Don’t think yourself unlucky or less-worthy if you don’t have a college degree. College is not for all, as some people cannot afford the expenses. Some realize mid-way that the said college is not where they belong, while others discover that they are not pursuing what they should.
All these lead to dropping out of college. However, we are here to tell that ‘no college and no graduation’ does not equal ‘no option after dropping out of college’ because, as of today, a degree isn’t the essential requirement to get into jobs. Have a look at our list of high-paying jobs for college dropouts that also guarantee success, and decide for yourself.
These jobs do not require any bachelor’s degree, diploma, or associate studies. They are perfect for college dropouts and for people who weren’t able to pursue graduation in the first place.
Sales and Marketing Representative
If you want a high-paying job without a degree or experience, get into sales and marketing. Of course, you wouldn’t be recruited in IT firms and multinational companies as a fresher, but you can always work your way up to working in such firms by staying persistent and proving your caliber.
As a beginner, you can look for entry-level sales jobs that involve direct marketing, customer service, and cold-pitching. The only two skills required for the job is communication and presentation skills. A good grasping power and research skill will earn your resume brownie points.
Office Manager or Secretary
If you watched the Netflix series Suits, you would know the importance of an intelligent and hardworking secretary or associate. Your work as an office manager or personal secretary would be helping your senior and running the office without glitches. It is a very accomplishing and well-paying job for college dropouts, which you can pursue. Although it is going to be a fierce competition, you can earn a good figure if the firm is reputed and compensating.
Automotive Mechanic
If you like working with cars and accessories and know to fix a thing or two, you can become an auto service technician and earn a good living. You have to pick up the skills either by observation or by working under an experienced worker and develop them along the way. As you advance in your career, you can gain specialization in particular vehicles to earn more and avoid competition.
Waste Disposal Personnel
Yes, this is an extremely professional job that requires a meticulous mind, proactiveness, and excellent learning capability. As a waste disposal personnel, you will collect, segregate, treat, and dispose of various waste materials in industrial plants. You will typically work in remediation service centers and recycling organizations that offer different treatment services.
If you think that this is a low-wage job, then let us tell you, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), a waste disposal personnel can earn anywhere between $25 and $35 per hour.
Photographer and Videographer
All you need is an eye for beauty and some right tools, and that’s all you need to pursue the ‘lights-camera-action’ job. Photography and videography is a skill-based profession that does not require any formal education. It doesn’t matter whether you are a school dropout or college dropout, as long as you have creativity and passion in place. You can excel in any media-based job, including theaters and designing.
However, to boost your job prospects, you could study short-courses in photography, participate in photography workshops, or work with an established cameraperson. You can pursue this career as a freelancer and build your work from home business.
Massage Therapist
A satisfying job that promotes health and wellness makes clients feel rejuvenated, and lets you earn a gross income – a massage therapist job is not a bad idea. This profession is skill-based and not degree-based, and therefore, you can start by interning in any spa or clinic, and build your work profile along the way.
Here’s a better option – enroll in a 500-hour postsecondary massage therapy program that provides classroom training as well as on the job classes, and earn certification.
Massage therapists are very much in demand in tourist destinations, hotels, resorts, spas, clinical settings, and salons.
Equipment Operator
There are different industrial equipment that requires constant operation and maintenance. Construction equipment is one of them, for instance. You can learn how to operate various construction equipment – the heavy machinery that is used to build buildings, roads, bridges, dams, etc. This is a professional job that offers on-the-job training. Good learning ability, excellent hand-eye coordination, communication and persuasion skill, and physical strength are essential requirements for this job.
It is one of the high-paying jobs for college dropouts, where the average salary falls between $45,000 and $50,000 annually.
Insurance Claim Adjuster
A claim adjuster evaluates a situation when a person registers a claim with an insurance company. Your duty will involve finding the authenticity of the application by cross-checking the facts before deciding whether the customer deserves the settlement compensation. A high school diploma or a corresponding degree is needed for entry-level insurance claim-adjuster jobs.
Writer, Editor, Proofreader
If the English language is your strength and if you love writing small scripts and captions, then why not explore this hobby and make it your full-fledged profession? You won’t be surprised to learn that many authors and novelists’ debut books were on sale even before they passed out from high-school.
To be a writer, you need to be creative, reliable, a researcher, good at grammar, and have exceptional organizational and documentation skills, eye for detail, and excellent communication skills.
If you can be a good writer, you can also be a good editor and proofreader.
There are different writing professions, which you can pursue as a college dropout, such as proofreading, blogging, editing, translating, and data entry.
A few other well-paying jobs recommended for college dropouts include security guard, cable supervisor, personal trainer, gym instructor, cab and truck driver, chef, food-delivery person, make-up artist, and postal service worker. Plus, if you can think big and are ready to take a risk, you can even start your own small-size business and become an entrepreneur.
If you need more information, shoot your questions in the comments below.
