How High School Graduates Can Improve Their Earnings Potential

For decades, economic mobility in America has been declining.And those most likely to be left behind are workers without four-year college degrees.Yet one in five workers with only a high school diploma defied the odds, according to a new study by Burning Glass Institute, an independent nonprofit research center.

Those workers earned more than $70,000 a year — above the median income of college graduates — by the age of 40.And nearly two million, or 5 percent of them, pulled down six-figure salaries.Those overachievers often began in jobs that open a door to career paths and help workers acquire a mix of vocational expertise and communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills, according to the report, which was published on Thursday.

The researchers identified 73 such promising starter jobs, including bank teller, pharmacy aide and restaurant host.The new report adds to a growing body of evidence that routes to upward mobility in America exist for the 60 percent of the nation’s labor force without a four-year college degree.Work force experts and advocacy groups in recent years have challenged the pervasive narrative that everyone should pursue a higher degree by highlighting that skills acquired at work or in effective job-training programs can also provide a path to success.“This research provides empirical analysis of career paths and outcomes that contributes to a really important shift in public discourse,” said Ross Wiener, executive director of the education and society program at the Aspen Institute, a nonpartisan policy organization, which was not involved in the study.Burning Glass’s new report examined job-site profiles, government statistics and surveys to compile career histories of over 65 million American workers.

It was commissioned by American Student Assistance, a nonprofit that supports research and offers online career readiness tools and information.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript i...