The best jobs you can get without a college degree
You have ambition. You have a strong work ethic. But you don’t have a college or university degree. Don’t worry, you don’t necessarily need to hit the books again for many jobs out there, especially if you want (or need) to start working right away. Whether you are looking to become a real estate agent, rideshare driver, sommelier—you name it, you have lots of choices to keep you employed and achieve the elusive work-life balance most of us desire.
Computer programmer
Yes, you can go to college to get a computer science degree to learn web development languages such as JavaScript, Java, Python, and Ruby. But college might be a waste of time and money since employers just want to know that you can code, perhaps looking at your experience or giving you a coding test. You can learn your skills through boot camps or online tutorials. The median annual pay for computer programmers is US$93,000.
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Real estate agent
The real estate profession is attractive to many people because it offers the possibility of high earnings for minimal requirements. Most places don’t require you to have a college degree to get into real estate. You just need to meet the requirements of the state or province you live in. According to Zip Recruiter, the annual median wage for real estate agents is US$92,554 a year. Of course, it’s a very competitive business, so you aren’t guaranteed these kinds of earnings.
Sommelier
What do you need to become a sommelier in the food and beverage industry, recommending wines to customers, conducting tastings and cellar tours, and sourcing new vintages from suppliers? Well, you have to really know your wines, have a developed palate, be a real people person, and be prepared to work later hours in what can often be a chaotic environment. Against that, you can do work that you really love for an average annual salary of US$40,584.
Firefighter
Fighting fires and saving lives—firefighting can be a rewarding, if sometimes dangerous, profession. But if you like excitement and the prospect of doing good, then you can enter a profession where the median income is US$50,700 per year. Most firefighters require some kind of high school or equivalent degree, and some training in emergency and medical services, usually provided at a fire academy.
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Flight attendant
Becoming a flight attendant combines the glamour of travel with the grind of real work, serving food and drink in the sky, dealing with unruly passengers, providing direction in case of emergencies, participating in pre-flight briefings, and much more. To earn a median annual salary of US$61,640, flight attendants must be certified by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in the United States, passing an exam after taking their employer’s training program. In Canada, you might be required to speak both French and English.
Garbage collector
Sure, there might be a stigma attached to being a garbage collector and the job can be hard work. Against that, you have steady employment, since society will continue to produce its garbage and need it picked up. The national median wage for garbage collectors is almost US$40,000 and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 11.9% growth in the field between 2020 and 2030. While you need a licence to drive a truck, a collector doing the lifting and emptying only requires a strong back, good work ethic, and a love of being outdoors year-round.
Community health worker
In the wake of the pandemic, community health workers have gotten renewed respect, promoting health and wellness community-wide or to specific groups, whether it is seniors, the homeless, youth or others. The median annual salary for community health workers is about US$46,590. The profession usually only demands a high school degree and some on-the-job training. You can make more as a health education specialist ($60,600), but in this case you would probably need a bachelor’s degree.
Bartender
Here’s another job which you might love if you are social and know your drinks. No formal education is required, but you need to be of legal drinking age and some states/provinces require that you take a smart or responsible server course. To get a job, it helps to have experience and you might be lucky to get on-the-job training. It also helps to have good people skills and stamina to stay on your feet for long nights.While hourly wages aren’t high, a median of US$12.67 an hour, if you work in the right bar or restaurant you have the potential to earn more in tips than you do in salary.
Actor
To be or not to be an actor, that is the question. While you can’t expect Tom Cruise-style wages starting out as a thespian, you might be able to pull in a decent living acting in theatres, theme parks, commercials, trade shows, as extras on a movie set, and so on. While the median hourly wage is only US$23.48, the profession is supposed to grow by 32% from 2020 to 2030.Of course, you can go to college for theatre arts, but you can also get your experience through school and community theatre productions, acting workshops and so on. Who knows? You might get your lucky break.
Solar photovoltaic installer
The push to end our reliance on fossil fuels means that we will see a huge demand (growing by 52% by 2030) for solar photovoltaic installers. They set up and repair the systems often placed on roofs and in fields that convert sunlight into energy. A year of on-the-job training is common in this profession that usually only requires a high school diploma, though some candidates take courses in technical school or go to community college. A median pay of US$47,670 per year enables you to look on the sunny side of life.
