Top 20 Highest Paying Jobs in the UK With No Degree Needed
In this list we’ve crunched the numbers based on real-world rates of pay to find what we believe are the top 20 highest paying jobs with no degree needed.
Glassdoor Team
Glassdoor Team | Author & Career Expert at Glassdoor | 8 Jul 2021
Whether you decide to change jobs later in life or you just find the traditional academic route is not for you, there are plenty of reasons why you might want to find a high paying job without a university degree.
It's surprising how many high paying jobs without a degree are out there. Some professions value experience and a proven track record over qualifications on paper, while others have established alternative routes such as vocational training.
As you move up the promotion ladder, your degree often becomes less relevant, as it is overtaken by career experience in terms of importance.
In this list, we've crunched the numbers based on real-world rates of pay to find what we believe are the top 20 highest paying jobs with no degree needed, and some of the alternative ways to enter those highly paid professions.
1. Risk Manager
A Risk Manager advises their employer on one or more threats to the organisation, for example safety, security and economic risks.
Senior roles can easily attract salaries of more than £70,000, depending on location and level of responsibility.
You don't need a degree for this role, although it may help strengthen your application. An alternative is to work your way up in administrative roles and become a Risk Assistant, before moving into a Risk Manager role in your own right.
2. Strategy Manager
A Strategy Manager has a similar role to a Risk Manager except instead of identifying risks, you identify strengths, weaknesses and growth opportunities within your organisation.
For this discipline, an MBA is the typical academic route. But again, you can get there via on-the-job experience too.
Work closely with CEOs and other board-level individuals (e.g. as a personal assistant) and gain an appreciation of the work they do. Embrace challenges, build your experience, and you'll be well on your way to a career as a strategist.
3. Programme Manager
Again, you can work your way up the management ladder to reach a Programme Manager role, and attract an average salary of well over £60,000 as a result.
If you want to progress in this way, make sure you have a good understanding of commonly used project management techniques like Agile and PRINCE2.
There are also specialist training courses available from organisations like the Project Management Institute and the Association for Project Management, which may help you to land a more senior position.
4. QC Manager
Quality Control is a broad discipline and you can earn promotions via several routes, including:
- Direct work experience starting from entry-level QC Assistant jobs
- Training through professional organisations like the Chartered Quality Institute
- Knowledge of business improvement methods like Six Sigma
Be aware of any British Standards and other quality marks that apply in your chosen field, and make sure you know how to implement them to the required level.
5. Product Manager
Product Managers take responsibility for a specific product, although that can come in several different forms:
- Tangible products e.g. manufactured goods
- Intangible products e.g. apps and videogames
- Services (often financial) e.g. credit cards and mortgages
The entry requirements will vary depending on the sector, and degrees are more likely to be needed in highly specialised or technical markets, but you can get a long way just on deep knowledge of your field and positive word of mouth from recruiters and industry mutuals.
6. Group Manager
A general rule in management is that the more entities you are responsible for, the more you will earn.
Group Managers demonstrate this rule as they take charge of a number of employees and motivate them towards successful delivery of projects.
You can think of the role as similar to a Team Leader, and you can work your way up by displaying leadership skills throughout your career, and applying for promotions with more management responsibilities.
7. Scrum Master
Scrum is a project management framework first devised for software development, which breaks down tasks into short 'sprints' that can be allocated to members of small teams.
It's named after the rugby formation and emphasises agile teamwork and non-linear collaboration. Within this framework, a Scrum Master exists to insulate the team against external distractions.
A degree is not required. If you can show yourself to be an agile thinker with the ability to communicate clearly and respond to emerging challenges, you should be well suited to the role of Scrum Master.
8. Finance Manager
Financial management is a career that almost any graduate can enter into, but if you don't have a degree, there are still ways to get into the discipline.
The Institute of Financial Accountants and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants both offer specialist training to prepare for a career in finance.
If you have passed A-levels or equivalent, you may also be eligible to join a relevant industry organisation, which can help to strengthen your CV for entry-level jobs in finance.
9. Delivery Manager
Delivery Manager is a specific job title associated with seeing through the delivery of a digital product from conception to launch.
You'll need strong project management skills, analytical and communication skills, and possibly a natural affinity for customer service, depending on the role.
This is a high growth discipline, so during the coming years there should be plenty of opportunities to enter into Delivery Manager roles without holding a bachelor's or master's degree.
10. Management Consultant
Management Consultants work with companies to recommend ways to improve, identify and overcome issues, and achieve specific aims and outcomes.
You may be based in an office of your own, or integrate into the client's business to a varying extent, in order to provide ongoing support.
