Get a good job

Express Employment Professionals reports a high demand for jobs that don’t require college degrees and pay wages that rival those of college graduates.

While thousands of Oklahoma high school and college graduates are finalizing college choices or seeking their first professional jobs, Oklahoma City-based Express Employment Professionals staffing firm reports a high demand for jobs that don’t require college degrees and pay wages that rival those of college graduates.

With some CareerTech training, welders, electrician apprentices, maintenance technicians and accounts payable/ receivable clerks can expect to earn $40,000 to $60,000, and could possibly see salaries above $70,000, Express consultant John A. Thomas said.

Meanwhile, nursing, banking, call center and oil field work may not offer high entry-level pay, but provides opportunity for fast upward mobility after some on-the-jobtraining, he said.

By choosing a career in skilled trades, students are filling a major void that exists in manufacturing companies today, Thomas said.

“Entry-level opportunities can turn into a lifetime careers where workers can earn wages similar to individuals graduating college with a degree,” he said.

Express CEO Bill Stoller seconds that.

“A college degree is not synonymous with a successful career and a well-paying job,” Stoller said. “Despite what conventional wisdom leads some to believe, it is entirely possible to earn a good living without a four-year college education — and you can do it debt-free. Of course, no replacing the value of hard work, a willingness to learn and good interpersonal skills, which are almost always required for professional success.”

Express franchisees in Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania confirm as much, the company said in a recent news release.

In Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, about 650,000 workers hold jobs where the typical entry-level education is a high school diploma, and those jobs account for some 37 percent of all jobs statewide. The median annual wage is $33,760 or slightly above the statewide median of $32,430.

That’s according to 2014 data of the Oklahoma State Employment Commission, the latest available.

“That isn’t to say that all of those employees only had a high school degree,” said Lynn Gray, director of Economic Research and Analysis. “Within many of the specific occupations, you will find individuals who have less and more education.”

Between 2014 and 2024, the commission expects these occupations to grow a little slower than the average job in the state — 8 percent, compared with 8.7 percent, Gray said.

A full May 2017 report of state occupational and employment wage estimates is available at www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ok.htm.