WORKERS can earn themselves tens of thousands of pounds a year without heading to university.
It can often feel like further education is the best path to take to kick start a career.
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But it’s not always a must-have for success – you can earn a serious amount of money without studying at a higher level.
Self-employment, apprenticeships and T-Levels are all different options you can take to get you into the world of work.
And some can see you earn up to £46,000 a year too.
To shed some more light on these pathways, The Sun spoke to Caroline Green, careers expert and founder of The Talent Cycle.
She revealed five routes you can take to well-paid jobs that don’t require a university degree.
It comes as new data from the UK’s largest online hiring platform Totaljobs reveals the number of entry-level jobs referencing a degree has dropped by 31% since 2019.
Going straight in to work could also help you avoid hefty student loan debts.
But it’s always worth weighing up paths to employment and considering beyond the short term.
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While some jobs that don’t require a degree can pay more initially, that doesn’t mean they will over the long haul.
Apprenticeships
Apprenticeships are the biggest alternative into the jobs market after university degrees and can be a great “foot in the door”, Caroline said.
“They can lead to not only a good job now, but put the candidate on a quick career trajectory as opposed to university graduates looking for first-time roles often competing against others with more experience.”
Apprenticeships are available in a much broader range of industries than people realise, Caroline added, including legal, education, finance and IT sectors.
Glassdoor, which compiles salary information from current and former staff members at company’s, states the average apprenticeship salary at Microsoft is £20,500.
Meanwhile, marketing apprentices can earn around £20,500 a year while learning – so there’s great earning potential.
You can apply for apprenticeships direct on company websites if they offer them, or via gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship.
T-Levels
The Government introduced T-Levels in September 2020 as a way for students aged 16 to 19 to gain practical skills and knowledge in specific industries.
Ministers were also keen to bridge the gap between traditional academic routes such as A-Levels and vocational qualifications such as BTECs and apprenticeships.
One major advantage to T-Levels is that you spend nine weeks in a placement with an employer, gaining valuable workplace experience while studying.
However, there is no legal requirement for employers to pay pupils for their time working, so you’re not guaranteed an income.
Caroline said: “It could be argued that T-Levels give young people the skills they need to thrive and achieve higher paid roles more quickly than if they entered the workplace after completing a university degree.
“They are also the equivalent to three A-Levels so could lead to higher apprenticeships or degrees.”
There are over 15 different types of T-Levels to choose from across a range of sectors, including legal services, finance and engineering.
You can apply for T-Levels via tlevels.gov.uk/students and entering your postcode or town and choosing a T-Level subject.
Bear in mind, you aren’t guaranteed to land a job at the end of a T-Level, but they can land you a job as a lab technician, dental nurse or even a computer games developer.
Lab technician’s can earn over £24k a year and dental nurses can earn over £32,000, says Glassdoor.
Meanwhile, computer games developer salaries are worth up to £38,000 a year.
BTecs
BTecs are useful if you are looking for a more vocational route into the workplace and can be a great way of earning a decent salary fast.
There are over 2,000 BTec qualifactions to choose from across 16 sectors, according to UCAS.
Pupils can study everything from applied science to childcare, sport to travel and tourism.
However, Caroline warned there are plans to start phasing these types of qualifications out after the introduction of T-Levels.
She said: “The picture on this is a little muddled at the moment with different sources stating different things, but it’s highly likely that if they don’t go altogether then at least some will.”
BTec qualifications can help you land a job as an electrician, paying around £36,000 a year, according to Glassdoor.
They can even help you find employment as a theme park ride engineer, with Indeed currently posting one role on its website with an up to £46,000 salary.
You can apply for BTec courses on www.findcourses.co.uk.
Self-employment
One obvious option for a lucrative start to a career is self-employment.
There are plenty of schemes to help young people in particular dip their feet into this sector too.
For example, in England, Scotland and Wales you might be able to get support through the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA).
The allowance can be used to help you set up your own business.
Caroline said: “An ever increasing number of young people are now looking into self-employment as a real option as the world of work changes.
“From a side-hustle to full time, the earning potential is all
about how many sales you can make.”
The Sun previously spoke to one university dropout who started his own business which turns over millions of pounds a year.
Meanwhile, an entrepreneur shared how he left school at 16 and started up a business which is now worth £4million.
Talent-based sectors
Achieving success in some work sectors doesn’t require a qualification at all.
For example, you can enter the workplace as an actor when you reach 18 and you are past the legal age to be in full-time study.
In this type of industry, there is obviously more risk and it can be hard to reach the top, but there is unlimited salary potential.
Caroline said networking in the acting world is one key aspect of achieving success and doesn’t involve further education.
She explained: “Some may decide to hone their art and look at non- university options such as private stage schools in order to learn their craft and make good connections.”
Theatre actors can earn around £40,000 a year while average salaries are around £44,000, according to Glassdoor.
Meanwhile, you could turn your talent for drawing into becoming an artist.
Indeed says the average salary for this role is around £34,000 a year.
In other news, a jobs expert has revealed how to boost your income by £33,000 a year for free and you don’t need a degree.
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This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk
