By Marek Fuchs | MainStreet.com

Mom might have told you that you need to go to college to get a good job, but moms are biased. College is not for everyone.

There are plenty of good jobs that don’t require you to go into $200,000 of debt for a four-year college degree. When looking at these jobs, just remember that salaries can vary, depending on the region of the country or seniority, and often both. Also, benefits beyond salary—particularly in the area of retirement—can be a huge incentive.

f you are looking for a solid career path that bypasses the university route, here are some professions you should consider:

Air Traffic Controller
Air traffic controllers monitor and direct private and commercial air traffic. They are highly trained and skilled, but the job does not require a college degree. The Federal Aviation Administration, which employs practically all air traffic controllers, requires them to enroll in a FAA-approved education program and pass entrance tests. The road to becoming a fully qualified air traffic controller can take several years, but this is a profession with opportunities. The median salary is more than $100,000 a year.

Elevator Mechanic
Many construction jobs are high-paying. Elevator mechanic jobs are lucrative and stable. There is a lot of training involved, however, and new mechanics have to start in an apprenticeship program. Still, with a mean income of more than $60,000 a year, this is one gig that can take you higher.

Flight Attendant
If you’re willing to fly all over creation, deal with rowdy passengers and keep a smile on your face throughout, you can earn a good living as a flight attendant. Salaries are determined less by region of the county or even particular airline than by how many years you’ve put in. For those with less than six months experience, the median salary is $16,200, according to the Association of Flight Attendants. By year 15, flight attendants at Southwest are pulling in more than $55,000 a year.

Firefighter
Salaries for firefighters can run the gamut, with small cities half that of the large. But take a place like Yonkers, N.Y., where a firefighter’s starting salary is in the neighborhood of $50,000. A chief can make three times that. Salaries for non-officer firefighters with seniority run to about $90,000, while lieutenants and captains make in the low six figures. The job of a firefighter, like many others that do not require college degrees, keeps on giving. In Yonkers, for example, retirement compensation is determined by your last year’s salary—not the average of your last three, as can be the case in other cities. This means that a firefighter who puts in a good deal of overtime over a relatively short portion of their career has a chance to be quite comfortable in retirement.

Police Officer
There is money to be had in crime, at least the right side of it. Best of all: you don’t need a college degree. Police salaries vary widely according to municipality and some promotions do require a college degree. Yonkers, for its part, offers salaries for police similar to those of firemen, with detective officers earning healthy six figure salaries. For those who might harbor visions of themselves as an Erik Estrada type, the California Highway Patrol pays cadets between $50,000 and $60,000 while training, also offering free room and board and a mandatory seven hours overtime a month. From there, it’s a salary of $65,185, with 5% increases yearly until the top step base salary of $79, 248 is reached.

Real Estate Broker
The business has its risks in terms of cyclicality and compensation that is based on commission, which means that unless you hustle, you might not make one thin dime. But if you have the gift of the gab—and even the blarney—you don’t need to spend four years toiling away at college. In 2007 the median income of licensed real estate brokers was $65,200 a year, according to the National Association of Realtors. And many real estate brokers are able to work in sideline professions, often in related fields like relocation. For example, 16% of real estate brokers work in commercial property management, according to the association.

Nuclear Power Operator
If Homer Simpson is your idol, become a control room operator at a nuclear plant. For control room operators at Indian Point in Buchanan, N.Y., a college degree is preferred, but by no means required, says Jerry Nappi, a spokesman, who added that they do look for a high school degree and some demonstration of technical ability. At the first level, the base pay is $66,000. With overtime, it bumps up to a likely $75,000, says Nappi. After five years, you are making a cool $109,000. If you are promoted from there to reactor operator, you can make $174,000. A senior reactor operator averages $184,000. Hey, maybe Homer’s not as dumb as we’ve been lead to believe.

By MainStreet.com Staff Writers

Energy efficient windows can help you save money annually and reduce your greenhouse gas emissions. Even the smallest air leaks or inefficient panes in windows can cost you hundreds of dollars a year on wasted heating and cooling costs. Energy efficient windows are ideal in any climate, but the specific windows you choose will depend on your city’s temperature extremes as well as your budget.

Window Types and Options
There are some basic features you should look for when shopping for energy efficient windows:

Low-E coating are invisible layers of metal or metal oxide that are deposited on a window to reduce the “U-factor,” or the rating of how well the window keeps heat from escaping (on a scale of .20 to 1.20). The lower this number, the more energy efficient it is. You can opt for double or triple-pane glass with double or triple-glaze. Each level of glass and glaze provides more insulation for your home and also raises the price of your windows. A double-pane, double-glaze is usually fine for most American cities.

