There are many reasons why people may not have a degree nowadays, whether it was by choice or through circumstances such as illness or other responsibilities or life events that took precedence.
It may also be that you have a degree but after studying it for three years, you realised you really don’t want to pursue a career in that field (as happened to me), or you just want to change career paths but don’t want to have to/don’t have the means to study for another degree.
I decided to come up with a list of careers that don’t necessarily require a degree, and I thought I’d share that here. Some of these may require self-study to get into, but they don’t necessarily require the formal degree qualification. I came up with 40 ideas, but this list is by no means exhaustive. Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments below!
- journalist
- police officer
- support worker (care home)
- support worker (mental health)
- in-home carer
- teaching assistant
- firefighter
- sales executive
- estate agent
- taxi/Uber driver
- gardener
- blogger
- secretary/PA
- childminder/au-pair
- songwriter
- author
- ghost-writer
- copywriter
- cafe owner
- painter and decorator
- dog-walker/pet sitter
- salon owner
- reiki therapist
- hairdresser
- party planner
- dressmaker
- event promoter
- construction worker
- animal groomer
- private tutor
- musician
- baker
- tattoo artist
- body piercer
- retail manager
- cruise ship entertainer
- website designer
- game developer
- app developer
- prison officer
Can you think of any more ideas? Have you recently decided to change career paths? Let me know in the comments below!
Hazel Gee - Writer 
Hi, I’ve been both a Mental Health Support Worker & Support Worker in the Community. I think the reason I don’t have a degree, is a mixture of reasons. Partially since 2013 I’ve had to put up with chronic neck pain. Which I’ve certainly had various treatment for. Also my age to a degree, as I’m now in my early 40’s. In addition to study in New Zealand, usually requires a student loan. To cover course fees, I honestly didn’t want to be straddled with that debt. Which would be close to 20,000 at a guess. Depending which course I was to choose. Despite not having a degree, I have x2 national health certificates. Which is almost the equivalent of a Diploma, as one of them is a level 3. The other one is a level 4. In addition to this, I’ve just finished x2 weeks ago a further national certificate in small buisness. To keep my mind busy, and mostly to simply upskill. Which was a level 3. I’ve just started a short online course in understanding dementia. Course level is unknown. It’s more considered professional development, as some of it was covered in x1 previous certificate I did. Thanks, for this blog. It’s perhaps help put my concerns at ease. As to why I never sought, out to get a degree.
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