New York City is one of the most expensive cities to live in. It’s consistently ranked as either the most expensive, or near the top of the most pricey cities to live in. And that’s why it’s so important to find a well paying job, and also one that is secure.
The only types of jobs that are secure in the modern age are government jobs. There are no longer companies where people start working and finish a 20 year career at. For multiple reasons, including outsourcing to foreign markets, and the extremely volatile private sector situation, government jobs are the only stable jobs available.
So, if you’re in New York City and want a well paying and stable job, then you need to look at a government job. These jobs require almost no qualifications and are lifelong appointments. Once you find work with the City of New York, you have a job for life.
The way in which you are hired by the City of New York is somewhat similar to other large municipalities. There is some degree of nepotism within the city agency, and quite a lot of favoritism, but that occurs once someone is working for the city.
Actually getting the job is simply a matter of placing your name on a list. There is an exam, but these exams are no more difficult than a grade school test. They are designed to show that the applicant can read and write and comprehend basic thoughts.
The entire process of finding a job with the city of new York involves adding your name to a list and waiting to be called.
It’s much different than interviewing for a regular job at a professional corporation. It’s even different than working for a non-profit or hospital agency.
The good thing is that most jobs with the city of New York do not require college degrees. Most of the work force for the city of New York has not gone to college. And they are paid well, and have great benefits. In fact, economic papers cover the ever increasing pensions that NYC public workers have.
For someone who is looking for a great job with a pensioned retirement plan and a high salary, and who does not have a college degree or any work expertise, there is no better place to look than a city job.
Below is a list of some of the city jobs that you can get without a college degree. In fact, there are a number of jobs that you can get with the city even if you only have a high school diploma. Some will require “some” college credits but not a college degree.
Really, the only job that does require a basic college degree is a public school teacher. These jobs are very lucrative with teachers making 100k+ after several years, so there is a great dela of competition for these roles.
Anyway, let’s get on to the NYC public sector jobs you can get without a college degree.
NYPD– Police
While it’s true that you need some college credits to get into the NYPD, you don’t need to have graduated college. In fact, all you need are a certain number of credits to get into the NYPD academy.
The police academy is the training school for all future NYC police.
The current mayor (Eric Adams) is even considering lowering the standard and no longer requiring people to have any college education in order to join the NYPD.
The NYPD is a hard job, but it’s also one that is easy to get. Many immigrants coming from poor countries find these jobs the perfect way to immediately launch themselves into the middle class. There is no barrier to entry, as long as you can walk and read and write English you can be hired as a NYC Policeman. As opposed to long grueling labor jobs like retail or warehouse, newly arrived citizens are turning to the NYPD as the perfect way to make 100k salaries and buy homes in the suburbs to raise their families.
The salary and benefits is what attracts most people to the NYPD. A person who joins the NYPD at 20 years of age can retire at 40 with a full pension. They will then be able to retire at 40 or take a second part time job (often universities, religious institutions, or city offices will hire retired police to work for huge salaries).
In fact, the pensions for the NYPD are the largest in the city.
So, no degree needed. A starting salary close to 50k (with benefits factored in) and 100k average salary after 5 years. It’s an ideal job for a person without a degree.
In fact, there are multiple instances of police retiring at 40 years of age making well over a 100k in pension and starting a part time government job to make an extra 100k.
As many a NYPD officer will tell you, a senior police officer makes more than most lawyers and has ample time to relax and vacation.
However, it’s a dangerous job. So, understand that when applying.
FDNY– Firefighters
The FDNY was always more strict than the NYPD. Firefighters needed to be physically fit, whereas police officers did not. The stigma of the cop eating a donut is true in most large cities around the country.
Firefighters, on the other hand, must be in shape and the work required of them keeps them in shape. It is unusual to see an overweight firefighter and you would be hard pressed to see an obese firefighter, while the NYPD has been struggling with obssity among its rank and file for many years.
Much like the NYPD, the FDNY requires you take an exam. The exam for the FDNY is more difficult and does require some study.
Also, the job requires much more physical exertion, so it is a tough job.
The starting salary for the FDNY is around 45k.
Much like with the police force, the salary increases for every year you are on the job. Your salary is not tied to performance, however. No city jobs are.
So, you need not worry about excelling. Firefighters also make over 100k after a few years.
Because firefighting have such grueling jobs, many do not retire and take second jobs.
Whereas a police officer might retire after 20 years sitting at a desk or in a patrol car, most firefighters have wear and tear from climbing stairs and hauling heavy material.
That said, most firefighters retire with pensions of 100k. While that is less than the typical NYPD pension (which as any police will tell you, is more than a lawyer makes) it is certainly enough to secure a great early retirement to Florida (where most FDNY and NYPD retire to once they hit 40 years old.
NYC Sanitation Department
The NYC Sanitation department is another one of the city of New York civil service jobs which do not require a college degree. It’s also a very well paying job with many people vying for a spot.
There is no difficulty in getting this job besides adding your name to a list and taking a basic exam.