Other than a traditional graduate route, you can improve your chances in this field by showing a strong track record in management roles, learning common foreign languages used in business, and joining a professional body such as the Institute of Consulting.
11. Commercial Manager
In general, a Commercial Manager's role is to help shape commercial policies within an organisation, which in turn ensure external business relationships are conducted in a profitable, low-risk and compliant way.
There are some specific uses for this job title too, such as in construction where a Commercial Manager may be responsible for writing project bids and negotiating the resultant contracts.
Experience, and especially a proven track record in negotiation, can be a strong substitute for a degree in this discipline.
12. Back-End Engineer
A Back-End Engineer usually takes seniority over a Back-End Developer. While the latter may develop a single web application or server-side website function, a Back-End Engineer has a more comprehensive role reporting to senior leadership in the organisation.
Digital skills are still an area where a degree is not essential, if you can demonstrate good knowledge of programming languages and, for senior roles, the ability to keep a project on schedule and overcome any issues that arise.
13. SAP Consultant
SAP - originally Systems, Applications and Products in Data Processing - is enterprise resource planning software used to manage business operations and maximise productivity, revenues and efficiency.
A SAP Consultant works with clients to identify unserved needs, create customised solutions where required, and integrate them into existing infrastructure.
You can get into this discipline via entry-level roles in organisations that use SAP, before studying for SAP certification, making the transition into a SAP-specific role and moving up towards management and consultancy level from there.
14. Strategy Consultant
A Strategy Consultant has duties similar to those of a Strategy Manager, but works as an external consultant rather than as a permanent employee within the client organisation.
Track record is always beneficial when looking for consultancy work, so to work as a Strategy Consultant without a degree, you may need to have reached a level of strategic importance during your previous employment.
With strong past performance on your CV, a degree is not essential, as potential clients are more likely to recognise the valuable contribution you can make to their organisation based on your achievements from the recent past.
15. Security Consultant
Security Consultancy is a form of Risk Management in the sense that it prevents potential losses due to the malicious actions of others. As such, senior roles in this discipline can attract a substantial rate of pay.
To identify security risks and prevent criminal actions against an organisation, you need to be able to think like a criminal. You can work for a security firm and gain experience on the job. Over time, as you develop a more comprehensive understanding of the security risks faced by large organisations, you can move into roles with more responsibility, eventually setting up your own Security Consultancy company or joining an existing firm of Security Consultants.
16. Product Owner
While it may sound like a generic term, the job title of Product Owner most often relates to the person whose responsibility it is to maximise the value of the output of a Scrum Team (see Scrum Master at number 7 in this list).
A degree is a good starting point, especially as you'll need a strong understanding of digital technologies.
However, you can study a project manager degree apprenticeship if you prefer hands-on experience, or work your way up via an associate product owner role.
17. Security Manager
A security manager is responsible for protecting not only property, but also people including staff and visitors.
Vocational training is available, including the security first line manager advanced apprenticeship, but you don't need any qualifications to get to a high level.
Instead, you can work as a security officer, then a supervisor, before becoming a security manager. You may also need a Security Industry Authority licence to work in this role.
18. Regional Manager
Regional managers take responsibility for coordinating performance and productivity across a number of individual locations.
It's an important job in terms of generating sales and maintaining good customer service for large organisations.
You'll need soft skills such as good organisation, people skills and leadership, all of which can be gained by working your way up the management ladder - some companies even offer a fast-track scheme for those entering at the bottom rung.
19. HR Business Partner
HR business partners (HRBPs) are 'people experts' who help companies to improve their HR strategy, often dealing with a specific area of the business.
They work closely with stakeholders and business leaders, identify and overcome existing HR issues and help to improve the efficiency of the company's people management.
You don't need a degree to do this, but you'll have a better chance if you undertake specialist training, such as the CIPD Business Partner Programme.
20. Regional Sales Manager
We all know a career in sales can be lucrative, and more than most disciplines, this is one where charisma and commitment can take you further than academic qualifications alone.
If you can prove yourself to be a persuasive salesperson, you'll naturally climb the ladder. Combine that with a willingness to travel and an ability to manage large teams, and a salary of £50,000 plus potentially huge bonuses and benefits could be yours.
Take-Home Message
It's easy to assume that a degree is essential if you want a highly paid job, but unless you plan to enter a traditionally academic field the extra 3-4 years of career experience can be a great leveller.
This list proves that the potential is out there. So if you have a passion for a particular sector or you can show the soft skills needed to excel in a senior role, you could be closer than you think to that life-changing rate of take-home pay.
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