09/06/2026
Please read the special report we’ve put together about all the job opportunities/training/certifications available locally! Many are low or no cost and don’t require more than a high school degree.
We hear all the time about how there aren’t jobs in this area, if you or someone you know is looking for a way to make more money, this guide is a great start!
Special Berrien County Community Connection Report: BETTER-PAYING CAREERS IN BERRIEN COUNTY
You may have more options than you think.
Actual local training • Real job demand • Pay ranges
WANT TO EARN MORE? HERE ARE CAREER OPPORTUNITIES YOU MAY NOT KNOW EXIST RIGHT HERE IN BERRIEN COUNTY
A local career and training guide with information on what jobs pay, where workers are needed, how long training takes, where to get trained and resources that may help pay for it.
We hear a lot about the lack of good-paying jobs in our area, wages not keeping up with the cost of living, and employers struggling to find trained workers.
So instead of just talking about the problem, we wanted to put together something people can actually use.
If you live in Berrien County and want to earn more, learn a marketable skill or move into a better career, what are your realistic options here?
We started looking through local colleges, technical programs, certifications, apprenticeships and Michigan’s employment projections. There are far more opportunities than many people probably realize.
Some training takes only weeks or months. Many technical programs can be completed in a year or less. Other healthcare careers take closer to two years but can lead to wages of $40 or more per hour. Apprenticeships are another great option because you can earn a paycheck while you learn.
And there is one thing worth saying right up front:
A high school diploma or GED does not mean you are limited to minimum-wage work.
You may need additional training, certification or an apprenticeship, but there are very real careers in our region paying $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 or more without requiring a traditional four-year degree.
We want people to know those opportunities exist. After that, each person has to decide what to do with the information.
ARE THESE JOBS ACTUALLY NEEDED HERE?
Yes.
Michigan’s career projections for Southwest Michigan, which include Berrien County and the surrounding labor market, show substantial annual demand through 2032.
Some examples:
Registered Nurses: about 375 openings a year, $38 to $49/hour
CDL Tractor-Trailer Drivers: about 360 openings, $23 to $30/hour
Industrial Machinery Mechanics: about 185 openings, $27 to $37/hour
Electricians: about 135 openings, $24 to $41/hour
Carpenters: about 130 openings, $23 to $31/hour
Welders: about 110 openings, $22 to $28/hour
Plumbers/Pipefitters: about 100 openings, $25 to $42/hour
HVAC Technicians: about 60 openings, $23 to $35/hour
LPNs: about 60 openings, $29 to $36/hour
Sheet Metal Workers: about 45 openings, $29 to $43/hour
Dental Hygienists: about 40 openings, $37 to $39/hour
Physical Therapist Assistants: about 35 openings, $26 to $31/hour
Power-Line Installers/Repairers: about 25 openings, $40 to $61/hour
Respiratory Therapists: about 20 openings, $31 to $39/hour
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers: about 10 openings, $34 to $41/hour
Those are not guaranteed starting wages, but they show that these are not imaginary career paths. These are occupations our regional economy is expected to continue needing.
Lake Michigan College MAY BE ONE OF OUR MOST UNDERUSED LOCAL RESOURCES
Lake Michigan College is probably one of the best places to start.
LMC offers training in healthcare, manufacturing, skilled trades, technology, transportation and public safety. Programs include Pharmacy Technician, Phlebotomy, Medical Assisting, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Radiologic Technology, Nursing, CNA, welding, mechatronics, machine-tool technology, industrial maintenance, manufacturing, CDL, marine maintenance, Police Academy, IT and more.
LMC also offers a large catalog of online and continuing-education programs, including medical billing and coding, sterile processing, cybersecurity and professional certifications.
Explore Lake Michigan College programs
💊 PHARMACY TECHNICIAN
This is a good example of a career people may not realize they can train for locally.
LMC offers a Pharmacy Technician Advanced Certificate with pharmaceutical calculations, prescription processing, pharmacy coursework, clinical experience and certification preparation.
The full certificate is 51 credits, so this is generally a multi-semester program rather than a short course.
Recent local pharmacy-tech postings we’ve reviewed have advertised wages from roughly the upper teens into the $20s per hour, depending on certification, employer and experience. Some certified positions advertise higher ranges.
That can put someone roughly in the $35,000 to $50,000+ range.
Before paying tuition yourself, ask about scholarships, financial aid, grants and employer assistance. Don’t assume the published tuition is necessarily what you will actually pay.
