How to make good money without a degree
You can transition into a well-paying career by pursuing certifications, trade programs, or up to two years of college. The primary difficulty is having no idea what direction to go in when you lack the funds for advanced university degrees. This uncertainty leaves people feeling completely lost, preventing a successful career change and keeping them stuck getting turned down for internal entry-level positions.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Pursuing short-term certifications in UX, graphic design, or technical writing.Did this help you?
- 2Looking into trade schools for careers like electrician or home inspector.Did this help you?
- 3Applying for internal transfers to escape a dead-end department.Did this help you?
- 4Targeting roles in HR, recruiting, sales, or market research by rewriting resumes to highlight transferable skills.Did this help you?
- 5Doing a coding bootcamp to pivot into tech roles like database management.Did this help you?
- 6Finding a basic entry-level office job at a major corporation and working up to management.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I’m so lost I thought I wanted to do a masters but now I don’t have the funds and I just want to make good money.”source ↗
“I know psychology is kinda a hard degree but I need advice”source ↗
“I’m ready for a career change, but I have no idea what direction to go in.”source ↗
“I don’t have a degree, but I’m open to certifications, trade programs, or college for 2 years or less.”source ↗
“I have been trying to move internally for almost two years now. I even get turned down for entry level positions.”source ↗