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No formal educational credential

Typical entry-level education · BLS

No formal educational credential is one of the eight typical entry-level education levels BLS assigns to occupations — the credential most workers have when they enter the job. This level covers 108 occupations employing about 34,505,890 workers, with a median wage of $38,950. It describes the typical path, not a requirement — many people enter by other routes.

What occupations at this level pay

Median annual wage across occupations at this entry-level education, from BLS OEWS (national, cross-industry, May 2024). The middle range shows the 25th–75th percentile of occupation medians — it describes the level, not a guarantee for any one person or job.

Median occupation wage $38,950
Middle range (p25–p75) $35,390 – $48,683
Occupations with wage data 104 of 108

AI exposure at this education level

Two published studies estimate how exposed each occupation is to today's AI. The OpenAI "GPTs are GPTs" study rates the share of an occupation's tasks a large language model (with tools) could speed up by half or more; averaged across occupations that typically need this credential it is 11% — 6th percentile of the eight education levels. The independent Felten/Raj/Seamans AI Occupational Exposure index averages -1.07 here.

Computed across the 96 of 108 occupations at this level that carry a published exposure score.

Across the eight levels, AI exposure rises with education — degree-requiring knowledge work is most exposed, manual and credential-light work least. Exposure measures where AI could assist tasks, not a prediction that these jobs will be automated; high exposure most often means augmentation.

Highest-paying occupations at this level

Occupations whose typical entry-level education is no formal educational credential, with the highest median wage. Wage describes the occupation, not an individual.

Occupation Median pay
Models $89,990
Artists and Related Workers, All Other $72,760
Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining $68,860
Underground Mining Machine Operators, All Other $67,220
Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas $65,010
Tapers $64,700
Continuous Mining Machine Operators $63,380
Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas $62,740
Athletes and Sports Competitors $62,360
Postal Service Clerks $61,630
Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers $58,140
Tank Car, Truck, and Ship Loaders $58,070
Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas $57,980
Postal Service Mail Carriers $57,490
Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators $56,530
Plasterers and Stucco Masons $56,020
Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers $54,660
Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles $54,340
Hoist and Winch Operators $52,310
Tile and Stone Setters $52,240
Roofers $50,970
Carpet Installers $49,850
Sailors and Marine Oilers $49,610
Floor Sanders and Finishers $49,150
Pipelayers $48,710

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 3, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "No formal educational credential." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/education/no-formal-educational-credential

APA

Singulariki. (2026). No formal educational credential. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/education/no-formal-educational-credential

BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-no-formal-educational-credential,
  title  = {No formal educational credential},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/education/no-formal-educational-credential}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.