10 Highest-Paying Jobs That Don't Require a College Degree, New Data Shows
These lucrative jobs can help you up your earning potential.
Oftentimes, making a major career move means going back to school. But given the astronomical cost of higher education—not to mention the time investment of a four-year college degree—it's no surprise that many people are looking for a way to excel without hitting the books. Though attending college still remains the top way to enhance your earning potential, new data from experts at Velents AI shows that many high-paying jobs don't require a college degree. Read on for the 10 highest earning positions that have no formal education requirements to see which field might be right for you.
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10
Customer support representative
Fielding questions, fixing problems, and often serving as the human face of a company, customer support representatives have an important job—and often get paid accordingly.
Many customer support professionals can earn a salary between $52,200 and $71,700, making it the 10th highest-paying job on the list. Valents AI arrived at these salary ranges by "studying salary ranges from Indeed and ZipRecruiter."
They also examined job listings on Indeed at the time of the report in Dec. 2023, finding that there were 446 customer service positions that did not require a college degree.
9
Graphic designer
If you've got artistic talent and technical skills, you may have a promising future as a graphic designer. This position was ranked ninth on the list, earning between $58,130 and $97,850 on average, according to the data.
It's also a field that's decidedly in-demand: There were 1,860 available positions for graphic designers on Indeed.
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8
Event planner
Event planners dream up and bring to life memorable experiences for clients and their guests. This is a creative role that many people find especially fulfilling. Breaking into the six-figure salary range, it can also come with a high payoff.
Event planners can earn between $60,759 and $101,000, the data shows. There were 443 event planning job postings on Indeed that did not require a college degree.
7
Social media influencer
Becoming a social media influencer can be a profitable career move—the data shows that influencers have an earning potential of $65,098 to $104,100, positioning it seventh on the list.
However, it's worth noting that many people attempting to make it in this field have other jobs to help make ends meet—especially while first learning to monetize their following.
6
Social media manager
Instead of branding yourself as an influencer, being a social media manager means establishing and promoting a brand's online presence. By seeking a posted position through a company, you can remove the financial risk of influencing while still doing similar work and utilizing similar skills.
Ranked sixth on the list, social media managers had an earning potential between $64,370 and $113,000, with 767 job listings not requiring a college degree.
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5
Virtual assistant
A virtual assistant's job may change at a moment's notice—one minute you're doing bookkeeping tasks, coordinating an important shipment, or arranging travel, and the next you're writing a blog post or promoting an event on social media.
For your trouble, you can expect to earn between $74,660 and $123,180—not to mention the key perk of working remotely. The data found that this was the most in-demand job out of them all, with 3,930 openings listed on Indeed.
4
Content creator
Next on the list is the role of content creator. To make money in this role, you'll need to engage an online audience with educational or entertaining content.
The data shows that content creators can make between $115,730 and $128,500 and that there are currently 787 job openings on Indeed for this position.
3
Affiliate marketing specialist
The field of affiliate marketing has been around since the late '80s, but it's taken off with the rise of social media. The data indicates that this role is the third highest-paying job among people without a college degree, with potential earnings ranging from $72,620 to $142,450.
Simply grow your platform, connect with brands you're willing to promote, and earn a commission for each purchase you prompt.
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2
Freelance writer
Freelance writing is an attractive job that offers flexibility, remote work options, creative expression, and—you guessed it—high earning potential. The data shows that full-time freelance writers make an average salary between $60,990 and $156,000, landing it second on the list, with over 900 job opportunities listed on Indeed.
1
Game streamer
Taking the number one spot on the list of high-earning jobs that don't require a college degree is the role of game streamer. By playing and live-streaming your favorite online games, it turns out you can make between $136,470 and $170,000 per year through donations, brand deals, merchandise sales, and more.
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