#5 Aviation Maintenance Technology A.S. Degree (Median Annual Salary – $63,060)
Things are looking up for job-seekers who graduate with aviation maintenance technology degrees. This is a two-year degree program that prepares you to troubleshoot, repair, and do preventive maintenance on airplanes. As air travel continues to play an important role in global logistics and leisure travel, aviation maintenance technology will take center stage in the industry. Employment as an aviation maintenance technician at airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and government agencies require formal education, credentials, and experience. The two-year aviation maintenance technology degree allows you to gain everything that you’ll need to enter the aircraft maintenance career field. Besides course work in aviation systems, physics, and mathematics, you’ll gain the knowledge to pass the FAA’s Airframe and Powerplant certification exam. Most FAA-sponsored degree programs include hands-on courses or internships in real-world settings that help you to gain the experience that employers want from their top employment candidates. Some specific courses that you can expect to take in an aviation maintenance technology degree program include aviation electrical and instrument systems, aircraft composite structures, and powerplant line maintenance. Aviation maintenance is heavily regulated to protect the safety of pilots, crew, and passengers. As a result, most aviation maintenance degree programs include classes about repair station operations, aircraft regulations, and technical report writing. While there are many aviation maintenance degree programs from which to choose, only FAA-approved programs will open the door to an aviation maintenance career. The military offers an alternate path for entry into aviation maintenance. Its aviation maintenance technicians undergo intense training, get valuable on-the-job experience, and sit for industry-recognized certification exams that result in credentials that can be used for civilian employment later.
#6 Home Inspection Certificate Program (Median Annual Salary – $59,700)
A retired couple falls in love with a vintage home in their new community. It’s the right size, character, and price for their budget. They didn’t get to be well-heeled retirees by throwing their money away. The couple wants to know more about the home’s history and structure before they sign a contract. They call a home inspector to give them insight into the condition of the home’s wiring, pipes, and foundation. This couple is not alone, and people just like them help to grow the demand for qualified home inspectors. A certificate in home inspection is the key to getting work in this field. During a home inspection training program, you’ll take classes about residential construction interiors, exteriors, and structures. You’ll learn how to assess the condition of residential electrical, plumbing, and heating and cooling systems according to industry regulations. Some courses get you ready to do challenging home inspections via instruction about using drones to get aerial pictures of roofs for safer, more accurate assessments. You can complete most home inspection training programs in two years of part-time study or eight months of full-time study. Finding the right home inspection training program can be hard. Accreditation is an important attribute of a legitimate home inspection training program. An accredited home inspection training program has been evaluated by an independent industry organization to make sure that its courses are appropriate and of high quality. In most states, you’ll need a license to conduct home inspections as an independent contractor for home buyers, financial institutions, and insurance companies. A good home inspection program needs to prepare you to take your licensing exam. You also need to check the credentials and experience of the course instructors because they can’t teach what they don’t know.
