Are you looking to make a little more cash without leaving the job you already have? Or are you someone who doesn’t have a college degree but still wants a well-paid job? Have you considered picking up a side gig? The good news is that you can now easily turn your passion or hobby into a high-paying side gig. The pool of opportunities is endless, and due to the digital transformation accelerated by the pandemic, many of the newly created roles / gigs don’t even require a college degree in order to have a high income; you can just dive right in.
With college costs continuously increasing, it’s understandable that high school graduates are looking for other alternatives to make a decent living, a role that not only offers that but opportunities for advancement and salary growth. In today’s diverse employment market, a college degree is not the only path to career growth; having a comprehensive skill set and an open mind to learn can get us far enough.
So what are the top 10 side gigs that do not require a college degree?
1. Social Media Manager / Content Creator
Rate: A Junior Social Media Manager with up to 2 years experience can charge clients between $20-30/hr, a Mid-level (3-5 years) creator can go for $40-75/hr, and Seniors between 5-8 years experience can charge $80-100/hr, while Expert Social Media Managers with 10+ years can even ask for $100-250/hr.
Time commitment: Part-time, Full-time, remote
Job description: Building a digital presence plays a vital role in a company’s lead generation strategy, and the role of a Social Media Manager / Content creator has never been more important. They manage and maintain social media accounts, perform outreach to followers, and create a variety of digital content to suit their client’s needs to raise brand awareness and capture the interest of potential customers. Content creation can be done from anywhere nowadays, and as long as you have a well-functioning laptop and editing software to work with, the sky’s the limit!
2. Proofreader
Rate: The rate of pay varies, as depending on the genres of writing you are checking, you can charge different rates per 1000 words. For a memoir ($15.20), business & self-help ($15.80), romance ($13.50), thriller, crime, mystery ($13.70), children’s middle grade ($14.80), just to name a few. These payments are subject to the average pay per word, which you can also determine and calculate your rate based on that, the average proofreading rate per word varies between $0.013-$0.016.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: A proofreader ensures that the written material is clear, consistent, competent, credible, well-written, and grammatically correct—an ideal job for those with a spectacular eye for details and grammar.
3. Virtual Assistant
Rate: An entry-level virtual assistant can earn an average of $15.07, including tips, bonuses and overtime. A virtual assistant with 1-4 years experience can expect to charge a total compensation of $15.70 per hour, while a mid-career virtual assistant with 5-9 years experience can earn an average of $17.72 per hour.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: A virtual assistant is a self-employed person offering a range of administrative services to clients entirely remotely. These tasks can potentially include scheduling appointments, making phone calls or travel arrangements, or managing email accounts, deliveries, etc.
4. Copywriter
Rate:The hourly rate for a copywriter typically falls between $23 and $29. The hourly rate can depend on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, and the number of years you have spent in your profession.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: Copywriters can be hired to do a variety of writing-related tasks. They are responsible for engaging written copy that can be adapted to different advertising channels, like social media, websites, ad copy, or print ads. Copywriters also edit and proofread their work and conduct keyword research to make their writing interesting and relevant to search engines.
5. Blogger
Rate: Bloggers earn an average hourly wage of $12.44. Salaries generally start from $10.36 per hour and go up to $20.73 per hour. This means that writers who produce pieces for businesses full-time can even make an average of $40,000 to $80,000 per year. If you consider charging companies per the number of posts written, a basic post goes for around $100, and when charging per word, writers will often quote from $.10 and up to $2 per word.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: Bloggers generate engaging and original content that can effectively reach target audiences. They pitch ideas to companies, compose articles, and market them using social media, direct email, and other methods to alert and expand readership.
6. Yoga instructor
Rate: An entry-level Yoga instructor with less than a year’s experience can expect to earn $25.06 per hour.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: Yoga instructors are required to plan lessons, instruct all capabilities from beginners through to experienced users, and be able to adapt their knowledge to suit individual clients who might be using yoga to recover from their various conditions.
7. Online chat agent
Rate: The average hourly rate for an Online chat agent ranges from $16 to $22, with the average hourly pay of $18. The total hourly cash compensation, which includes a base and short-term incentives, can vary between $17 and $23 per hour, with the average total hourly cash compensation of $19.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: Online chat agents provide customer service via digital channels. Their responsibilities include responding to customers, identifying customer issues and providing solutions in these situations in a polite and timely manner. They are also responsible for performing data entry services.
8. Data entry
Rate: The average hourly rate for a data entry clerk is typically $17 per hour, but the range typically falls between $15 and $19. The additional hourly cash compensation includes a base and short-term incentives and can vary anywhere from $16 to $20, with the average hourly cash compensation of $18.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: The responsibilities of data entry clerks include typing information into databases and systems and creating reports and other documents.
9. Voiceover artist
Rate: Voice actors get paid on a per project or per job basis; earnings can vary from $35 for a small market radio spot, $150 for a 15-second recording, and $250 – $350 for a 30-second radio commercial, including usage fees to about $2000 or even $5000 per audiobook with years of experience as a voice artist.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: Voice actors specialize in creating voice-overs (audio recordings of their own voice) which can be used in different ways, usually in radio, television, film or other presentations. Voice-over actors can also make an absence voicemail greeting for occasions when someone is away for a predetermined amount of time or the office is shut.
10. Photographer
Rate: The average pay for photographers is around $18.73 per hour. Wages typically start from $11.80 an hour, with top-level photographer earnings starting from $37.38 per hour.
Time commitment: Full-time, part-time, remote
Job description: Photographers are incredibly talented in creating visual images for various creative, technical and documentary purposes. As a side-gig photographer, you can specialize in wedding or baby shoots, model photography or even covering events for newspapers/magazines as a freelancer.
The employment landscape has undergone a massive transformation. And unlike traditional jobs, these new roles now allow people to work from any corner of the world, pursuing their dream jobs and be their own boss. Hopefully, the ideas outlined in this article demonstrate the many different ways you can build your career and progress rapidly without getting a college degree and inspire you to find your dream job with Lensa.
