Discover how to make money without a college degree. Some people choose not to engage in a 4-year college program and some don’t have the patience for it. Don’t get me wrong: going to college will help a lot of people.
This is particularly true if you want to become a doctor, engineer, or do something similar. If you want to get a job right out of high school that doesn’t need a degree, this article is for you. I’m going to give you 19 tips on how to make money without a college degree.
These are all good choices for high school graduates, those who were unable to attend college, or those who have already completed some education and want more earning opportunities than their current job provides.
1. Become a Voice-Over Artist
Becoming a voice-over artist is one of your best options for making money without a college degree. If you’re an expressive person, a good voice can be your ticket to making money from home.
Voice-over artists are a major part of the entertainment business. They can do the narration for documentaries or commercials, or voice roles for cartoon programs. In fact, you don’t even need any training as long as you have a good set of pipes and the ability to read copy off of a teleprompter.
If you have those skills or can learn how to do them quickly and effectively—and can handle rejection—then you can make pretty good money working from home as a voice-over artist.
SEE: How to make money with your voice.
2. Start a business
Given the current economic climate, far too many recent graduates are stuck in jobs that they don’t want while waiting for the right opportunity to come along. Instead, work on creating your job.
Depending on your passions, you may already have an idea for a business in mind. Whether you want to teach yoga or busk, it’s easy to start a side gig without spending much money.
Whether you’re someone with a background in sales, a life-long entrepreneur, or even if you don’t have a single business idea but know that you want to make money online, starting a business is an easy way to get started.
3. Invest in real estate
Have you ever wanted to make real estate investing your career? There are millions of people who have made this a reality even without a college degree. All it takes is for you to want it and believe that you can get there.
In recent years, the average home has increased in value by more than 20 percent. What this means is that anyone who buys a house will automatically make a decent profit within 10 years or less.
Despite the high cost of buying real estate, investing in real estate is ideal for anyone looking to invest, retire early, or accumulate wealth. In addition to making money from renting out properties, owner-occupants can reap huge income benefits from the appreciation of values.
SEE: How to make money with real estate.
4. Start a YouTube Channel
Anyone can make money from YouTube. As someone without a college degree, if you have a passion for your product or service, or something unique that you are good at doing, you can turn this passion into an opportunity to make extra money on the side.
You can start a YouTube channel that explains how to do everything from using the product, how to clean it, and how to improve your skills with it. People are attracted to visual media for advertising purposes and content creators have realized that they can make money by posting videos on YouTube.
Once you have created your YouTube channel, you can begin to create videos. Your videos will be your content for you or your product. You will have the option to make them private or public once posted.
However, you must be aware that YouTube is a highly competitive area and you will have to create good content and promote it actively if you want to become successful with this method of income generation.
SEE: How to make money on YouTube.
5. Start a service business
It’s a long-held belief that service is more valuable than its product. The start-up costs in all industries are negligible, as service companies can be created almost out of thin air. What are your different special skills? It’s all about being able to assist people with their well-being.
That means not just handyman-style home repairs, but also all kinds of skills — music lessons, dog training, investing advice- that you sell to consumers directly. You’re in business for yourself, but not by yourself; this has the structure of a franchise.
The good news is that providing a service is probably the easiest business to start since you don’t need to shell out thousands of dollars designing and producing a product. Also, many people are open to paying someone else to do a job they don’t want or feel unqualified to do.
6. Become a carpenter
Carpentry may interest you as the best option for employment or a business. Work from your own home where no boss is needed. Becoming a carpenter can be one of the best decisions you will ever make in your life.
Not only because it’s a really enjoyable and satisfying profession, but it’s also very flexible and has a lot of possibilities in it.
Carpenters will make decent money working on single houses or cabins but if you want to make it big as a carpenter you will need to do some traveling to be able to visit many customers and get work done.
SEE: How To Make Money With General Home Repair Services
7. Become an Uber driver
Many different forms of business opportunities exist that don’t require a college education. An excellent way to earn extra income without a lot of experience in using Uber to boost your earnings.
The advantage of using an app like Uber is that you can call a driver or request a ride any time, no matter where you are in the world. Rather than driving yourself, you could sign up as an Uber driver to earn some extra money.
The procedure is simple, you should be able to get it done in around an hour or two. You can download the app from the website if you have a smartphone or tablet. You can set your location and name on the app and accept ride requests using a text message from your passengers when you’re ready to start driving.
SEE: How to Make Money Driving
8. Offer plumbing services
One of the most lucrative, in-demand services available online is plumbing. Companies will pay top dollar for professionals who can help them stop a bathroom or kitchen leak before it damages their home or business.
Get referrals from friends, relatives, neighbors, or subcontractors. Also, make a plan to expand your services. You can build your business by “accidentally” coming across your customers who have problems with their water lines or toilets. This is how you expand your services and make more money.
SEE: How to Make Money as a Plumber
9. Become an occupational therapy assistant
If you recently graduated from high school and have a strong desire to support others, occupational therapy might be the right career path for you. Owing to the recent demand for occupational therapists, the demand is considerably higher today than it was in the past.
Occupational therapy assistants help people in developing, recovering, and improving the skills required for daily life and work. Occupational therapy assistants work alongside occupational therapists.
10. Rent your stuff
If you have interesting stuff lying around that you’re not using then there’s a good chance that someone is looking for it.
When you are trying to make money without a college degree, there’s a wide variety of things available to rent, from camping equipment to garden books, so take a look around and see what you can find.
Whether it’s a warm jacket during the winter, your favorite pair of boots, or your camping gear, rent it online and make money off of things you probably haven’t used in six months. And don’t be afraid to charge. You never know who’s going to wander into your ad.
But, before deciding to rent something out, be sure that it is in good condition and take pictures of it, and put them on the website before renting it out so there are no surprises when someone wants to use the item. This will protect both you and the person who will be renting your item.
SEE: How to Make Money Renting Out Your Space
11. Get into construction jobs
Earning paychecks and securing work these days is tougher than everyone would want it to be, though there are still plenty of ways to earn a decent living. For those who do not have college degrees, finding work can be particularly tricky.
The construction sector is a significant component of the U.S. economy. These jobs have always depended on having workers on hand to assist with everything from building roads and bridges to start-up ventures to high-tech.
This also explains why construction work is easier to find than some other occupations. If you already have these skills, then construction jobs will be easy for you to get.
12. Start blogging
Earning money without a college degree doesn’t have to be as bad as you think! One of the easiest, fastest ways to make money without a college degree is to start blogging If you have excellent writing ability.
This is the absolute fastest, easiest way to make money online and generate an income from home that can grow into a substantial amount of money each month. Blog writers are paid for publishing articles.
You can write a good article or blog post and publish it on blog sites that pay for publishing their content. What’s more, you can monetize your blog by working with brands and affiliate marketing for sponsored content or new products you’ve discovered.
SEE: How To Make Money Blogging
13. Become a firefighter
Fire fighting is one of the most hazardous and challenging jobs available. It can, however, be a great experience and compensate enough. Firefighters are valiant and fearless warriors. In life-threatening circumstances, they put their lives on the line to save others.
If you enjoy seeing people smile when you help save a life, then this might be the work for you. To become a firefighter, you do not need a college degree. Yet, you must undergo rescue training, put in a lot of effort, commitment, and preparation.
Your job will be to save lives and property, including landscapes, wildlife, and buildings, so you’ll want to do everything possible to become the most effective firefighter possible.
14. Become a graphic designer
Being a graphic designer is a decent opportunity for someone without a college degree. How? Well, because this is one of the most flexible jobs around. It’s hard to believe that an unbelievable number of people are willing to pay someone else to design and create professional graphics for them.
If you have some skills in Photoshop, label design, or web page design, starting your own graphics business is a great way to make good money without the 9-5. You can become a freelance graphic designer and work for someone anywhere in the world willing to pay you for your design services.
SEE: How to Make Money with Graphic Design
15. Become an electrician
Electricians are in high demand, and their incomes are growing rapidly. The electrical trade is a specialized trade that requires more than just technical skills.
A person can learn on the job by becoming an apprentice or through technical schooling at a junior college, vocational school, or an electrician’s union. To become an electrician you must know how to read commercial, residential, and industrial blueprints.
You should know electrical code and the ability to do your job safely as well. Typically, many jurisdictions require that you must be registered or licensed by this board before you can work in this trade.
16. Become an aerospace technician
Become an aerospace technician and work on planes, rockets, missiles, and space vehicles. Or work repairing automotive equipment or heating and cooling equipment. Aerospace technical services include a wide range of duties under the supervision of engineers.
