Highest Paying Trade Jobs No One’s Talking About (2025)

In this video, I'm breaking down 12 hidden tech jobs that are in the trades that you can jump into right now. I think there are three levels to make a ton of money in trades. You start off with learn. This is where you get your first job at 60 to 100k, then earn. This is where you increase your earnings to 150k, 200k by being a specialist or pro. And then three, this is where you can make 300k to a million plus you own the company outright. So as we're going through this, you'll see in every one of these jobs how you can also become an owner. Two too. Let's go. Autonomous vehicle technician Let me tell you why cars of the future, well they're not just going to run on diesel and you can't just go into a typical auto mechanic place and get them fixed. These bad boys are smart. They're going to pull right up, they're going to get refueled. But guess what that means. Just because AI is driving the car doesn't mean that AI is fixing these. They install, calibrate, repair and update the critical tech behind self driving cars and the systems they rely on. That means they're working with sensors, lidar, radar, cameras, drive by wire systems, all powered by AI brains under the hood. Now why does this exist now? 10 years ago job didn't exist, but today autonomous vehicles are real and growing fast. So like Waymo Cruise, Tesla, Uber, well they need mechanics just like real cars do. Because behind every driverless ride, well, there's a team of human techs keeping it road worthy. Now mechanics don't make a ton of money, but if you add tech on, you get a tech level salary with a mechanic background. So medium pay, anywhere from $60,000 up to $150,000 for more experimen tax and the demand going through the roof. Every new city that launches robo taxis or autonomous delivery services, they need a pit crew of AV techs to keep those things moving. Motional in Las Vegas they're hiring AV technicians today between 66k and 85k. Waymos techs, similar range, growing even faster. The entry path. You don't need to be a computer scientist, guys. I went and asked some of these guys if it's true. In my portfolio, most of these AV techs start from automotive technology programs, vocational school or a two year associate's degree. Then they add electronics, diagnostics and some understanding of autonomous systems. If you're already a car Mechanic, you're like 80% of the way there Commercial drone pilot. This isn't just for hobbyists anymore. We're talking about big high paying jobs. Surveying power lines, agricultural farms, and figuring out what's going on in cities just like this. All over the country, people are making pretty big bucks even flying tiny little drones. Today's drones use AI for stabilization, autopilot, obstacle avoidance and even image recognition. But that means as a business owner like I can do more, faster and cheaper. But I still need pilots to plan missions, interpret data and manage flights. The salary and growth. What's the average pay? Full time commercial drone pilots make $80k to 100k a year in some sectors. And growth, well, sky high dad jokes. But seriously. Agriculture, construction, utilities, logistics, emergency services. Everyone is adding drones to their operations. We have a company called skyf. And in agriculture, pilots fly AI enabled drones to monitor crops and detect problems. Utility companies are even hiring pilots to inspect towers. So now you don't have to climb all the way up on these power lines. And let's not forget the delivery industry. Amazon, Walmart, ups, they are literally all testing drone delivery fleets that need skilled human pilots and fleet managers now. So if you like the UPS outfit, but you don't want to be in the truck all day, I don't know, might be a future. You need a remote pilot Certificate from the FAA by passing the part 107ex. Checked it and did your homework for you here. That's it. Many pilots start with side gigs like real estate photography, then scale up to bigger jobs like industrial inspection or film production. Some community colleges now even offer drone pilot programs. Robotics and automation technician. These are the smart machines running production lines, moving warehouse goods and even assembling smartphones. But smarter robots equal more complex machines which can break. And that's where the human pros come in. One of my portfolio companies is literally worth 47 billion doll dollars now. It's called figure. And they need exactly this. The average salary is about $65,000 a year, but the growth in this market, huge. Every factory, every warehouse is upgrading to AI driven automation and is hiring these techs. If it's automated, it needs tech. Amazon's massive fulfillment centers, they employ thousands of mechatronics and robotics techs to service robots. Companies like Siemens and Tesla and FIGURE always hiring field techs to keep the robotic arms and production bots moving. And these aren't sit at a desk jobs, your hands on troubleshooting. And I think no, I can take that away from you. The best part, no four year degree. Most tech start with a high school diploma Then take a certificate or associate degree in robotics, mechatronics or industrial automation. Plus certifications and on the job training can seriously fast track your career. Next up, data center technician or AI infrastructure technician. So companies like Google have giant data centers where they train all of their AI models. This is only going to get more prolific. All over the country there are going to be places where they have data centers AKA servers and they need humans like you to actually service them. This is where the money's going to be. AI models are voracious training. ChatGPT4 it needed thousands of what's called GPUs working for weeks. Salary and growth, about 70,000 to 75k a year to start with overtime and shift bonuses. Many techs clear 85k to 100k plus a year easily. And