If you’re searching for the best jobs that pay $40k a year without a degree, I’ve got your back. On this page, that’s exactly what you get. These jobs in this article are self-employed jobs. Not white-collar jobs.
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That’s a necessary heads-up. Plus, they can generate over $40,000 dollars a year for you. Again, you don’t need to have a degree to make money with them. Consider them as jobs that you can treat as a secondary side hustle or as primary side hustles until they generate more than enough for you.
Moving forward, here are some of the jobs that pay $40k a year without a degree.
12 Best Jobs that Pay $40k a Year without a Degree
YouTube
Without a doubt, YouTube content creation and monetization is one of the best jobs that pay $40k a year without a degree. You don’t need to have a degree to start a YouTube channel. And it’s completely free.
The challenge here (which shouldn’t really be a challenge if you’re determined to make a lot of money and to succeed in life) is patience; it takes a lot of time to make up to $3,000+ a month on YouTube. You just need to be consistent at publishing some of the best videos in the niche you chose to start a YouTube channel in.
Nothing good comes easy.
Blogging
I can tell you from my experience that blogging takes time. And this is because I’ve been blogging for only 12 months and I make enough money to take care of myself and two more mouths. In just 12 months of blogging, a lot has happened. I make more than 4 times what I earned at my full-time job.
It’s definitely one of the best jobs that pay $40k a year without a degree. But then, you’ll need to take it as a serious venture if you want to make a ton of money off it. It doesn’t take a lot of time to start a blog.
But it sure takes a lot of time to grow it from scratch to make up to $40k a year. Or 3,400 a month. While there are millions of blogs on the internet today, there’s still room for more blogs to come into the scene.
And now’s the best time for you to create your own blog that makes money.
Ready? Click here.
Laundromat
Basically, you’ll need to have a lot of money to start up a laundromat. And then it’s one of the best businesses or jobs that can make $40k a year for you. You don’t need to go to college to be able to set up your own laundromat. You just need the idea, and the capital to get started.
Moving on, it’s possible to make more money with a laundromat, and this depends on the location. Find the best location and deliver the best service. Undergo feasibility study before kicking off from any location.
With an average earning of $450/day, that’s $13,500 in a month (on average). And $162,000 in a year (still on average). But these numbers can be higher or lesser.
Freelance Writing
Writing online as a freelancer means working for people as a writer while you get paid upon the completion of a particular writing project.
You’re not a permanent employee writer; you just work as a freelancer and you decide whom you want to work for and on what terms you’d like to work. In reality, it’s difficult to make a living off freelance writing.
This is to say, it takes time to build a successful career out of freelancing. And this is because there are thousands of freelance writers taking jobs that you should be taking. The point is, freelance writing is a self-employed job that can make $40k a year without a degree.
Online Trading
Trading online is something that I’m doing currently. I’ve been doing this for two years now (since 2021) and I recently started learning to trade forex (from nearly 2 years experience in the crypto market). It’s one of the best jobs that pay $40k a year without a degree, and you can start learning to trade the financial markets from your bedroom.
Focus on one market, and learn everything you can about the market. Learn about the most effective trading strategies, and risk management integration. Everything will take time. But it’s a norm and you’ll get better with time.
Programming
Are you good at coding things up? If you are, then you can get paid up to $40k a year without going to college.
This is one skill that is high in demand and people are willing to pay you so much money if you’re really good at it. Plus, you don’t need to go to college to learn how to code or gain mastery of any programming language.
You really don’t. You could, but you don’t have to. So, you’re not going to work as an employee for some IT company either.
You find remote jobs online and freelance gigs online too that you can do for money. Another way to make more money off programming is product sales; you can create a product and sell it online to a target audience.
Car Detailing
Detailing cars is a business you can start on the side to generate passive income, and it’s one of the best jobs that pay $40,000 a year without a degree.
You’re not going to receive a paycheck of $40k the moment you start a car detailing workshop; you’ll offer service for money. So, factors like the location of the business, the equipment you’ve got, the size, and then the quality of your services will depend on how much money you can make day after day.
Really, it’s more about the quality of your services and the location. Where you start off from will have a tremendous impact on the overall performance in the long run.
Barbering
I’m a blogger.
More than that, I trade the financial markets and I groom hair as a barber. And I can say that barbering is one of the self-employed jobs that can pay $40k in a year without a degree.
I also have a friend who didn’t go to college and didn’t get through with high school completely, but he’s living and taking care of his family with just one barbershop. For the record, you’ll need to have experience in this space to start a barbershop ready to run a marathon to success.
You’ll also need to have some money to start a barbershop. It’s not free to get the equipment; they cost some money. Depending on the size of your barbershop, it can cost you anywhere from $5,000 to $200,000 dollars (including rent and interiors).
Clothing Store
Call it a clothing store or a boutique; you can make tons of money from starting one yourself. But then, you’ll need to have tons of money to get started.
If you’re willing to start small and you’re willing to exercise patience, then you can start with absolutely nothing but a smart phone and internet connection online. I always prefer scaling things up which requires capital; real fat capital. But if you don’t have money to start a clothing store, you can start an online clothing business with almost no money.
Whether you’re starting a boutique or you choose to start online due to low funds, there’s a possibility for this self-employed job or side hustle to make as much as $40k a year. And you don’t need to have a degree to jump right in.
Check Cashing
Cash checking is a way to make money and offer value simultaneously. It’s basically a give and take kind of business where you help people cash their checks for a fee. You save them the stress of going to the bank and save them the time they’d spend going to the bank (for some fee).
Check cashing is profitable if you start off from the right location. There’s no two ways to do this. It’s a physical business, and physical businesses such as this must pick the best location to start off from (if success is a priority).
Food Truck
If you want to make a lot of money, start a food truck. It’s not as easy as I make it look or feel. This is because it costs a lot of money to start a food truck. The ROI is insane though. If you can shell out the money, then start a food truck.
Firstly, you want to know what it takes to start a business like this and how to make it a successful one. Secondly, there’s every reason to start a food truck in the right location.
You don’t want to run at loss, and starting off from a remote area can seriously and negatively impact the performance of your food truck business. That said, this is one of the self-employed jobs that pay $40,000 a year without a degree.
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Grocery Store
Grocery stores can’t be easily replaced. You’ll always need them around. But then, starting one of your own is definitely one of the best self-employed jobs that pay $40k a year without a degree.
A lot of planning and spending goes into starting a business such as this. And you can’t do this all by yourself. You’ll have multiple names on your payroll, and also need to spend for the purpose of maintaining inventory and equipment at the grocery store.
From time to time, you’ll get familiar with the routine of managing a grocery store. What I won’t leave out here is the insane ROI that comes with launching a business like this. It’s incredibly profitable especially if you’re in a gold mine location.
12 Best Jobs that Pay $40k a Year without a Degree – Summary
You really don’t need to have a degree to make a lot of money. You just need to have brains.
In summary, some of the best jobs that pay $40,000 a year without a degree include owning a grocery store, food truck, YouTube, blogging, laundromat, barbering, freelance writing, online trading, programming, car detailing, check cashing, and clothing store.
I mean, they’re mostly businesses that cost a lot of money, but a couple of them cost just a little less than $100 to set up.