Groundbreaking research from American Student Assistance and Burning Glass Institute studied the careers of millions of workers who went directly to work after high school to identify the Launchpad Jobs that offer the best chances of long-term success
Almost one in five workers without a degree out-earn the median college graduate, and around two million nondegree workers earn over $100,000 per year, according to a new report from the American Student Assistance® (ASA) and Burning Glass Institute (BGI), two national nonprofits that focus on advancing data and research on topics related education and economic mobility. The research, which tracked the career paths of millions of nondegree workers, found systematic patterns of success, with the first job out of high school a crucial choice.
Yet today, which career path a student follows often comes down to luck. Despite 1.9 million entry-level openings last year for what the report calls Launchpad Jobs – those that offer young workers good prospects for promotion and career mobility, decent pay, good benefits, and job security – fewer than one in 10 18-year-olds is employed in one of them. Similarly, the report found that many jobs with similar starting wages lead to very different long-term earnings. For example, amusement park attendants and hotel housekeepers start out making almost the same wage. But by the time they are 40, former park attendants earn 50% more than their peers who started out by cleaning rooms. However, students have no way of distinguishing between the two.
The report, “Launchpad Jobs: Achieving Career and Economic Success Without a Degree” – commissioned by ASA, and conducted by BGI – explores the entry-level jobs commonly filled by those without degrees and provides recommendations on how to bridge the information gap in order to ensure that all young people are aware of the breadth of quality job opportunities available to them following high school.
