Opportunity is a subjective concept, best defined by the individual. A CareerBuilder study of pay levels for various occupations, and job growth by occupation, helps explain why one person's job opportunity can be another's worst nightmare.

For this survey, CareerBuilder focused on "non-desk jobs." Although the first-world-nation economy has shifted strongly toward desk jobs, there's still plenty of work for those who abhor being tethered to desk and computer. As CareerBuilder notes in a release accompanying the data, "Many of the fast-growing non-desk jobs, however, do not require a four-year degree or higher, and several offer workers a direct path to the middle class in a variety of industries."

These jobs offer other less tangible benefits too. "A 2014 CareerBuilder/Harris Poll survey found that workers in non-desk jobs were two times less likely to complain about their work environment and significantly less likely to report being overweight."

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The list of the top-paying non-desk jobs is quite different from the list of non-desk jobs experiencing the fastest growth. Yet there is significant overlap.

 

The top 10 in pay on this list are:

  • Elevator installers/repairers: $37.81 an hour

  • Dental hygienists: $34.19

  • Diagnostic medical sonographers: $31.93

  • Power line workers: $30.85

  • Boilermakers: $27.74

  • Avionics techs: $26.92

  • Signal and track switch repairers: $26.75

  • Occupational therapy assistants: $26.57

  • Mechanical engineering techs: $25.19

  • Industrial engineering techs: $25.01

The top 10 for growth:

  • Rotary drill operators, oil and gas: 47 percent

  • Solar photovoltaic installers: 22 percent

  • Wind turbine service techs: 21 percent

  • Massage therapists: 17 percent

  • Diagnostic medical sonographers: 15 percent

  • Occupational therapy assistants: 14 percent

  • Signal and track switch repairers: 11 percent

  • Mechanical engineering techs: 10 percent

  • Locksmiths: 10 percent

  • Dental hygienists: 9 percent

The Overlap List (might want to send this one to daughters and sons in high school or college)

  • Dental hygienists

  • Mechanical engineering techs

  • Signal and track switch repairers

  • Diagnostic medical sonographers

  • Occupational therapy assistants

Ninety percent of the 20 highest paying non-desk jobs are in health care and most require a doctoral or professional degree, according to the analysis. Many of the fast-growing non-desk jobs, however, do not require a four-year degree or higher, and several offer workers a direct path to the middle class in a variety of industries.

The data for the analysis was provided by Economic Modeling Specialists Intl. – CareerBuilder's labor market data arm that pulls from more than 90 government and private resources.    

"The U.S. workforce has gradually shifted to office-based work due to the rise of the professional services economy and productivity gains associated with information technology," said Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. "But some of the healthiest areas of job growth year-after-year are in middle-skill occupations that don't require workers to sit in front of computer monitors and phones for 40-hours a week."  

In all, there are 170 non-desk occupations that pay $15 per hour or more on average, do not require a four-year degree for a typical entry-level position, and have seen six percent job growth from 2010-2014.

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.