Insurance sales agent
Selling insurance is one of the few professions—inside or outside the financial services industry—where you can, with little experience, potentially make six figures in your first year. But to do this, you would have to be highly motivated, be hard-working and have a thick skin, since you’ll deal with lots of rejection. Whether you are selling life, property, auto or some other kind of insurance, you need to be a hustler, supplementing a modest salary with whatever commission you earn.You don’t have to have a college degree, though some employers require one. Usually insurance agencies are more interested in you having the right stuff and will often provide an internal training course.
Web developer
As business today goes digital, web developers are in high demand, especially since companies have trouble filling positions such as front-end developers and full-stack developers. Median pay for designing and maintaining websites is US$77,200 per year. While some web developers go to college for computer science degrees, others only have high school diplomas, learning on the job and in boot camps or teaching themselves. Coding is also part of the job description.
Delivery truck driver
With e-commerce sales predicted to rise to US$7 trillion by 2024, there is a growing demand for drivers to deliver these packages. Beyond having a valid licence from the state or province where you’re working—and a clean driving record—the profession usually demands for you to have a high school diploma and to do a month or so of on-the-job training before hitting the road for real.
Maintenance and repair worker
Are you good with your hands and like to fix things? Then maybe a career as a maintenance and repair worker is in the books for you. These general problem solvers earn on average US$40,850 a year, doing work that may involve knowledge of skilled trades such as plumbing and carpentry. Skills are often learned on the job, as new workers are brought under the wings of seasoned pros.
School bus driver
To be a bus driver transporting kids back and forth from school and on class trips may take a thick skin at times but doesn’t require a lot of qualifications. Usually a valid driver’s licence (some vehicles may require a special licence) and some on-the-job training will do it. Not surprisingly, elementary and secondary schools are the biggest employers of these drivers, who earn on average US$38,750 a year. While some of the work is full time, a good amount of part-time work gives you lots of spare time around the opening and closing of the school day.
Medical office assistant
Checking in patients, handling phone calls, revising patient records, managing medical supply stock, coordinating hospital stays for people . . . the list of the essential services a medical office assistant provides can go on and on. Medical office assistants work in doctors’ offices, hospitals and other healthcare facilities, earning a median of US$37,190 a year. While many medical office assistants have some post-secondary education, it’s possible to get into the field with a high school diploma and on-the-job training.
Personal support worker
With an aging population, there is a growing demand for personal support workers (PSWs) outstripping many other professions. PSWs provide physical and emotional support for elderly or ill patients, or others who may need help coping with normal living tasks. Tasks can range from dressing wounds to housekeeping, to teaching new parents how to take care of their babies. While some jobs demand high school diplomas, some don’t. Certified home health and hospice agencies and hospices may require formal training or passing a standard exam for this profession that pays just under US$30,000 a year, on average.
Rideshare driver
With the growing prevalence of services such as Uber and Lyft, rideshare drivers are becoming a more common occupation. Typically rideshare jobs are open to anyone with a licence, insurance, clean driving record, car (which must meet certain standards) and smartphone to run the rideshare app. Some sources claim that rideshare drivers in major metropolitan centres can make over US$100,000 a year. Other sources put the average at a more modest US$36,270 a year.
Administrative assistant
Typically secretaries and administrative assistants can get work with a high school diploma and some knowledge of word processing and spreadsheet programs. For some entry-level work, they may learn the ropes on the job.Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants usually need more work experience, and legal and medical secretaries and administrative assistants could require special training to learn terminology related to their work. The median annual salary for the profession is US$39,680.
Grounds maintenance worker
If you like working outdoors and don’t mind getting your hands dirty, then you could have a career as a grounds maintenance worker, pruning shrubs, trimming lawns, and installing and maintaining landscapes. The work is often seasonal and can be physically demanding, paying on average US$35,460 a year. Against this, the work doesn’t usually require a formal education, though some states may demand you be licensed if you handle pesticides or fertilizer.