🩻 DIAGNOSTIC MEDICAL SONOGRAPHER
This one really caught my attention because I wonder how many high school students even know it exists.
Sonographers use ultrasound technology to create diagnostic images. Training is available locally through LMC.
Southwest Michigan wages are approximately $34 to $41 per hour, or about $71,000 to $85,000 annually at full-time hours.
That is a very good professional career available through education right here in our community.
🩺 RADIOLOGIC TECHNOLOGY
Radiologic technologists perform diagnostic imaging such as X-rays and work in hospitals, outpatient centers and medical offices.
LMC offers a local associate-degree pathway.
This takes more time than a short-term certificate, but it can lead to a strong healthcare career without requiring a bachelor’s degree.
🩸 PHLEBOTOMY
Phlebotomists draw blood in hospitals, clinics, laboratories and medical offices.
Both LMC and Southwestern Michigan College offer training pathways, and this can be a relatively quick way to enter healthcare.
It can also be a first step. Someone can start working, gain healthcare experience and later continue into another medical specialty.
Explore Southwestern Michigan College programs
🩺 CNA AND NURSING PATHWAYS
CNA is one of the fastest ways to begin working in healthcare.
LMC’s CNA program can be completed in approximately seven weeks and prepares students for Michigan’s Nurse Aide certification process.
And your first credential does not have to be your last.
Someone might start as a CNA, earn experience and income, and later move into Medication Aide, LPN, RN or another healthcare specialty.
🫁 RESPIRATORY THERAPIST
Respiratory therapy is another career many people may never have considered.
Southwest Michigan regional wages are approximately $31 to $39 per hour, or roughly $64,000 to $81,000 per year.
SMC offers a respiratory-therapy pathway, although prospective students should check the current program start dates and admission requirements.
🧠 EEG, NEURODIAGNOSTIC AND MRI TECHNOLOGY
SMC also has specialty healthcare pathways involving Neurodiagnostic/EEG Technology and MRI.
EEG professionals work with technology that measures electrical activity in the brain. MRI provides another route into specialized medical imaging.
These are exactly the kinds of careers we wanted to include because it is hard to consider an occupation you have never heard of.
🩺 MEDICAL ASSISTING
Medical assistants work in physician offices and other healthcare settings and can perform both clinical and administrative duties.
LMC and SMC offer Medical Assisting programs, and Ross Medical Education Center in Benton Harbor also provides allied-health training locally.
🧼 STERILE PROCESSING TECHNICIAN
Here is another hospital career that tends to fly under the radar.
Sterile processing technicians clean, sterilize and prepare instruments used during medical procedures.
LMC offers online Sterile Processing Technician training designed to prepare students for industry certification.
Explore LMC career-training programs
Hospitals employ a huge range of professionals beyond doctors and nurses. Some of these lesser-known careers can be excellent ways to get into healthcare.
💻 MEDICAL BILLING AND CODING
For someone who likes healthcare but does not want direct patient care, medical billing and coding is another option.
LMC offers online training designed to prepare students for industry certification. Jobs can involve physician practices, hospitals, medical records, insurance and revenue-cycle operations.
🚛 CDL / COMMERCIAL TRUCK DRIVING
CDL training is one of the fastest career-change options we found.
LMC offers CDL-A training through its South Haven campus, and the program can be completed in approximately three weeks.
Michigan projects around 360 heavy tractor-trailer driver openings each year in Southwest Michigan. Regional wages are roughly $23 to $30 per hour, although actual income varies significantly by employer, endorsements, overtime and whether someone drives locally or long distance.
LMC CDL training
For someone whose goal is to change their earning situation relatively quickly, this deserves a serious look.
🛥️ MARINE MAINTENANCE
This one makes perfect sense in Southwest Michigan but may not immediately come to mind.
LMC offers Marine Maintenance Technician training. With Lake Michigan, marinas, boat dealers, storage facilities and recreational boating throughout our area, this is a skill tied directly to a local industry.
🔥 WELDING
Both LMC and SMC provide welding training.
SMC’s one-year certificate includes MIG, TIG, stick and flux-core welding, blueprint reading, fabrication and other skills. Students also have the opportunity to work with industrial robotics.
Michigan projects approximately 110 welding openings per year across Southwest Michigan.
Welding pay can increase significantly with experience, specialty work and additional certifications.
🤖 AUTOMATION, ROBOTICS AND MECHATRONICS
This is one I would especially encourage parents and teenagers to look into.
