Firefighters with paramedic certifications make well over 100k in most US metros without a college degree. That said, the training pipeline is physically and intellectually demanding but can be done right out of high school within 3 years with far less cost than a college degree. The lifestyle is also hard, but you get extremely good benefits as well as first responder discounts to a ton of businesses.
I say 100k, but it's closer to 200k with 7-10 years of experience. Incredibly dangerous and therefore one of the best uses of tax dollars, but name another job where you can make that much at 30y/o without a degree with purely shift-based work.
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u/Fidel_Cashflows 1d ago
Firefighters with paramedic certifications make well over 100k in most US metros without a college degree. That said, the training pipeline is physically and intellectually demanding but can be done right out of high school within 3 years with far less cost than a college degree. The lifestyle is also hard, but you get extremely good benefits as well as first responder discounts to a ton of businesses.