There are quite a few trade school career training programs with minimal math requirements. Careers like CDL truck driver, cosmetologist, and HVAC technician all pay well and all require just a little math during training.

Trade School Programs Light on Math

Here’s a list of ten programs, with minimal math requirements, that can be found at many trade schools and technical colleges. There are others too, but this is a short list to get you thinking.

  1. CDL Truck Driver – Little or no math required. There isn’t more than basic math on a CDL license test.
  2. Licensed Massage Therapist – Only basic math is required to earn a massage therapy license.
  3. Nursing Assistant – Only one or two basic math courses are needed, and no advanced formulas are required.
  4. Culinary Artist – Again, one or two basic math courses, with no advanced formulas to learn.
  5. Graphic Designer – A graphic designer generally only needs basic math to get through their program.
  6. Dental Assistant – Some basic math and a little accounting for office administration purposes.
  7. Restaurant Manager – Some accounting and business math is required to effectively manage a restaurant.
  8. Cosmetologist – You’ll probably see business math if your program includes salon management classes.
  9. HVAC Technician – Basic math is needed to enter an HVAC certification training program. You’ll need high school algebra to get into the HVAC technology associate’s degree program.
  10. Lab Technician – This program has the most math requirements on this list. Four credits of math, or 1 college algebra class.

Use the program search application to connect with a trade school near you.

Other Programs Without Much Math

Some programs in the medical and healthcare career fields besides those on this list, while requiring some math, don’t require a lot. Careers like medical assistant, healthcare administration, and medical coding fall in this category and have high rates of employment, so they’re generally a good option for students who aren’t mathematically inclined.

Obviously, this isn’t an exhaustive list but hopefully it got you thinking. You do not need to be a math whiz to get into trade school and train for a great career that pays well.

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