While a college degree can be important to generating great income and may be required for certain work fields, you can develop high-income skills without a degree as well. Thanks to the Internet, you can learn pretty much anything that can translate to boosting your salary or starting a successful side hustle.
However, it will still require time and experience to really jump your income, but you can learn quite a bit from the comforts of your home. Here you’ll find some of the best high-paying skills that can help you earn more from your full-time job, start a business, or create a lucrative side hustle.
1. Coding
There are hundreds of different coding “languages” available to learn, with some of the most popular being HTML, Python and Javascript. Full-time software developers (who spend their time coding) can expect to get paid an average of $107,000 per year while freelancers could get even more lucrative salaries.
There are a number of online resources where you can learn to code for free or even pay for an online certificate, which can be a great alternative to college.
2. Web Development
Website development may also utilize those coding skills in order to build the back-end of websites. You might focus on building out the website structure (like on WordPress), or other technical elements.
A full-time website developer might make around $61,000 in an entry-level role but can quickly surpass six figures. Again, you’ll find plenty of online courses and resources to hone your web development skills.
3. Web Design
Working on the front-end of websites, web designers focus on the UX (user experience) elements of the site. It’s not all pretty color coordination, designers will also work on branding and navigation to ensure the site map is logical for customers.
They might also optimize each page so that customers stay online longer, for example. Junior-level web designers can expect to make approximately $42,000 per year or it can also be a great side hustle.
4. Graphic Design
Although most colleges offer classes in graphic design, you can also excel in the role from a self-taught or non-traditional background. Graphic designers will ensure your brand fits in all aspects and appeals to your customers.
They also might make graphics for your marketing materials. Graphic designers can make around $45,000 when working full time, or much more when freelancing.
5. Social Media Marketing
Whether you’re a boss at creating catchy captions or you never miss a deadline, social media marketing is a high-income skill that is coming to the forefront.
Now that social media is one of the biggest factors for customers choosing to buy, dedicated teams will work on creating materials and building engagement on their platforms. Social media managers can earn $50,000 on average.
Social media is a tougher market as pretty much everyone these days has developed some social media skills. But if you want to make good money from this, you’ll need to learn how to build engaged audiences and be creative.
6. Copywriting
If you’re good at telling stories, this might just be the job for you. Copywriters are hired to write persuasively, relate to their audience, and sell products. Your work may be used on the website, inside emails, or across social media.
Copywriters can expect to earn around $47,000 per year when working full time to start, but can quickly ramp up from there. Strong writing skills will always be in demand and there is plenty of work, whether in a freelance or full-time position.
7. Email Marketing
Do you have a way with words? If the sound of the copywriting skills above felt like they were perfect for you, then email marketing might just be too! You’ll be focused on testing different subject lines and hitting those open rates in order to directly market to the customer. Specialist email marketers earn an average of $50,000 per year.
8. Video Editor
If you’re willing to learn how to do creative transitions and color correction, you can earn a high income as a video editor. Putting together professionally produced videos is hard, and will require insider knowledge of multiple editing platforms and software suites, too.
But a video editor makes around $38,000 per year at entry-level, which is a bit on the lower end. However, it can be a great place to start your side hustle business if you love video and editing video.
9. Podcast Editor
Similar to the above, podcasts are on the rise and could one day be as big as Youtube. But refining the audio, cutting at the right points, and merging parts of a podcast require a highly skilled individual.
Although a newer role, podcast editors can expect to make an average of $61,000 per year, and if you are inclined, you can start your own and potentially make big advertising revenue from your own.
10. Transcription
Are you a fast-typist? Transcriptionists type out audio into a legible document, sometimes in a monologue format, and sometimes as a conversation. You’ll have to know your grammar, spelling and potential accents to do well in this type of role, as it might require some guesswork. Transcriptions typically earn in the region of $30 per hour while freelancing.
11. Trade Skills (plumbing, electrical, construction)
While not online, vocational classes in plumbing, electricity, and construction are available in person. These should give you all of the knowledge you’ll need to set up a business in the area, and may come with accreditation or certification too. Tradespeople who are working for themselves can earn six figures a year and beyond.
12. Coaching
Life coaching, business coaching, health & nutrition coaching. Coaches are in high demand right now, both virtually and in person. And the best part? Some of these roles don’t even require accreditation, as the industries are not regulated.
It means that “anyone” can call themselves a coach. Having said that, the way to generate consistent income is through good service and retention of customers, so you’ll need to be good at what you do and provide value. Do not trick people into paying for value that you cannot provide!
13. Course Creation
So many entrepreneurs create courses to generate passive income. But many of them don’t know how to actually build out the courses, which hosting platform to use, and what value to add into every module. A specialist online course creator can be contracted by other businesses to create a product that can generate income for the rest of the lifetime.
14. App Creation
If the software development and coding roles above sparked your interest, then app creation may be another high-paying skill to add to your roster. App stores are no longer filled with online games and digital toys, nowadays every shopping website, airline and bank tends to have an app.
What’s more, companies will pay top dollar to have a great user experience and retain their mobile customers, which means this is a very high-paying skill.
15. Real Estate Brokerage
Real estate commissions can be lucrative, so you might be pleased to learn that those working within the industry don’t require a degree.
Brokers are similar to estate agents but have completed additional licensing which means they can hire others and work independently. They typically make around $100,000 per year, which is made up of approximately 40% commission.
16. Public Speaking or Presenting
While you may think that “soft skills” like public speaking are not valuable, they can actually be applied to presenting videos, giving talks, or consulting at companies.
These are practiced skills, rather than learned, which means your success is not determined by awards or accreditations. Many YouTubers make six-figure incomes, and keynote or motivational speakers earn approximately $100,000.
17. Stock Trading
This is a high-pressure environment with a lot of risks, so if you don’t have such a strong stomach then one of the other jobs on this list may be more suited. Salaries vary but expect to make at least six figures when you become really good at what you do.
I personally prefer investing with a lazy portfolio to day trading, but occasionally I dabble with a minimal amount. Never risk all your money or income with day trading!
18. Internet Security
With many digital businesses and migrations to cloud technology come new cybersecurity threats. Protecting a company from these threats is very necessary, especially for larger companies within the Fortune 500. The average salary within this field is approximately $76,000 per year but opportunity to make much more!