The job requires physical lifting, which is the main component of the job. Unlike NYPD jobs which tend to require police to patrol in cars, or station themselves outside of events, sanitation workers must lift large heavy bags of garbage and toss them into trash compactors.
The salary and benefits is what most people are attracted to. 40k starting salaries and pensions and full and complete health care for a person who has no degree is something that can’t be argued with. The money that one can make working for the sanitation department is simply very attractive.
While people retire quite well from the sanitation department, they do not make pensions on the order of what the NYPD make.
Some people who work the sanitation department do make quite handsome salaries, but these tend to be those people who rose in the ranks are operating in political positions which have much power.
Board Of Education: Not Teachers Though
The board of education is a great place to work. The public outcry against any funding cuts for teachers is well known. Therefore, the Board of Education and the Police Department are the two areas where city funding will never cease.
The fact is that NYC Public Teachers are the highest paid teachers in the entire United States. They also have the strongest union–the NYC Teachers union is known to decide who and who will not become mayor of the city.
In fact, year after year, the board of education and the NYPD continue to receive more money with increases that are never debated. Unlike institutions like the MTA which receives public scrutiny for hundreds of millions in spending, the pundits and public will not criticize teachers. The teachers union is the strongest union in the city.
Of course, you cannot get a job as a NYC public school teacher without a degree. But you can work for the board of education. They have one of the largest administrative departments in the city. Thousands upon thousands work in the system doing paperwork, filing, departmental follow up, and endless other tasks to ensure the continued operation of the system.
These jobs are often advertised as open exams by the city Department of Civil Administrative Service.
The job might be anything from a clerk to a secretary. And most who work in the board of education do not have college degrees when they start working. They often do go on to get degrees in order to become teachers, however, after seeing how lucrative the salary is for a NYC public school teacher.
New York City Administrator: DCAS Exams
If you are looking for any sort of administrative work with the City of New York, then you are going to have to look into DCAS exams.
These exams are posted online and are available to anyone. They will explicitly tell you the educational requirements for the role.
The exams are often very similar. Unless you are applying for a very specific role such as city engineer or plumber, then the exam is a standard one which simply wants to determine if you will understand a basic instruction.
After you take your exam, you will wait until you are called in for an interview. The interview is simply to confirm that you are not someone who is unfit for a job. They want to make sure you show up not intoxicated, or dressed in rags, or that you show up at all.
Then you have the job with the city and can stay there for life. The retirement packages vary depending on the role that you have. However, anyone who works for the City of New York receives full health benefits, vacation, paid time off for family issues, and even education.
As an interesting side note, if you were to look at the local NYC colleges that cater to city workers (City University, Columbia Graduate school, Toru) then you’d see many people graduating with advanced degrees in Masters of Public Policy and other non-academic degrees. These are degrees that are paid for by the students employers—often non-profits that are government funded, but also quite often NYC government workers receive free educations.
The variety of a DCAS job will vary. These include jobs such as file clerk, program aid, and endless other clerical roles.
Imagine walking into a government office. No look at all of the people sitting at desks, many doing versions of the same task. These are all government employees who found their jobs.
If you want to find a job with NYC, then you should look at the exam list on the DCAS website.
Youth Development Specialist
This is similar to the case manager role that many people already know about. It’s essentially a government created “big brother” or “big sister” role. Think of it like a afterschool babysitter job.
These people are responsible for making sure adolescents have things to do after school. This sort of job is very important in cities like New York where parents often do not take care of their children.
The millions of people who are on public assistance, many of whom have case managers handle their day to day life. Case managers handle finding parents their apartments and handle paying the rent on their apartments.
Also, case mangers handle school issues for the parents’ children as well as case managers who handle the children’s medical issues.
Because there are millions of families and people in NYC who do not work, and are living in government subsidized housing, there is a strong need for youth development specialists who can assist children and teenagers.
Many of these children and teens are assisted by case mangers and youth development specialists with everything from homework to filling out college applications and obtaining government assistance with scholarships and school fundings.
These jobs pay quite well and require very little schooling. Many of these youth specialists will go on to obtain their bachelor’s degrees and move into the social service field.
School Safety Agent
This is sort of in line with working with the board of education. It’s a role that is similar to a security guard, but there is a secure job and amazing benefits.
Unlike regular security guards, school safety agents receive pensions and benefits. The job is very in demand. School safety agents are in charge of making sure there is some sense of order in the NYC public schools. However, they do not have to deal with extreme acts of violence and crime. That is handled by the NYPD.
The NYPD patrols the public schools in the city of New York. Police are on hand in public schools because the students who are in public schools have serious behavioral issues.
Most people in NYC know to send their children to private schools, or even charter schools (even though the education at charter schools is below standard of private and regulations schools). The violence that occurs in NYC public schools is simply too uncontrollably.
In a recent news report, school safety agents have seized over 6,000 weapons from NYC publci schools. These schools are violent, dangeours, and low performing from an educational standpoint.
Hey I’m Chris . 20+ years in the industry. I’ve worked every role from Executive recrutier to Agency founder and consultant. If you want to learn more or reach me,vist the about page or use my contact form.