There are many things a person should do to get a head start in life. One of these things is obtaining a high school diploma. A high school diploma can open many doors to a young person for a future career in a plethora of different fields. A college degree isn’t necessary to succeed in America. There are plenty of opportunities for those with only a high school diploma. Below are just a few of the different possibilities.

Sales

Sales is one of the most common career fields that does not necessarily require a college degree. In fact, a good portion of the sales workforce started their careers with only a high school diploma. The skills most necessary for succeeding in sales aren’t typically things that can be learned in a college lecture hall. This includes people skills and the ability to effectively persuade to convert a lead into a paying customer. Sales can be a lucrative fulltime career that can be used to support a family and live an upper middleclass lifestyle. There are many rather well paying sales fields for a person to choose from. This includes being an insurance sales agent. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the average median income for an insurance sales agent is almost $50,000 a year.

Online Home School Curriculum

One of the biggest misconceptions about the job market for high school graduates is that homeschooled students are less sought after than those that attended a public or private high school. This is not really the case, especially with the homeschool curriculum currently in place for high school students. In most cases, having a high school diploma of any kind is enough to obtain a quality job from many different employers. Obtaining a high school diploma at home is also now easier than ever thanks to curriculum that can be obtained online. This includes software that can be downloaded or accessed through the cloud. It can include every subject from physics to social studies to ensure a homeschooled child learns as much if not more than a child that attends a public or private school.

Office Work

One stereotype that is not true at all is that high school graduates without college degrees are forced to settle for manual labor work in industrial settings. While many such high paying jobs are available to high school graduates, there are actually many positions within the office that a high school graduate can successfully obtain. This includes job titles like data entry clerk, office manager and administrative assistant. PayScale suggests that administrate assistants can make up to $48,987 a year. There are also starting positions in different departments of a company you may be able to obtain with a high school diploma. This includes, for example, the position of human resources assistant. In such a position, a person may help handle paperwork for the company’s employees.

Healthcare Related Fields

While you can’t become a doctor with only a high school diploma, there are plenty of other positions related to healthcare that a high school graduate can apply for. For example, becoming a certified nursing assistant does not require a college degree although state specific exams are needed to obtain the certification. Other examples of healthcare related jobs a high school graduate can obtain include physical therapist aide, ambulance driver, pharmacy technician, dispensing optician and many more. Inquire at local hospitals, clinics, doctor’s offices and drug stores about the possibility of obtaining a position with your high school diploma.

One thing that can open plenty of doors for obtaining a long term lucrative career is a high school diploma. Whether you obtain it in a school or at home online, certainly make the effort to graduate. It will be well worth the hard work.