Highest Paying Jobs Without a Degree – Traditional education is wonderful, but we all know it is not the only road to success.
Men without college degrees have made amazing careers, from the likes of Henry Ford to the college dropouts Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.
Economic success like Germany has also proven that most of the population can earn and live comfortably without university degrees. One of the most crucial aspects to do is to learn trade-able skills that are well-paying.
The growing amount of debt at college is alarming. This is causing many people to seek alternative ways to earn money while remaining free of debt as much as possible.
Below are a few of the most lucrative jobs and industries available without having a college degree. You’ll surely make a good income if you have the patience and desire.
Know About: Top 10 Jobs That Pay 100k a Year Without a Degree
Top 10 Highest Paying Jobs Without a Degree
10. Illustrator
You’re either born with this talent, or you don’t. If you discover that you can draw great artwork easily or even better, becoming an illustrator may be an ideal choice.
In this case, you could freelance or be employed by both large and small companies. The tasks are varied and range from drawing magazines to books and fashion magazines, children’s books, newspapers, and more.
Your imagination, color, layout skills, and experience with software for designing and IT generally will determine the extent to which you can take your work.
9. Theater & Arts
If you’re a skilled actor or love drama, performing arts could make you a good salary. While you don’t require a college degree to get acting gigs, you will require some skill, practice, and experience.
Other work areas include freelance scriptwriting and production teams who handle sound, backstage, lighting, and studio productions.
Be aware that, as a newbie, you could be required to attend audition after audition until you are granted an act break. This can be a long time, according to the hundreds of starving artists on the market.
But, if you possess specific skills and are eager to develop them and market yourself effectively, you could stand the chance of success.
8. Commercial Pilot
Becoming a commercial pilot is rewarding, particularly if you love flying in the sky and getting around. The only requirement to become a commercial pilot is a certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration, and that’s all you need to do.
There’s a broad range of jobs, and pay can be decent. Commercial pilots are involved in everything from transporting human beings to cargo and dusting crops to burning wildfires.
Remember that you’ll require at least a high school diploma or equivalent and a great deal of training in theory and practice before you are certified.
7. Offline Technical Careers
In addition to the internet-related and computer-related fields, many technical jobs outside the traditional ones will pay well, even without formal education. However, just like anything technology-related, you must be skilled to succeed in them.
Tech jobs requiring tech skills include electronics technicians, elevators, wind turbines, HVAC, and power plants. In addition, toolmakers, mechanics for aircraft, electricians and computer support specialists, and many more.
6. Digital Marketing
The Internet is evolving so fast that even college degrees cannot keep up. Therefore, the most effective way to understand the art of digital marketing is by unconventional methods.
The field of digital marketing also is a vast area since it encompasses display advertising, pay-per-click, pay-per-click SEO, search engine optimization, social marketing via media email marketing, influencer marketing, content marketing, and other non-traditional methods.
Marketing may not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you think you’re an appealing personality, for one reason or another, and you are interested, you might want to try it.
Be aware that the market for online marketing is extremely competitive. There are always loopholes if you know what you’re doing. In addition, a lot of money can be made if you can crack one industry or two.
5. Game Development
Being a game designer is a goal shared by numerous video game enthusiasts. It’s an exciting and diverse job that’s equally rewarding.
A degree can aid you in securing an opportunity to work in the game development field for an enterprise of significant size. However, they could cost a lot of dollars. In addition, you may get a job that is great if you are aware of the ropes:
- In the beginning, you must know how to program.
- The second is that you must be able to draw your ideas into the real world.
- Thirdly, you must develop a few games of your own. You can then showcase them on the internet to help build your portfolio.
- In addition, you must be aware of other developers and professionals in the field. In a word, networking.
4. Web development
The web is indeed growing. The number of internet users is increasing daily as more companies establish an online presence. In addition, as the old business models fade away and new ones emerge, they replace them. The cycle goes on.
At the core of all of this are web developers, a field that has witnessed many changes in career and growth over the past two decades. Yet, the demand for developers keeps growing, but the knowledge required is changing rapidly.
Many platforms are moving to cloud computing; data science is getting more widespread. AWS, Kubernetes, Docker, GraphQL, Google Cloud, Pytorch, Jamstack, and Vue are the new buzzwords of modern web development.
3. New Coding Languages
Every programming language isn’t alike. Some languages are sought-after, while others aren’t as popular. This is usually the growth of new technologies, platforms, protocols, or even the entire market.
Although it’s very difficult to land a Cobol or Pascal programming job with no fancy certifications, finding jobs in more advanced languages like Swift, Perl, and PHP is more straightforward. Much easier for younger languages like Rust, Go, and Kotlin.
If you’re proficient in programming or believe you can excel at it, the objective is to learn a new programming language and become certified in it.
Here are a few in-demand contemporary programming languages
- Go – Simple general-purpose language
- Julia – A dynamic high-level language
- Dart – General-purpose language
- Elixir is a functional programming language.
- Kotlin – For Android development
- Swift — Apple devices from Mac to Watch
- Rust – For the modern system development
- TypeScript Front-end development
2. Ethical Hacking
Also called white-hat hacking ethical hacking is about getting into computer systems or gaining access without data authorization, without creating harm. Also, ethical hackers can find security holes in computers to patch them.
If you are proficient in computers, specifically networks and data storage, look into becoming an ethically certified hacker.
While the CEH course, exam, and certificate from the EC-Council is the most well-known and is a great way to get good hacking opportunities, it’s not the only option. Other options include the GPEN course from the GIAC GPEN and Offensive Security’s OSCP.
It is important to note that certificates typically cost around 1000 or more. If there is already a need for the qualifications and experience, then it’s worth the investment.
1. Self Employment
If you’re all about increasing your earning capacity as an individual, there’s no better way to increase your earnings than entrepreneurship.
Being an entrepreneur requires being a self-starter, taking risks, and pursuing the unbeaten road. It’s not always a pleasant path, and many have failed or given up on the process, but when it pays off, and you see the results, all the effort is worth it.
Self-employment is the most basic type of entrepreneurship. You are a business owner. However, you are also self-employed.
This kind of job is not suitable for any career. So it would help if you took careful analysis before making any decisions. Is your skill marketable as an entrepreneur? Do you have a market for the services you provide? Are other people earning money in similar ways?
The “gig” economy is indeed focused on the concept of entrepreneurship. The industry is continuing to grow; you’ll require certain skills and an understanding to be an effective freelancer.
It isn’t always straightforward at first. If you’re looking to pursue an independent route or want to work for yourself and are willing to commit the work and commitment, you should think about entrepreneurship.
Some Tips to Keep in Mind
Here are a few things to consider when choosing the profession or industry to pursue with no degree.
- Most companies will hire people without degrees as long as you demonstrate your abilities.
- Certain jobs require only an authorization or license. However, they pay very well.
- The older industries are generally saturated. However, newer ones usually are in greater requirement for workers with the right skills.
- Use the latest trend modifications to meet the rising demands from the newer industries.
- Alternative education options that could lead to an income are:
- Successful organizations usually endorse accreditation for specific careers or technology.
- Vocational training awards you a certificate or certificate upon successful completion. These are typically ideal for jobs in technical fields.
- Apprenticeships provide education and job that is paid and typically guarantees high incomes. Apprenticeship programs that are registered offer internationally recognized and national certifications.
- Some jurisdictions require specific licenses for certain medical and technical sectors. But this is area-specific.
- Remember that regardless of your chosen option, you’ll need to improve your abilities and earn a decent salary. There’s no way around this.