Modern manufacturing does not necessarily mean standing on an assembly line doing repetitive work. Today’s plants need people who understand robotics, programmable logic controllers, electrical systems, hydraulics, pneumatics and automated equipment.
SMC’s Electrical and Automation Technology program in Niles uses industrial equipment including FANUC robots and PLCs.
Regional wages for related technical occupations include approximately:
Electrical Engineering Technicians: $29 to $45/hour
Mechanical Engineering Technicians: $23 to $37/hour
Industrial Engineering Technicians: $25 to $34/hour
LMC also offers mechatronics, industrial maintenance and manufacturing pathways.
⚙️ INDUSTRIAL MACHINERY MECHANIC
This may be one of the best opportunities on the whole list.
Michigan projects about 185 openings every year in Southwest Michigan, with approximately 12.5% growth through 2032.
Regional wages are around $27 to $37 per hour, or roughly $56,000 to $77,000 annually at full-time hours.
As factories become more automated, companies still need people who can install, diagnose, repair and maintain that equipment.
LMC’s industrial maintenance, mechatronics and manufacturing programs can provide relevant training.
⚡ ELECTRICIAN
Michigan projects approximately 135 electrician openings per year in Southwest Michigan.
Regional wages are around $24 to $41 per hour, or roughly $50,000 to $85,000 annually depending on employer and experience.
For this career, apprenticeships are especially worth investigating. You can learn the trade while earning money rather than waiting until school is finished to begin working.
🔧 PLUMBING, PIPEFITTING AND HVAC
Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters have regional wages of approximately $25 to $42 per hour, with about 100 projected openings annually.
HVAC technicians are around $23 to $35 per hour, with approximately 60 openings per year and continued projected growth.
UA Local 357 in Schoolcraft provides apprenticeship training serving Southwest Michigan.
These are careers where the earn-while-you-learn model can make a lot of sense.
🏗️ CONSTRUCTION TRADES
SMC offers hands-on construction training involving foundations, framing, roofing, tools, materials, construction math and other practical skills.
Southwest Michigan carpenter wages are approximately $23 to $31 per hour, with about 130 projected openings each year.
There is also a training center right here in St. Joseph through Michigan Laborers’ Training and Apprenticeship Institute, which provides a Department of Labor-recognized construction laborer apprenticeship pathway.
🚜 OTHER SKILLED TRADES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT
Several other regional occupations have strong earning potential:
Millwrights: $31 to $41/hour
Mobile Heavy-Equipment Mechanics: $25 to $32/hour
Farm Equipment Mechanics: $22 to $30/hour
Sheet Metal Workers: $29 to $43/hour
Electrical Power-Line Installers/Repairers: $40 to $61/hour
Training routes vary, and not all of these are offered directly at LMC or SMC.
But they illustrate an important point: skilled trades are not a consolation prize for people who did not attend college. Some are excellent professional careers.
💻 INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Both LMC and SMC have technology pathways.
SMC offers IT Help Desk, IT Networking, and Cybersecurity and System Administration. LMC offers networking, cybersecurity and other IT options.
Michigan projects especially strong long-term growth in areas such as cybersecurity, software development and data science, although many higher-level positions require additional education or experience.
🚓 POLICE ACADEMY
LMC also operates a Police Academy for people interested in law enforcement.
That allows someone to begin the career pathway locally instead of necessarily leaving Southwest Michigan for training.
🚗 AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY
SMC offers hands-on Automotive Technology training.
Modern automotive work involves electronics, computer diagnostics, hybrid systems and increasingly sophisticated technology, making this a much more technical profession than many people realize.
🌾 AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY
SMC also offers Agricultural Technology and Agricultural Business.
That makes sense here because agriculture remains an important part of Southwest Michigan’s economy, and modern agriculture increasingly involves technology, equipment, mechanics, logistics and business.
❤️ WHAT IF SOMEONE IS NOT READY FOR COLLEGE OR TECHNICAL SCHOOL?
Mosaic CCDA in Benton Harbor offers a different kind of workforce resource.
Its Jobs for Life program focuses on job readiness, résumé and interview preparation, mentoring and workplace skills. Mosaic’s social-enterprise work can also provide hands-on employment experience.
For someone who needs to build work history, confidence or basic job skills before moving into technical training, that can be an important first step.
💰 WHAT IF I CANNOT AFFORD THE TRAINING?
