Are you looking for ways to make money but do not have a four-year degree? Whether you’re still a student, contemplating college, or simply exploring alternative earning paths, don’t worry; you have many options. This blog post lists eight ways to make approximately $100K a year without a degree.

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How Possible Is It To Make $100K A Year Without A Degree?

But first and foremost, let’s discuss this question. What are the odds that someone can make $100k annually without a degree?

The belief that only people with a degree can earn high-paying jobs is slowly fading. While a degree can undoubtedly provide advantages and is valuable, there are still numerous ways to earn money without attending college. However, just like any other path, this will not be easy. It is still important to remember that success requires hard work and the continuous development of various skills.

According to a study conducted by Harvard Business School, there has been a notable shift in employer preferences post-COVID-19, with an increasing emphasis on skills-based hiring. This trend has emerged as remote work opportunities that expanded during the pandemic. Examples of this are companies like IBM and Accenture, who have implemented hiring people without a degree in some of their job postings as long as they have the skills.

With tremendous discipline, motivation, and hard work, making $100k a year (or even more) is possible without a degree. Here are some ways how you can do it.

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1. Have a job and a side business

According to USA Today, the average annual salary for an American was $59,384 (based on findings from the US Bureau of Labor for Q4 of 2023). While this can sustain you, if your goal is to make $100k a year, then it is not sufficient on its own. Developing a side business or engaging in a side hustle is recommended. This way, your earnings can accumulate, potentially reaching $100k a year. You can explore various side businesses, which we will explore in the following paths.

2. Enter sales

Enter the dynamic world of sales. No degree is needed; you just have to learn how to sell and be really good at it! Industries like real estate can offer the potential to earn $100k (and even more) a year because of the high commission structure, unlimited earning potential, and market demand. As long as you can keep selling, you keep earning!

3. Launch an online business

If having a full-time job and an extra side hustle is not for you, you can consider launching your online business. Just like any other job, this requires a lot of hard work and dedication. Here are some online business ideas to get you started:

1. Create and sell digital products like:
   • Online courses.
   • eBooks.
   • Graphic design templates.
   • Licensed digital content like stock photos and videos.
   • Fonts.
2. If you are creative, you can sell art and other handmade goods, such as:
   • Stickers.
   • Printed shirts.
   • Crochets.
   • Jewellery.
   • Merchandises.
3. Set up your store by reselling various products.

It is worth mentioning that the following paths on the list are online businesses, too! To give a more detailed explanation, here are some other things that you can explore:

4. Start Freelancing

Freelancing entails self-employment, where individuals—often called freelancers or independent contractors—provide services to clients or businesses of all sizes on a project basis instead of getting employed by a single entity. Freelancers usually operate remotely and enjoy the freedom to select their clients, projects, and work schedules.

You can take different freelancing paths and often have to upskill and find your niche. With this being said, freelancers are in high demand, as many businesses require specialized skills for projects or specific tasks. Since freelancers can set their rates, they can usually work on a global reach, making more opportunities to earn and secure projects, accumulating to $100k a year, depending on how hard you work.

These are some of the different niches or jobs in freelancing that you can explore:

1. Virtual Assistance
2. Social Media Management
3. Email Marketing Management
4. Content Writing
5. Graphic Design
6. Video Editor
7. Animation
8. Web Design
9. Lead Generation or Sales
10. Translation Services
11. E-Commerce Services
12. …and more!

You can start freelancing and find jobs on Upwork, Fiverr, and LinkedIn.

5. Digital marketing

This kind of marketing is highly in demand in today’s digital world. You can offer your services as a digital marketer or social media manager, but they vary. But you can earn up to $100k a year due to its scalability. The online world continuously evolves, and digital marketing adapts to its changes. Whether managing social media accounts, running advertising campaigns, or providing search engine optimization (SEO) services, digital marketing agencies can take on multiple clients simultaneously, increasing their earning potential.

6. Affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing can help you generate loads of income, even while asleep. Affiliate marketing is a performance-based marketing strategy where individuals, known as affiliates, promote products or services of other companies and earn a commission for each sale or action generated through their marketing efforts.

Basically, you choose a product, review it, share it on social media, and give out your affiliate link. When you’re done, you’ll start earning commissions when someone buys! Amazon has a fantastic affiliate program that can help you get started.

7. Drop shipping

Drop shipping involves selling products to customers without holding any inventory. When a customer makes a purchase, the seller purchases the product from a third-party supplier, who then ships it directly to the customer. The seller never handles the product physically. Starting a drop shipping business is a good idea if you don’t have any space or a warehouse for physical products.

Recent studies showed that the drop shipping market is continuously growing and is expected to reach $301.11B in 2024. Here is one success story an entrepreneur made by dropping and leveraging TikTok: How One Entrepreneur Learned to Make $100K Dropshipping with TikTok.

8. Content creation

You can create anything and promote it on social media for content. It is one of the most common ways to earn online nowadays and is often a passive income. The market is competitive but ever-growing, so as long as your content provides value to your audience and you are committed to making it grow, it can definitely pay off. In these earnings statistics, content creators utilize affiliate links and launch their online businesses or services to generate revenue. Currently, 25% of content creators earn up to $100k annually.

The most common ways you can start content creation are by filming and editing longer-form videos, which YouTube is the best platform for, creating short-form content for Instagram and TikTok, writing blog posts, producing podcasts, sending email newsletters, and developing interactive content.

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Conclusion: Why These 8 Ways?

In today’s world, everything can be done online, whether from the comfort of your home or anywhere else (see the top 17 location-independent jobs in 2024). Why these eight ways? Because these have been proven to generate income and accumulate $100k a year without a degree.

But it is very crucial to know that this does not happen overnight. Once again, like any other job, success doesn’t happen immediately. It will take a lot of hard work and sleepless nights, and you’ll even come across doubting yourself. But keep on going.

So, our advice is to get a piece of paper, write your goal, and create a concrete plan. It is essential to stay consistent and true to your goals. Before earning $100k without a degree, continuously develop your skills, be unafraid to take risks, and not fear failure.

Keep doing the hard work, and it will pay off!

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Sources

Click here to see more.

• “2024’s Creator Economy Statistics That Will Blow You Away.” WPBeginner. Accessed April 13, 2024. https://www.wpbeginner.com/research/creator-economy-statistics-that-will-blow-you-away/#:~:text=29%25%20of%20content%20creators%20generate,than%20%241%20million%20a%20year.
• Fuller, Joseph B., et al. The Emerging Degree Reset: How the Shift to Skills-Based Hiring Holds the Keys to Growing the U.S. Workforce at a Time of Talent Shortage. Harvard Business School, The Burning Glass Institute, 2022.
• Punjwani, Mehdi, et al. “Average salary in the U.S. in 2024.” April 3, 2024. USA Today. Accessed April 13, 2024. https://www.usatoday.com/money/blueprint/business/hr-payroll/average-salary-us/#source
• “Real estate agent salary in United States.” Indeed. Accessed April 13, 2024. https://www.indeed.com/career/real-estate-agent/salaries
• RichesseDigitale. “How One Entrepreneur Learned to Make $100K Dropshipping with TikTok.” November 26, 2023. Medium. Accessed April 13, 2024. https://medium.com/@richessedigitale/how-one-entrepreneur-learned-to-make-100k-dropshipping-with-tiktok-5a06fd1a0220
• “The Power Of Scalable Digital Marketing Techniques.” FasterCapital. Accessed April 13, 2024. https://fastercapital.com/topics/the-power-of-scalable-digital-marketing-techniques.html
• “What is freelancing and how does it work?” September 14, 2022. N26 Blog. Accessed April 13, 2024. https://n26.com/en-eu/blog/what-is-freelancing

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