You Can Get These High-Paying Jobs With Just A Certificate

You Can Get These High-Paying Jobs With Just A Certificate

University degrees get treated like the golden ticket to success, but you don’t need a four-year diploma to build a career that pays well.

In fact, many college and trade programs cost far less—and the salaries can rival (or even beat) what some university grads make.

If you’re looking for a faster, smarter route, these high-paying careers only require a one- or two-year certificate program.

Phlebotomist

Phlebotomists are the people you'll see if you go for blood tests at the hospital or local clinic. They're specially trained in blood withdrawal and storage.

If blood doesn't make you queasy, then a career as a phlebotomist might be just what you're looking for.

It only requires a four- to eight-month training program and pays an average salary of $38,000 per year.

Nurse Taking a Blood Sample from a Finge

Gustavo Fring, Pexels

Certified Medical Assistant

Medical assistants aid doctors and nurses in the healthcare of patients and various administrative tasks. You could be checking a patient's vitals and assisting a doctor one day, and scheduling appointments at the front desk the next.

To be certified, you'll need to complete a CMA certificate program that ranges from four months to two years, but you could earn an average salary of $38,000per year.

Group of doctors planning management

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A, Shutterstock

Dental Assistant

Similar to medical assistants, dental assistants offer support to dentists, perform basic oral exams and teeth cleanings. They also sterilize instruments and perform patient intakes.

If you like keeping people's teeth clean and want to advance into dentistry one day, becoming a dental assistant can be a great step.

Dental assistant programs can range from six months to two years and you could be paid $44,000 per year once hired.

A boy in a long sleeves shirt

Kaboompics.com, Pexels

HVAC Technician

If you like problem-solving and learning the ins-and-outs of how a machine works, you could be well placed for a job as an HVAC technician.

HVAC technicians service ventilation systems for residential and industrial locations and are often employed by a company, or can start their own business.

Within six months, you could be starting an apprenticeship after your certification and be getting paid $54,000 per year.

Man fixing an Air Conditioner

José Andrés Pacheco Cortes, Pexels