20 Well-Paid Jobs You Don’t Need A Degree For *

AD | Not everyone is fortunate enough to receive a university education. And many of us don’t necessarily want to finish school and then continue studying for another three or more years either. Luckily, there are all kinds of jobs you don’t need a degree for to earn a good living. Here are some of the most career paths you could follow, their average salaries, and what you’ll need to get started.

20 Well-Paid Jobs You Don’t Need A Degree For

With so many changes in the employment market in the last few years, it‘s become much easier to find some amazing job opportunities. You could research job openings online (LinkedIn is great for this), network in person or virtually, or attend job fairs hosted by businesses seeking potential employees. With determination, hard work, and occasionally some online learning, anyone can find the right job and start progressing in their career.

Flight Attendant

One of many interesting jobs you don’t need a degree for is a flight attendant. Although you do need to have good customer service skills, and also obtain a few certifications to bag yourself a job. An average flight attendant salary is typically around $80k+ per year. However, it’s not an easy job. You have to constantly fly around the world, deal with more turbulence than the average traveller, and be on call for last minute jobs – it’s not for the faint hearted.

Taxi Driver

Demand for taxi drivers has gone up hugely since so many apps have simplified the booking process. Taxi drivers need driving experience, a GPS, and a car of their own, and then they can get started. You can expect to earn between $30-40k starting out as a taxi driver, which is not at all bad. Don’t forget you need to factor in the cost of maintaining your vehicle though.

Accountant

You may be surprised to find this on the list, but an accounting job isn’t too hard to come by. A few certifications and a track record of experience (perhaps from internships or apprenticeships) can open up these opportunities for you.

With only 1-2 years of accountancy experience, you can expect to be on $50k, so it’s well worth the time and investment.

Secretary/PA

A secretary or PA can work in many industries including the more lucrative medical (including dental), legal, and general company secretary areas. And you can expect to earn $20-30k for your time, and administration expertise.

Bartender

Virtually anyone can be a bartender, whether it’s a part-time gig or a lifetime career path, and it’s another example of a job that requires no qualifications. You can expect to earn $20-30k as a bartender if you work full-time.

Marketing Professional

A marketing professional usually has a wide range of skills such as content writing, social media, paid ads, video, or SEO. All these are key for businesses that have aspirations to grow and most marketing professionals will specialise in at least one of these areas. You can earn anything from $18-80k+ with the right experience and track record. If you can acquire some internship/freelance experience to start with, then you’ll soon be ready to land your first entry level job in the marketing world.

Voice Over

Professional voice overs are used for audiobooks, e-learning videos, general narrators, and the web, tv and radio ads you hear every day. But it’s not only about having a pleasant speaking voice, it’s about how you use it. If you start out by investing in your own home studio, freelance to build up your portfolio, then you’d be well on your way to a successful voice over career.

According to Voicebooking, a voice over agency based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, you can expect to earn between $13k to $100k+ depending on experience.

Chef

Chefs earn a very respectable living, and don’t need a degree in cooking to get there. Get some entry level restaurant experience and you can work your way up. However, food hygiene knowledge is something you’ll need to progress your career properly. Chefs earn anything from $18k to 60k for the most experienced chefs.

Security Guard

Security guards earn good money, and with the right connections, you could end up earning a very respectable living working as a security guard for powerful people, such as celebrities or politicians. You typically need a certification, to know a fighting style and have undertaken some type of conflict resolution training, but once you’re there, the average security guard earns around $20-40k.

Train Driver

Your primary responsibility is to drive a train and ensure it reaches its destination safely and on time, whether you drive passenger trains or goods trains. Train drivers require strong concentration skills and attention to detail along with being able to remain calm in potentially stressful situations. A train driver can earn around $33k and potentially up to $50k.

Sales Professional

Businesses need sales professionals to help drive profits. And no, you don’t need an economics degree to land yourself a sales career, you simply need charisma, conversational skills, and a great smile. Many sales jobs offer the possibility of earning an uncapped commission, but it’s not for everyone.

These jobs pay small basic salaries to account for the “on target” commission you’re expected to earn per year. Entry level salespeople earn around $18k, whilst the more experienced salespeople earn around $60-80k per year.

Real Estate Agent

A real estate agent connects buyers and sellers in the property market and usually works on a commission basis. If you’re a really good sales person, you could make a LOT of money from your commissions. Expect to earn anywhere between $35k and upwards of $100k depending on how many successful deals you pull off.

Actor

Not every actor needs a university degree to get their big break. With a professional head shot, the right connections, some local gigs under your belt, and occasionally a lucky break (!) you can build yourself a beginner’s acting career quite quickly. You can also consider drama school, which isn’t uni-level, and it’s a great place to start if you want to gain valuable connections in the industry. Actors can earn on average $40-70k and more if they make it big.

Electrician

Electricians will always be in demand, and only need a certification to get their foot in the door. There are various resources available to start your electrician career, and they aren’t that hard to come by. The average salary of an electrician is $30-100k+, the more experienced, the higher the salary.

Plumber

Another respectable profession that will never go out of fashion. A plumber is a much needed role that suits virtually anyone, and you can get there with a combination of training and internship roles. Once you have your certification, you can expect to make $30k starting out, and up to $80k+ yearly.

IT Specialist

Information security is a big thing nowadays, with the demand only rising year by year. You can become an IT specialist with the right courses, apprenticeship or intern experience, and once you’re in, you’re in. OTE earnings are between $20k to 80k+ for the most experienced IT professionals.

Masseuse

A massage therapist can be a very lucrative profession, especially for those who go the freelance route. With a few courses and certifications, you can find yourself earning an average salary of $40k without the need for a university degree.

Personal Trainer

A personal trainer is a profession that isn’t going out of fashion anytime soon. You can be a trainer as part of a gym’s team, and also as a freelancer, growing your clientele through social media and recommendations. Once you gain your certification then you’re good to go, with no need for a sport’s science degree. You can earn anything from $30-70k+ as a personal trainer, and potentially more if you go your own route.

Nurse

You don’t need a medical degree to be a nurse. An apprenticeship in the industry can open up career opportunities within both the private and public sector. Starting salaries are around $20k, rising to over $100k for the more experienced nurses.

Firefighter

A firefighter keeps people safe in emergencies and combat fires. It’s a challenging but rewarding job and not for everyone. You need to gain an understanding of fire dynamics and the best tools and equipment to use to fight them. You may also advise clients on where to install smoke detectors and alarms for their safety. A typical firefighters salary is around $50k.

Were you surprised by this wide range of jobs you don’t need a degree for? And of course this doesn’t include all those budding entrepreneurs among you either. Hopefully, it’s been a useful guide to the variety of roles you can consider if you don’t have a university degree. Do you know of any more well-paid career paths that should be on this list too?

* This is a collaborative post – please see my Disclaimer.