this is in the beginning, this is very easily into multiple six figures as an employee. An example example would be like Amazon web Services. They're hiring armies of techs for their cloud data centers. They literally can't hire enough fast enough. Startups billing the AI products need on site server support. So you could even do it locally before you scale up. Most data center techs have a two year associate degree in it, networking or electronics. Some even start with military IT roles or basic electronics training. This is really good for people in the military. So you might need a competition because I did your homework for you like a comp, tia, A plus or Server plus. Certifications help. But what matters most, knowing how to rack servers, troubleshoot networks, swap GPUs and manage cooling systems. These are all routinized, consistent things you can learn. They do not take a massive amount of background and education. At some point I think some of these even Cody could do Building automation, systems technician. In the past buildings were like this. Those buildings are old school, totally non automated. That's where like the thermostat, you have to handle yourself the lights. These new businesses are something totally different. They've got AI everywhere, which means that they need people like you to fix all of their systems. Let's break this down. So a tech might spend the day tuning in AI H vac system, updating security networks or troubleshooting a lighting control failure literally from their laptops. You know how annoying like your nest thermostat could be sometimes. Like those smart thermostats, they're super useful because they adjust the lights and turn them off when rooms are empty. And air systems that adapt based on occupancy. All of that is driven by AI and what's called IoT sensors, but you just keep it running starting at 60 to 60, 65K. But I'm telling you guys, some of the top techs, especially in the very large buildings, they can pull 80, 90, 100,000 plus and that's just for being an employee. Companies like Johnson Controls, Siemens, Honeywell, they're constantly hiring BAS techs to install and service smart building systems. So how do we get into this industry? Well, most building automation techs start as electricians or H vac techs. Then they upskill into smart controls through certificates or specialized training. The cool thing about these, they're pretty cheap to get you guys. Community college, trade schools, major manufacturers have BAS certification courses and often the company will pay you to upskill. I think you can also build a super seriously future proof career here. IoT systems technician. The Internet of Things IoT exploded because of AI. Tiny smart sensors now predict, analyze and report in real time. Pipelines alert operators before they crack. But for all that magic to happen, someone has to physically install, wire, calibrate and troubleshoot it. Cities, factories, farms, all powered by thousands of AI driven devices. City governments hire IoT techs to wire smart traffic systems. Manufacturing plants need them to outfit entire production lines that have predictive maintenance sensors. So like this machine's going to break, that machine's going to break. Base pay, $82,000 a year plus bonuses with overtime and specialized gigs, way higher. Again, I think that you have a very easy path here to 100 to $250,000 depending on specialization. Most of these techs come from either IT or electrical trades background. So a two year degree in electronics, networking or telecommunications can launch you. Now you need to know wiring, wireless networking, basic troubleshooting, and to be flexible because no two smart systems are exactly the same. Medical equipment technician, AKA AI. Integrated medical devices. When it comes to AI here, this is literally life or death. So going forward, it's not. Doctors with their little tools checking to see if your heart is beating is actually a bunch of integrated technology on site. So this is your shot to actually be able to save a life while you're doing tech and trade work. Machines don't just monitor anymore. They analyze, they predict, they assist. But AI powered devices are complex. You're going to do calibrating smart sensors and networking critical devices. And that means more skilled techs are needed than ever. The average salary is about 62,000 to $63,000 a year for brand new entry level, level and experienced techs. At hospitals they clear 78,000 to 100,000 plus growth in this profession is excellent too. The field's projected to grow by over 18%. So as we add more critical equipment, we're going to continue to grow as an industry, which means there's going to be more money to be made. Most people earn a two year associate's degree in biomedical technology. Some techs come from general IT or electronics repair and learn the medical side on the job. That would be totally fine. Some certifications would be like cbet, which is certified biomedical equipment technician. Now training never really stops because every year new devices and smarter machines come out. What I love about that is every new certification you get, you get a chance to ask for a bigger raise. They pay you for you to learn more and become worth more. Robotic Welding technician A robotic welding technician sets up programs and operates and maintains robotic arms that weld metal parts from car frames to construction equipment and humans driving the tools set up programming and quality checks. We got paid tending to start around 60k. But we've got a lot of people that are entry level at 95,000 plus. And as they specialize, I think that goes higher. Two main ways to get into this. One, you start as a traditional welder. I love this. If you do anything that trades right now, I think upskill, get a new certificate. Two, study industrial robotics or mechatronics with a focus on welding. You could have like a AWS certification, you