5 Of The Best-Paid Jobs For School Leavers

Starting to work at an early age comes with many advantages on top of earning money. Just like other after-school activities, a job can provide invaluable lessons for the future. The problem is that secondary school students can find it difficult to identify a lucrative opportunity at such an early age.

The American Bureau of Labor Statistics research suggests that, in 2014, 22.3 percent of high school students had a job. Unemployment among young individuals is still relatively high. Tailored opportunities that offer sufficiently high pay and a chance for students to acquire practical skills aren’t that many.

If you’re still a student or you’re a recent graduate and you want to find a job, chances are that you feel a bit unmotivated right now. While finding suitable jobs isn’t that easy, such opportunities do exist. Here are some of the best paying jobs for secondary school students and the characteristics that make such options attractive.

Transportation and storage manager

While this is a serious occupation that comes with a lot of responsibility, it usually requires only secondary school qualifications to get started.

Transportation and storage managers are responsible for logistical organisation, guaranteeing compliance, maintaining processes and coordinating activities throughout the enterprise. Onsite work in warehouses and storage areas may also be required.

Transportation and storage managers get a pretty good idea about logistical operations. They can easily climb the professional ladder and gain a lot of experience that can be incredibly beneficial later on in life.

On top of being a great job, this one comes with an excellent pay. According to a Forbes report, a transportation or a storage manager can expect to earn an average salary of 39 dollars per hour – about £30. The demand for professionals in the field is also high.

Agricultural management

Agricultural managers don’t require any formal academic education. Usually, such a professional may begin by doing manual labour on a farm or an agricultural plot. Eventually, they will gain experience and potentially move up the ranks.

In 2014, there were 929,800 jobs for ranchers and agricultural managers in the U.S. alone. The increase in demand for such professionals is expected to be about 2% in the period until 2024.

The downside of being a rancher or an agricultural manager is the responsibility and the manual labour. A lot of hard work will be required to keep all processes under control. While these professionals are mostly responsible for supervising work, a hands-on approach will be demanded quite often.

Sales reps

If you’re passionate about retail and you’d like to establish a career in the field, you may want to consider becoming a sales representative.

Sales reps benefit from many employment opportunities and their job is a really interesting one because of the multiple professional responsibilities. There are no formal requirements for education or training when sales representatives are being hired. In some technical fields, there could be additional requirements but that’s not a general rule.

Depending on the situation, some entities may want previous retail experience – a requirement that could make it difficult for some high school students and recent graduates to compete against other candidates.

Completing the process successfully, however, and getting hired will be incredibly rewarding. Depending on location and on the specifics of the occupation, a sales representative could earn an annual salary of more than $60,000. Part-time employment options are also available for those who would like to work while pursuing tertiary education/taking care of family.

Postmasters

There is no formal education requirement for postmasters and mail superintendents. At the same time, these professionals benefit from quite lucrative employment conditions.

Management skills and some previous experience with post work will be required. Thus, a young individual may find an entry-level position in the field that will enable them to climb the ranks and eventually turn their attention towards the possibility of becoming a postmaster.

The postmaster is the head of a post office. Thus, this professional needs to have some managerial experience and some business acumen. The entire mail distribution organisation will be dependent on their efforts.

Communication equipment professionals

A final opportunity worth mentioning is in the field of media and communication equipment. These individuals are typically employed by the movie industry, television channels, radio stations and other large players on the media market.

Many media and communication equipment workers don’t need academic qualifications because they will receive specialised training after getting hired. Their main task is to guarantee that audio-visual equipment runs smoothly. The professionals will be responsible for monitoring, upgrading, repairing and maintaining communication equipment like cameras, microphones, broadcast technologies, light systems, lenses, monitors and so on.

Because of their specialised skills and technical knowledge, communication equipment and media professionals are well-paid and highly sought-after. Many in film and TV work freelance, allowing themselves a good degree of freedom.

Get to know Laura Buckler, and you will see that she is a dedicated content writer with a love for her craft. She is also great at copywriter and writing for personal blogs. Her love of writing is a relatively new, but she is sure she has found her life’s calling. Follow her on Twitter.

Inspiring Interns is an internship and graduate jobs agency.