Please do not assume you cannot afford a program until you actually find out.
Ask LMC or SMC about Pell Grants, financial aid, foundation scholarships, Michigan Reconnect, employer tuition assistance and program-specific grants.
Michigan Reconnect can provide tuition assistance for eligible Michigan adults pursuing community-college education.
Michigan Works! is another potential source of public workforce funding. This guide is not centered around Michigan Works!, but if funds are available to help pay for tuition, books, certification fees, equipment or transportation, it is worth asking whether you qualify.
The important thing is not to see a tuition number and immediately assume a program is unaffordable. Find out what it would actually cost you after scholarships, grants and every other source of assistance.
ONE THING I HAVE LEARNED FIRSTHAND ABOUT WORKFORCE PROGRAMS
I have been involved with workforce-development programs in Southwest Michigan in the past, and one thing I learned is that providing an opportunity does not guarantee a successful outcome.
I have seen programs provide experienced professionals willing to teach, hands-on training, materials and substantial resources, and still watched some participants fail to consistently show up or follow through.
That can be frustrating, but I do not think the answer is to stop creating opportunities. Both sides matter. Our community needs accessible training, employers willing to hire, people willing to teach and assistance with genuine barriers such as transportation, childcare and cost. We also need to do a much better job making sure people know what is available.
At the same time, the person receiving the opportunity has to apply, show up, learn, work and finish.
No college, nonprofit, government agency or employer can do that part for someone.
THAT IS ALSO WHY RESULTS MATTER
When a workforce program says it “served” 1,000 people, that number alone does not tell us whether 1,000 lives improved.
I would rather know how many completed the training, how many earned a credential, how many found employment in the field, what those jobs paid, how many were still working six months or a year later, and whether their income actually increased.
Those are the numbers that tell us whether workforce development is really working.
SO IF YOUR THOUGHT IS SIMPLY, “I NEED TO MAKE MORE MONEY,” START LOOKING.
If healthcare interests you, investigate pharmacy tech, phlebotomy, CNA, respiratory therapy, radiology, sonography, medical assisting, sterile processing, EEG or MRI technology.
If you are mechanically inclined, look into welding, industrial maintenance, mechatronics, automation, machining, automotive or heavy-equipment repair.
If you like working with your hands, consider electrical, HVAC, plumbing, pipefitting, construction or a registered apprenticeship.
If computers are more your thing, investigate IT support, networking or cybersecurity.
If you need a relatively fast career change, look at CDL, CNA, phlebotomy, EMT and other short-term credentials.
And if you have no idea what sounds interesting yet, that is okay too. Call the colleges and ask to talk with someone about career and technical programs.
Lake Michigan College
2755 E. Napier Avenue, Benton Harbor
269-927-1000
Lake Michigan College
Southwestern Michigan College
58900 Cherry Grove Road, Dowagiac
800-456-8675
Southwestern Michigan College
SMC’s Niles campus also offers several technical programs convenient to Berrien County residents.
BEFORE WE SAY THERE ARE NO GOOD-PAYING JOBS HERE, LET’S MAKE SURE PEOPLE KNOW WHERE THE DOORS ARE.
Someone earning $16 or $18 an hour might read this and discover a $30-an-hour career they had never considered.
Someone with a GED may realize their education does not limit them to minimum wage. A high school student may realize a four-year university is not the only respectable path to a successful career. Someone raising a family may discover a healthcare credential that can be completed close to home. Someone who has spent years in a job they do not enjoy may realize they are not stuck there forever.
Not everyone will take advantage of these opportunities, but everyone should have a fair chance to know they exist.
That is why we put this together.
Please save and share this guide with someone who could use it.
If you are a local employer, instructor, union, tradesperson or someone who completed one of these programs, we would love to hear what you know. How long did your training take? What did it cost? Was help available to pay for it? Did you find work afterward? What kind of earning potential did it create?
And if we missed a legitimate Berrien County or nearby Southwest Michigan certification, apprenticeship, employer-paid training program or career pathway, please add it in the comments. We will keep updating the list.
Sometimes creating opportunity starts with something pretty simple: making sure people know where to find it.
Note: Wage figures are not guaranteed starting salaries. Most regional figures above come from Michigan’s Southwest Region 8 occupational data, which includes Berrien County and surrounding counties. Actual wages vary by employer, experience, certification, shift, overtime and other factors. Annual openings are regional projections rather than a guarantee of current openings at a specific employer.
