September/October 2009 Issue

A Matter of Degree

Six cutting-edge jobs you can get without a piece of sheepskin.

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[For the rest of MoJo’s Mini College Guide, read 10 Cool Schools, 8 Unusual Scholarships, and Give ‘Em Hellraisers.]

Solar panel installer 

What it takes: A one-week licensing class, no fear of heights, sunscreen
Average salary: $44,000

Hybrid auto mechanic
What it takes: Standard auto repair training, plus about 70 hours of specialized classes
Average salary: $66,000

Retirement plan specialist
What it takes: Licensing exam, ability to calm freaked-out boomers
Average salary: $57,000

Organic farmer
What it takes: Green thumb, will to resist the lure of Roundup
Average salary: Depends on how chichi your farmers market is

Nuclear reactor operator
What it takes: Three-year apprenticeship, exam, immunity to Homer Simpson jokes
Average salary: $78,000

Food cart purveyor
What it takes: Location, location, location
Average salary: Commensurate with drunkenness of clientele

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Mother Jones was founded to do journalism differently. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after stories others don’t. We’re a nonprofit newsroom, because the kind of truth-telling investigations we do doesn’t happen under corporate ownership.

And we need your support like never before, to fight back against the existential threats American democracy faces. Fundraising for nonprofit media is always a challenge, and we need all hands on deck right now. We have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

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