Tasks performed may include servicing and repairing electronics systems; obtaining, installing, and testing electrical components; or even removing and replacing failed mechanical parts.
Aerospace technicians also may be responsible for preparing and stowing cargo before test flights. It takes someone with a high level of math and mechanical skill to become a great aerospace technician.
You’ll have to be able to take multilayered parts and effectively choose the right ones for the appropriate task. As an aerospace technician, even without a college engineering degree, you’ll travel with planes on their journey, inspecting radar equipment, making repairs, and airworthiness checks.
17. Be a web developer
If you have a knack for building and designing engaging web-based applications and websites, then consider working as a freelance web developer. Becoming a web developer is an excellent idea and one that will allow you to make a decent living.
The web developer role represents a pivotal point in the journey from hobbyist to professional. These days, you don’t need to have an advanced degree. What’s more, as a web developer, you can work from home in almost any area and industry.
Indeed, the web has become one of the most important tools that everybody needs to learn and small businesses can do this by offering a free service or product. Of course, as a web developer, you have to keep up with new trends and technologies.
So, to serve your customer better, you should study and practice new trends.
SEE: How to Make Money With Software Development
18. Consider selling photos
If you have a good eye and are handy with a camera, you can try selling your photos. The best part is that you don’t even need to be a college graduate to start making money selling photos. Selling art or photos may seem like a poor way to make money.
Yet, some people have found that it is a very lucrative part-time job to sell photos online. You’ll need quality photos that people are willing to pay for. With today’s digital cameras, it is easy for anyone to take a high-quality photo, so this job doesn’t require any special skills.
There are many photo sites now that are easy and free to post your photos on if they sell, you take home 50 to 90 percent of the profits.
SEE: How to make money with photography.
19. Become a makeup artist
Makeup has become an increasingly important part of the fashion industry and there has been a huge growth in demand for cosmetic professionals.
If you have a love for cosmetics, then it is not surprising that you might look into being a makeup artist as a job option and this is one of those jobs from home that has great potential to do well financially.
To become a professional makeup artist, you must have the experience and portfolio to prove that you are capable of making your client’s face look beautiful. That is not just about painting on some colors and lines.
It is about perfecting the shape, tones, and textures, helping your clients feel confident while feeling natural about it. It takes time to develop this skillset, so use this journey to learn more yourself and grow as an artist.
SEE: How to Make Money as a Makeup Artist
FAQs
Do you need a college degree these days?
No. A college degree is not necessary these days, but still a great help. Businesses are looking for people who have great communication skills; which can be taught at any college.
When applying for a job, the majority of large businesses look for someone who has a proven record of sales ability; which you cannot gain without experience. A college degree will help you get your foot in the door of even a large business or corporation.
So while it may not be necessary for this day and age, it certainly does not hurt to have one.
How much can you earn without a college degree?
The truth is, you can earn a six-figure income without a college degree. I have talked with lots of people who have done it.
Many options are available for those without a college degree, but total earnings will vary based on what industry someone works in and geographic location.
As someone without a college degree, how can you be competitive with those with degrees?
It’s a common misbelief that people with degrees are somehow more qualified than those without. Yes, a degree may provide an indicator of intelligence and hard work but that doesn’t mean you can’t be just as smart or work just as hard.
The best way to minimize this is through experience. There is no substitute for experience and putting in the time. Besides, educations do not equal experience. Employers value those with experience even more so than those with degrees.
Use the education listed on your resume to demonstrate your communication skills, responsibility, quality of study, and attention to detail -all of which will do more in making you fit for a job role.
Can you be successful without a college degree?
Too often, a college degree is equated with achievement in people’s minds with the desire for that degree. To be sure, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
It is up to you whether or not to get a degree, but getting one definitely would help. Yet, there are thousands of examples of people who have become great millionaires using their informal or even no educational history.
Final thoughts
The journey to making money is not an easy one, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, learning how to make money without a college degree can be much simpler than you think.
If you truly want to succeed without a college degree, you need to carefully consider the different ways in which your brain can be trained to develop the necessary skills. A wide variety of skills and interests can be turned into a money-making side business idea.
The most important thing is to think about what you enjoy doing and how you can provide a valuable service to others by doing it. In this article, I have listed 19 different ways that you can make money without a college degree.
I hope you find one that suits your need and desires. Thanks for reading.