The window frame is also important in energy efficiency. You can choose from aluminum, fiberglass, vinyl, wood or composite frames for your windows. Most experts rely on fiberglass and vinyl frames because of their longevity and ability to withstand the elements over time. Government-sponsored home restoration projects, such as those subsidized in states like Rhode Island and Iowa, require authentic wood window frames in certain historical areas.

Cost Ranges and Potential Energy Savings
High performance and super energy efficient windows will cost 10 to 15% more than standard double-glazed options. In general, you can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $800 per unit for energy efficient windows (not including installation). However, your energy savings over time can offset your initial investment. Energy efficient glazing prevents you from having to turn up the heat as high in the winter months, increasing your overall savings. Some estimates state that you can save nearly 15% on your energy bills with more effective windows.

Potential Tax Benefit
In 2009, the federal government approved a 30% tax credit for homeowners who install energy efficient windows and doors. In order to receive the credit, your windows must have a U-Factor and SHGC (Solar Heat Gain Coefficient) that is equal or less than 0.30. Further, the credit is only applied to the products, not the installation costs. The maximum benefit you can receive is $1,500.

At the state level, many local governments are also making it more affordable to replace leaky windows with energy efficient options. In Michigan, for example, Detroit Edison offers rebates to customers who submit their homes for an energy audit. Homeowners can receive a rebate of $250 by carrying out recommended energy updates to certain areas of the home, including to windows and doors.

By Ann Evanston | WomenCo.

I often hear people say: “I want to work from home,” or “I’d love to be my own boss.” Even better? Some say, “I have a great idea for a business.” But do they have the right mindset? I’ve also heard people say, “I have an entrepreneurial mindset.” But what does that really mean? Do they have what it takes to become not just entrepreneurial, but a successful entrepreneur? Find out here!

1. Are you a risk taker?
You must be willing to take chances, explore new concepts, ideas, people, and places in order to be successful as an entrepreneur.

2. Do you take advantage of opportunities?
Being able to see opportunities and seize them right away — and not later — is extremely important for an entrepreneur.

3. Do you feel fear and move through it with excitement?
Fear is a part of any entrepreneur’s life, but entrepreneurs usually thrive in this environment, even if it feels a bit scary. And, if they don’t, they feel the fear and do it anyway.

4. Are you willing to learn?
Entrepreneurs are not afraid of learning new things, trying new concepts, stretching themselves, and getting out there, because initially they often have to do it all themselves.

5. Do you adapt to change quickly?
The world is moving fast. Technology seems to change faster than the speed of light! And you have to be willing to change with the needs of your customers and technology in your business.

6. Are you self-disciplined?
An entrepreneur does not have a boss watching over them. An entrepreneur has to be able to get up and do what needs to be done, when it needs to be more, whether they want to do it or not.

7. Do you enjoy sales?
Let’s face it — you can’t be in business and be afraid of sales. So learning about sales and how to close business is important. You must also be comfortable with sales and enjoy doing it, because you love what you sell.

8. Are you influential?
There are many businesses doing exactly what you do (or want to do). You have to have the personality and presence that will influence others to want to be a part of what you have, in person and online.

9. Are you a connector?
Highly successful entrepreneurs have a network of connections that they refer to all the time.

10. Are you results-oriented?
Entrepreneurs need to have the ability to know what their goals are and how they are going to achieve them, and measure those successes so they can continue to move to the next level.

11. Do you understand the intrinsic motivational factors?
Motivation is the key dynamic of how you attract people to your business and close sales; understanding and studying it will make you more successful.

12. Are you willing to expand by hiring help?
Do you know the single biggest mistake that a person who thinks he or she is an entrepreneur makes? Thinking they can do it all. Your business cannot grow if you do not eventually get some help! These 12 factors will help you become more entrepreneurial in what you do. Evaluate where you are. See these traits in yourself and know that if you do these things well, your business will skyrocket.

How will your geographical location play a role in your lifetime earning ability?

Richard Florida is a researcher and author of best-selling books such as “Rise of the Creative Class”, “Flight of the Creative Class” and most recently, “Who’s Your City?”.

You might be familiar with his concept that places that show the greatest economic and cultural growth share three social features: talent, tolerance, and technology. A familiar example is that cities that welcome maligned groups and encourage the arts tend to have the most expressive and robust economies. Reviewing articles about Florida’s latest book, “Who’s Your City”, it appears Florida goes a step further when it comes to finding the best geographic places to live and work.

I haven’t read the book yet but it appears that Florida maintains a specific prediction about the future. His prediction based on research? In order for individual cities (and the people in them) to compete in the coming years they’ll need to join forces, quite literally, with their economic neighbors. Regionalism will grow in importance. Large industrial cities and smaller ones will need to merge into regions that can compete globally. This, in turn, makes transportation such as fast rail or other public transportation between cities and towns even more critical.

Above is his map of the “spiky” world he describes. I look forward to reading more!

At 11am EST we’ll feature reporting from WomenCo.com about the top 25 American cities with the best forecasted economic growth. If you’re considering a move, check out this list.

Spring is a great time to make energy efficiency upgrades to your home. Spending money to improve your home can yield “triple bottom line” returns: improving your home’s value, saving you money, and protecting our natural resources. Oh, and stimulating the economy at the same time sure is nice, too!

Here are some common upgrades. Pay attention to the percentage at the end. Some energy efficiency upgrades yield significant savings!

Energy Efficiency Upgrade/Purchase Price/Annual Bill Savings/Simple Payback (yrs)/Rate of Return [source:

Fluorescent Lamps & Fixtures $200/$80/2.5/ 41%
Duct sealing $250/$95/2.6/41%
ENERGY STAR Clothes washer $194/$66/2.9/37%
ENERGY STAR Programmable Thermostat $107/$29/3.7/30%
Water Heater Tank Wrap (R-12) $85/$23/3.7/28%
ENERGY STAR Refrigerator $97/$23/4.2/27%
ENERGY STAR Heat Pump $692 $126/5.5/19%
ENERGY STAR Dishwasher $29/$5/5.5/18%
Air sealing to 0.5 air changes per hour $522/$38/13.7/9%
Increase wall and attic insulation $1,784/$111/16.1/8%
Total $3,960/$597/6.6/16%
Total bill savings as % of baseline bill 36%

For greater detail on these rates of return on energy efficiency upgrades, please see this government website.

How much could your energy efficient upgrade improve your bottom line? Use the calculator here.

Finally, here are some more ideas for making your home more energy efficient and cost effective.

Job security is definitely up in the air right now for everyone. However, if you are out of a job, try considering some of these jobs that seem to thrive even during tough times. Although everyone and every industry is hit hard with job losses and cutbacks, these types of jobs seem to hover just a little bit above the rest.

Teaching/Education – Regardless of how the economy is doing, children still need to attend school. Even Barack Obama seems committed to focusing more on schools and education and the teachers in those schools. The same goes for community colleges or state colleges. When people are looking to save money in such tough times, community schools and state schools that have a much lower price for education tend to get more enrollments.

Information Technology – Large and small company’s alike all need their computers fixed/updated/etc. IT people are always in high demand due to the education needed surrounding the ever changing technological world. As things progress, IT people need to continue their education in order to stay on top of the latest technology. Companies either hire their own IT staff or will outsource this skill. Either way, the IT jobs tends to do pretty well during tough times.

Nursing/Health Care – There is always a shortage of nurses. Due to the long/odd hours, it is difficult to keep nurses. However, if you have the education and can stomach being a nurse, then this job pays really well and is always in high demand. Although hospitals may have had cutbacks due to costs, nurses are still needed and a hospital cannot function without them.

Maintenance and Repairs – When people are tight on money, they try to spend money on the things that really matter. Instead of buying a new refrigerator, they will try to get their old one fixed in order to save a little bit of money. People who do repairs or maintenance checks still get business during a tough economy.

Going Green – People, companies, and the government are all looking to cut costs and make things more efficient wherever possible. Those jobs that specialize in discovering ways to make things more efficient definitely strive during tough times. Every company is trying to find a way to make their company more energy efficient and productive. Sometimes companies will even hire a special team to help them discover what they can do to cut costs.

Although every job sector is struggling due to the downturn in the economy, some will survive and some many drop off as things continue in a downward spiral. Hopefully, if you have the skills or can further your education, some of these opportunities will be open to you in order to get yourself a job. While you search for that perfect full time job, check out some part time jobs that may help you get by!

$6,000 could go a long way toward reducing your debt. Win this or other great prizes in the Great Geezeo Bailout!

Photo By: Ronnie B.