The Best Solar Industry Jobs You Can Get Without a Degree

Solar installer jobs are set to grow 37% in the next 10 years.

That’s the Bureau of Labor Statistics projection for 2025 to 2035. And you don’t need a degree to get one.

Below are the 5 best solar industry jobs you can land without a college degree. They’re ranked from easiest to hardest to start, each with its pay, cost, time to start and first step.

• Good talker who hates heights? #1 fits you.
• If you like hands-on work outdoors, #2 pays you while you learn.
• Prefer machines and an indoor shift: try #3.
• Already handy with wiring, then #4 and #5 build on that.

How These Jobs Were Ranked

These solar jobs are ranked by how many readers can start them, so the jobs needing the fewest skills come first. Pay comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025 medians) and Indeed’s salary data (June 2026 averages).

Treat both as ballparks, and note that some figures cover a job title in all industries.

The 5 Best Solar Industry Jobs Without a Degree

The 5 best solar jobs without a degree are sales rep, PV installer, manufacturing technician, O&M technician and electrician. Each is a real foothold in renewable energy, and each starts with who it suits and what it pays.

1. Solar Sales Representative

Sell solar systems to homeowners and businesses.

It’s the one job here that needs no trade skills on day one.

• Best for: confident talkers who like meeting people. Skip it if rejection wears you down.
• Cost: Free.
• Payoff: $69,403 a year national average for solar sales reps, per Indeed’s salary data (June 2026).
• Time: 2-4 weeks.
• First step: Search LinkedIn Jobs for “solar sales entry level” plus your state.

Indeed’s salary guide says reps prepare quotes and contracts, then help each customer pick a system that fits. So you’ll spend a lot of time explaining how home solar panels work in plain words.

Entry-level openings are real: LinkedIn’s New Jersey listings showed an entry-level sales job at Trinity Solar in October 2026.

The catch?

Home solar sales are in a slump, as the outlook section below explains. So ask in your interview how the company sells now that the home solar tax credit is gone.

2. Solar PV Installer

Mount and wire solar panels on roofs and ground racks.

BLS expects steady hiring for it.

• Best for: people who like physical, outdoor work. Skip it if heights bother you.
• Cost: Free. Most installers learn on the job, and short courses are optional.
• Payoff: $53,140 a year median, or $25.55 an hour (BLS, May 2025).
• Time: 2-4 weeks.
• First step: Call 3 local solar installers and ask whether they hire helpers they’ll train.

BLS says installers typically need a high school diploma, and on-the-job training lasts 1 month to 1 year. In fact, BLS projects about 4,200 installer openings a year through 2035.

Where you work changes the paycheck. The lowest 10 percent of installers earned less than $41,600, while the top 10 percent earned more than $79,970.

Here’s the math: installers at electrical contractors earned a $58,570 median in May 2025. That’s $5,430 a year more than the overall median.

So aim your first applications at electrical contractors that install solar. Later on, look at the steps to become a certified solar installer.

3. Solar Manufacturing Technician

Set up and maintain the machines on solar production lines.

You trade rooftops for a plant floor.

• Best for: people who like machines and steady indoor shifts. Skip it if no solar plant is nearby.
• Cost: Free.
• Payoff: $60,201 a year national average for manufacturing technicians in all industries, per Indeed.
• Time: 2-4 weeks.
• First step: Search “solar module manufacturing” plus your state to find plants near you.

Indeed says these technicians set up plant equipment, then check finished products for quality. It helps to know how solar panels are made before your interview.

The Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) counted 32,491 solar manufacturing jobs in 2024. But IREC also says analysts expect U.S. solar manufacturing to stall, with some plants closed or sold.

So ask whether a plant is running full shifts before you apply. The top solar panel manufacturers make a good list to start with.

4. Solar O&M Technician

Keep solar arrays running by testing, cleaning, diagnosing and repairing them.

O&M (operations and maintenance) jobs nearly doubled in 5 years.

• Best for: problem solvers with some electrical know-how. Skip it if you’d rather not work at outdoor sites.
• Cost: Free.
• Payoff: $61,888 a year national average for solar technicians, per Indeed.
• Time: 1-3 months.
• First step: Search LinkedIn Jobs for “solar O&M technician” and save 5 postings.

IREC’s census shows O&M jobs grew from 11,164 in 2019 to 21,833 in 2024. That’s huge, and IREC ties it to the growing number of panels already in the ground.

If you’re aiming at big sites, the tips for landing solar farm jobs apply here too.

Here’s how to get there:

1. Read your 5 saved postings and note the license or experience each one asks for.
2. Fill the most common gap first. If most want install experience, start at #2.
3. Learn how panels, wiring and a solar power inverter fit together, since finding faults is the core of the job.

5. Solar Electrician

Do the licensed wiring that connects solar systems to buildings and the grid.

It takes the longest to reach, but you’re paid while you train.

• Best for: people ready to commit years to a licensed trade. Skip it if you need full pay right away.
• Cost: Free to start, since apprentices are paid for their training.
• Payoff: $63,190 a year median for electricians in all industries (BLS, May 2025).
• Time: A year or more (a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship).
• First step: Look up your state’s electrical apprenticeship programs and note the next application date.

BLS says most electricians train in a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year. Most states also require a license.

Here’s the math: 4 to 5 years at 2,000 hours a year is 8,000 to 10,000 paid training hours. In other words, you’re paid for every one of those training hours.

Which Solar Jobs Pay the Most?

Among solar roles with official pay data, the highest-paying jobs need a degree: BLS says electrical engineers earned a $120,630 median in May 2025 and construction managers $114,990. Both figures cover all industries, not just solar.

They’re long shots for most readers:

• Electrical engineer: BLS says electrical engineers typically need a bachelor’s degree in engineering.
• Construction (project) manager: construction managers typically need a bachelor’s degree.
• Software engineer: Indeed lists a $108,896 national average for the title.

With a degree, these roles pay roughly $45,000 to $67,000 more a year than the jobs above. Without one, #2 and #5 are the realistic ways up.

Is Solar a Good Career Right Now?

Solar is a good career if you aim for work on solar farms and in maintenance, where jobs are growing. IREC counted 280,119 solar jobs in the United States in 2024, and utility-scale jobs rose 73% since 2021 even as total jobs stayed level.

Home solar is the weak spot. Residential installs fell 31% in 2024, and IREC says the July 2025 federal law ends the home solar tax credit in December 2025.

About two-thirds of the solar workforce (178,713 jobs) works in installation and project development, including sales and finance roles.

In fact, IREC says solar accounts for more jobs than any clean energy industry except energy efficiency. That makes it the biggest employer in the renewable energy industry.

Better yet, IREC says most solar firms still find qualified workers hard to hire. That’s good news if you’re applying, and it’s part of why solar matters to the U.S. economy.

How to Get a Solar Job With No Experience

The best way into a solar job with no experience is an entry-level installer or sales role that trains you on the job. Start this week with these 4 steps:

1. Search listings by state. LinkedIn showed 3,000+ solar energy jobs in New Jersey alone in October 2026.
2. Take a short course if you want an edge. BLS says some installers study at a technical school or community college first.
3. Ask about apprenticeships. The Clean Energy Transition Institute calls apprenticeship programs paid jobs with on-the-job training and extra classes.
4. Call installers directly. Ask whether they train helpers, using the script below.

Here’s what to say:

“Hi, I’m looking to start in solar. I don’t have install experience yet, but I’m reliable, comfortable on ladders and ready to start this month. Do you hire helpers you train on the job, and if not, who should I check back with?”

While you wait to hear back, a few books on solar energy will help you speak the language in interviews.