know, certified welder. And then you level up with short courses on robot programming. No bachelor's degree needed, just hands on skills with machines, welding and software Predictive maintenance technician. What if in the future you could determine if something was going to break down with one click of a button? I think in the future we're going to have AI power cities and hospitals. In fact, we're seeing this happen live. You are going to be the technician that behind the scenes is actually tracking. Are our cities, our hospitals, our buildings safe? They use AI powered tools to monitor machines and detect early warning signs of failure and scheduled maintenance before something breaks. If I can analyze heat, vibration, noise and performance in real time, well then I could actually tell you if something's going to fail in the future. So you should really hire me now. Companies like Kraft Heinz hire these kind of techs right now. And in mining, techs can Earn I think 75 to $95,000 on entry if they're in a high growth, growth industry. You start with a foundation in mechanical or electric maintenance, usually a trade school, apprenticeship or military training. Again great for vets. Then you would specialize with extra training in vibration Analysis, thermography and maintenance software. You could have certifications that are super cheap like certified vibration analyst or certified maintenance. And a reliability technician can boost your career fast. Bottom line, you can read the signs before a machine fails. You're worth your weight in gold to just about anybody. Next we've got wind turbine technician. So smart wind energy. This is where turbine technicians install, maintain and repair those massive turbines that turn wind into clean energy. And thanks to AI, the job doesn't require you climbing towers anymore. You used to have to. Wind power has been growing for a while now, but AI made it smarter. Optimizing blade angles, predicting mechanical failures, even controlling whole wind farms in real time. That means techs don't just fix what's broken, they work with AI systems to stay ahead of problems. Entry level, $70,000 and then we're talking 150 to $250,000 a year. Companies like NextEra, Vestas, GE Renewables are hiring wind techs like crazy. Most wind techs complete a one to two year technical program in wind energy or industrial maintenance. So community college in windy states or those close to the Gulf are partnering with wind farm operators to train students fast. So they'll literally come in. Some of them will actually pay for your college and immediately place you. You'll need skills in hydraulics, mechanics and electronics, plus major safety training like tower climbing and high angle rescue. Probably not for you if you don't like heights. If you decide after a while you don't want to do wind turbine anymore. The cool part about this, you just go, huh, I already know how to deal with these machines. How do I apply it to another sector, like for instance, telecommunications? Tower technician. So all over the country we're starting to put up 5G. This is going to increase because we're using AI everywhere. And so now we're going to have to have huge towers to back this up. These tower technicians are the pros who climb towers and rooftops to install, upgrade and maintain wireless network that are like antennas, radios, 5G, small cells that make smart devices, autonomous cars, IoT cities. It makes all of that possible. Those networks are now using smart antennas, beam forming radios, real time diagnostics, and someone has to still climb up and install them. But what's cool about this as long as you're not, you know, like one of those tin hat people and you like 5G? Turn the friggin frogs gay, then you should know that we have one of the most outdated telecommunications systems in the globe. So this job I think is going to skyrocket. I think your starting salary is more like 75, 80,000, 90,000. And then again, as you get your certifications in tech, it's climbing up. You don't need a college degree. Most techs start with a high school diploma, then they train through a company program, so they pay you for that. Or specialized short course in wireless infrastructure. Typically they need like an authorized climber, rescue certification, OSHA safety training, maybe some fiber optic handling skills. Most of that you can get taught on the job. You don't need to pay for it. This industry I think will be fascinating because we will require more speed for everything we do with AI. Agricultural equipment technician. These are like the new age farmers guys. So they might call this precision farming technician. You're going to maintain and repair today's high tech farming machines. We're talking GPS guided tractors, autonomous harvesters, smart irrigation systems, drone networks. Farming isn't just dirt and diesel anymore, it's tech and AI too. In Texas on ZipRecruiter, we got a salary of somewhere between $65,000 to 156. So that means that we're making like somewhere between 30 bucks and 100 bucks an hour. So as farms adopt more AI and more smart tech to boost efficiency, they're going to need more techs who know the gear inside out. John Deere dealers, they for instance have one of the largest farming enterprises and they partner with companies like Case IH Service centers and hire these techs all across the country. Most techs today earn a certificate or associate degree in agricultural technology or heavy equipment tech tech. Maybe an extra focus on GPS sensors and onbound computers. Certificates from actual manufacturers like John Deere or CNH can fast track your career. And often these are dealer sponsored training programs. You don't need a four year degree. There you go. 12 high paying AI powered trades you can jump into without a four year degree. Just real skills with real money for the real future. Don't just fear AI. Beat it. Start one of these careers now.