by Michael Kling

You don't have to go to college earn a decent living. Some professions pay good salaries without requiring post-secondary schooling.

A college degree can be a great path towards a well-paying, satisfying profession, but a bachelor's degree isn't for everyone. In fact, some see advanced education as overrated. A surge in the number of college graduates have dampened the value of a college education. College comes intact with high tuition, room and board, and supplies fees - and that's not even factoring in debt payments that usually last for years, if not decades.

by Tisa Silver

Who says hard work doesn't pay? These 10 blue-collar jobs show that the color of your collar doesn't necessarily dictate the level of your income.

What Does it Mean to be a Blue-Collar Worker?

Blue-collar jobs are typically classified as involving manual labor and compensation by an hourly wage. Some fields that fall into this category include construction, manufacturing, maintenance and mining.

What it Does Not Mean

Do not mistake blue-collar jobs for easy to land, easy to keep or low-paying ones. Although some blue-collar jobs do not require a four-year degree, many of them require additional education by way of specialized training, a certification or an apprenticeship.

There are several blue-collar jobs that offer competitive packages, relative to their white-collar counterparts.

Anthony Balderrama, CareerBuilder.com writer

No job is guaranteed to last forever, but certain industries offer more hope for longevity, an especially attractive quality these days. The health-care industry employed 14 million workers in 2006, making it the largest sector in the nation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its outlook is promising, with the potential to add 3 million new jobs between 2006 and 2016.

Many jobs in health care require an extensive education that combines formal schooling with on-the-job training. Naturally, you want surgeons to have several years of practice before they begin operating on patients. You might be surprised to learn how many jobs -- none of which allow you to perform a transplant, thankfully -- you can find in health care with a moderate amount of formal training.

Here are seven jobs in health care that offer plenty of on-the-job training or require less than a bachelor's degree. Not only do these jobs allow you to work in a thriving field, but you also have the satisfaction of helping someone's well-being.

Kate Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com Editor

Many think the only way to succeed is through education. While piling on the degrees can earn you piles of dough -- and debt -- it's not the only option. Some of today's most successful people don't have a college degree. But what they lack in academic credentials, they make up for in tenacity, brains, guts and strong business sense.

Dr. Al Lee. Ph.D, Director of Quantitative Analysis

Billionaire media mogul David Geffen went from high school graduate to talent agent assistant, talent agent, owner of two record companies (Asylum and Geffen Records), and later, to co-founding DreamWorks movie studio with fellow non-college attendee Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Steven Spielberg, who dropped out of college.

While Geffen, Katzenberg and Spielberg are exceptions, there are options for young people who choose to skip college.

One career choice would be working for United Parcel Post, UPS. If you enjoy driving, sitting and light lifting, UPS drivers' salaries are typically are $27.34 an hour, per the UPS Web site at pressroom.ups.com, which also states, "UPS drivers (and part-time employees) receive full health benefits including medical, dental and eye care."