Jobs That Made Americans The Happiest In 2024 That Don't Require A Degree
If you've been considering a career change in 2025, these jobs made Americans the happiest in 2024—the best part is that they don't require a university degree. Find a new career in 2025 that's high in career happiness, according to the data.
Real Estate Agent
Real estate agents are among the happiest in the American workforce—the best part is they didn't have to go to school to become one! Real estate agents generally begin by taking a realtor licensing course and passing a subsequent exam. They are high rollers, bringing in roughly $56,000 annually, and often earn a commission on every property sale. Real estate agents rank their job satisfaction score at 4.24 stars out of 5.
Carpenter
Carpentry is another high-earning, high-satisfaction career with many options—from artistry to construction framing to general carpentry (building decks). It also doesn't require a degree. Most carpenters will attend a trade school, but once certified, you could be making $56,350 per year. Pair that with a job satisfaction score of 3.95 stars out of 5, and you'll be a happy hammer-swinger.
Executive Assistant
Executive assistants are the people who work alongside business professionals, aiding them in planning out their days, responding to emails, setting up meetings, and so forth. Generally working for a large corporation or company, EAs are invaluable members of their teams and are pretty happy in their positions, too—rating their jobs 3.84 out of 5 stars. Executive assistants may complete a college course or diploma, but most positions don't require a degree.
Lifeguard
What job could be better than lounging on a beach or in a tower in the summer heat before springing into action to save a person from drowning? It's no wonder lifeguards have a 3.77-star rating out of 5 for job satisfaction. If you're a confident and competent swimmer with a little training, you could also be a lifeguard.
Secretary
Being a secretary is another position that doesn't require a university degree and offers high job satisfaction. While secretaries can obtain a bachelor's degree in Business Administration, it is generally unnecessary, making it infinitely more accessible. Secretaries rate their job satisfaction at 3.72 out of 5 stars.
Administrative Supervisor
If you like being part of a larger team, becoming an administrative supervisor may be in your future. While many administrative supervisors come from backgrounds like that of secretaries or executive assistants, you don't need a university degree to become one. Administrative supervisors enjoy a job satisfaction rating of 3.70 out of 5 stars.
Bookkeeper
Bookkeepers offer their financial understanding and literacy to companies and small businesses to help them with their tax obligations and ensure all tax documents are present and correct when submitting tax information to the IRS. Bookkeepers generally have a certificate or diploma, having completed a requisite course in bookkeeping, but they are not necessarily certified professional accountants (though they can be). Bookkeepers report high job satisfaction, at 3.67 out of 5 stars.
Maintenance Technician
Maintenance technicians fix broken or malfunctioning machinery or equipment and ensure they're kept in good working order. They are the unsung heroes who keep the vital systems that we use every day up and running. Maintenance technicians also report high job satisfaction, at 3.65 out of 5 stars.
Flight Attendant
What could be better than flying all over the world, you ask? Well, flight attendants who rank their job satisfaction at just 3.62 out of 5 stars may think the long hours on a plane, dealing with other people, and the time spent away from home—sometimes for more than a week at a time—are all some possible downsides to the job. But, many flight attendants remain relatively happy in their jobs.
Sales Representative
While you may think that sales representatives get the short end of the stick and that dealing with people all day might be difficult, sales reps aren't as unhappy at work as you think. Sales representatives rank their job satisfaction at 3.55 out of 5 stars.
What About The Jobs That Make People Unhappy?
Sure, plenty of jobs make people happy, but what about the jobs that scored the lowest in happiness in 2024 but also didn't require a college degree?
Mail Carriers
While mail carriers and other parcel delivery services can get their training on the job, their unhappiness score (2.83 out of 5 stars) might suggest that you should look for a different career. Long hours, being up before the crack of dawn, and stiff competition from courier companies have seen mail carriers, like those working for USPS, take a huge hit in job satisfaction recently.
Pharmacists
You might not think pharmacists would be some of the unhappiest workers. Still, their job satisfaction rating of just 2.97 out of 5 stars says otherwise. Whether it's pressures from the pharmaceutical industry, backlash against vaccinations, or other factors, the high stresses of the specialist profession are taking their toll. You don't need a Bachelor of Science to become a pharmacist, just a college diploma.
Pest Control Technician
I wouldn't be too happy if my days were spent ridding someone's home of pests. Whether dealing with rats, mice, carpenter ants, or any other pest, pest control can be downright miserable. Pest control professionals say the stress levels of the job are the main reason for their dissatisfaction. They rank their workplace happiness at just 3.02 out of 5 stars.
Security Guard
Security guards often find themselves in dangerous situations they aren't trained or equipped to handle. While some on-the-job training is required, security guards aren't required to have any degree. They often face armed assailants or work long hours on a "graveyard shift" without anything eventful happening. Security guards ranked their job satisfaction at just 3.03 out of 5 stars.
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Veterinary Assistant
Being a veterinary assistant can certainly be a very rewarding job. Not requiring a Bachelor's Degree in Science, as is one of many prerequisites to become a vet, veterinary assistants are often trained through a college diploma program. Veterinary assistants rate their job satisfaction at 3.12 out of 5 stars, which is not as high as expected for those helping nurse our furry friends back to health.
Butcher
Working in a butcher's shop's cold, damp conditions will require some fortitude—and a good set of knives. Despite preparing some of the finest cuts of meat for the masses, butchers can be trained on the job and don't require any formal degree, but a high school diploma is preferred. Butchers rate their job satisfaction at 3.14 out of 5 stars.
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Baker
While you may think that very little could be as satisfying as the smell of fresh-baked bread, bakers must rise before the sun is up and often work overtime. A full day getting the various pastries ready to serve to breakfast-seekers everywhere can take a toll on you. Unfortunately, bakers rate their job satisfaction at just 3.15 stars.
Hryshchyshen Serhii, Shutterstock
Patrol Officer
Becoming a police officer doesn't require you to have any form of college degree—although those with criminology degrees are preferred—but you'll be trained at a police academy for roughly 18 months, after which you'll become a patrol officer. Patrol officers are the beat cops you see patrolling your neighborhood—their job satisfaction scores are fairly low at 3.24 out of 5 stars.
Welder
Although welders earn a good wage of $48,000 annually, they're not the happiest profession. Welding can involve long hours of standing, sitting, or kneeling in awkward positions and using incredibly hot tools to repair or fabricate metal. The heat alone can be hazardous to your health, let alone the sometimes treacherous working conditions that some welders endure. Welders score 3.24 out of 5 stars on their workplace happiness ratings.
Insurance Sales Agent
Many Americans view insurance companies as the devil, so it's no wonder insurance sales agents dislike their jobs. While not in the claims department, sales agents for insurance companies likely get the same flack from Joe Public, resulting in a workplace happiness rating of just 3.25 out of 5 stars.
Do you have a job that doesn't require a degree? In the comments, let us know how happy you are with your current job!
