Find journeyman lineman jobs and related apprentice lineman jobs on Monster.

Boilermaker

What you’d do: Construct, install, maintain, and fix boilers, closed vats, and other large vessels or tanks that hold liquids and gases.
What you’d make: $72,300 per year

Find boilermaker jobs on Monster.

Refrigeration mechanic

What you’d do: Also called refrigeration technicians, these workers repair and install refrigeration systems, including industrial or residential climate-control systems, such as HVAC units, ice makers, beverage equipment, and cold storage units.
What you’d make: $68,700 per year

Find refrigeration mechanic jobs on Monster.

Instrument and electrical technician

What you’d do: Install, fix, test, and maintain electrical and electrical-related equipment, including industrial controls, transmitters, and antennas.
What you’d make: $68,000 per year

Find instrument and electrical technician jobs on Monster.

HVAC service manager

What you’d do: A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) service manager oversees the workers who install, fix, and maintain heating and air conditioning systems in residences and commercial buildings.
What you’d make: $67,800 per year

Find HVAC service manager jobs on Monster.

Operating engineer

What you’d do: Run and repair industrial equipment (think bulldozers, the motor graders, the backhoes, the cranes) to build and maintain everything from bridges to buildings to oil refineries.
What you’d make: $66,600 per year

Find operating engineer jobs on Monster.

Job search next steps

Your skills and work ethic are in high demand, but the key to finding a new job is getting noticed by hiring managers. Could you use some help with that? Join Monster for free today. As a member, you can upload up to five versions of your resume—each tailored to the types of blue collar jobs that interest you. Recruiters search Monster every day looking to fill top jobs with qualified candidates, just like you. Additionally, you can sign up for job alerts so you're notified when new positions become available. That way, you can be among the first to apply.

Source: Salary data provided by online salary database PayScale.com. Salaries listed are median annual salaries for workers with 10+ years of experience. The median pay is the national median (50th percentile) annual total cash compensation (TCC). Half the people doing the job earn more than the median, while half earn less. TCC combines base annual salary or hourly wage, bonuses, profit sharing, tips, commissions, and other forms of cash earnings, as applicable. It does not include equity (stock) compensation, cash value of retirement benefits, or value of other non-cash benefits (e.g., health care). Blue collar is defined as having no education beyond an associate degree.