Aviation mechanic shortage means well-paying jobs up for grabs

The aviation industry doesn't require a four-year degree and is scrambling to fill empty positions.

As the cost of college continues to skyrocket, there are many jobs that need to be filled that don't require a four-year college degree.

One industry that almost guarantees a lucrative job upon graduation is scrambling to fill empty engineering positions.

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According to Boeing, the aviation industry will need nearly 200,000 new mechanics over the next 20 years. Students at Lake Superior College in Minnesota, where enrollment is up by more than 50 percent in the last year, are able to get certified in as little as a year and a half.

Back view of aircraft mechnic repairing jet engine in a hangar.

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Once students graduate, they are prepared to pass written, oral and practical tests for the Federal Aviation Administration.

"Once you take those tests, that basically prepares you to basically work on anything in aviation, ranging from corporate jets such as the Hawker that we have, helicopters, general aviation, gliders — anything that really flies," said a Lake Superior College instructor to FOX Business' Grady Trimble.

The average salaries of aircraft mechanics is $65,000 a year, compared to $51,000 for all U.S. workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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