“You can make money online without a degree!”
Sounds like a scam, right?
There are indeed thousands of opportunities to work online, and the numbers are growing every day.
However, a lot of these amazing opportunities seem to still be based on having a degree or selling your expertise in a particular subject.
But what if you don’t have a degree, and aren’t an expert in anything impressive?
Is there any chance for you to make a living by working online?
Thankfully, there’s room for everyone, and there are plenty of jobs one can do, no expertise required.
Let’s look at some of the things you can do to make money online, even without a degree or years of experience:
1. Create An Income-Generating Website
The online world has opened up a level playing field for anyone looking to replace their full-time income online. All you need to do is set up your website, get daily visitors and make sales.
What skills do you need?
You don’t even need to know how to put it together; there are training platforms like Wealthy Affiliate that have the step-by-step training courses and expert support you need to succeed.
They’ll even give you a newbie-friendly website builder and free .com domain to get started. All you need to do is apply yourself follow the steps
How do you make money?
The great thing about affiliate marketing is instead of in a brick & mortar shop, you’ve got essentially no overhead costs and you can reach a truly worldwide audience 24 hours a day.
You'll be making money promoting other people's products or services and letting companies like Amazon, Addias and Samsung take care of all the payments, shipping and customer care for you.
There are 100,000's of products out there that are completely free to promote and can earn you up to 75% commissions. The possibilities really are endless!
2. Write & Sell eBooks
The most successful writers in the world are certainly not ones that went to school for it.
Writing and publishing books used to be this incredible, unattainable goal, but not anymore. Thanks to the internet, anyone can write and publish their writing, and that includes you.
What skills do you need?
If you’re not a fiction writer, that doesn’t mean you can’t write an e-book about something you’re interested in or something you know.
Any topic is appropriate, if it’s something other people may also be interested in:
- How to make friends
- How to make a bangin’ margarita
- How to make money online without a degree (ha!)
- …anything you can teach people is valuable information you can sell.
How do you make money?
You can self-publish on Amazon, or you can sell your e-books on your own website. Setting up a mailing list and weekly or monthly newsletter is also a great way of marketing your digital products, such as e-books or online courses.
Since you’re not printing physical books and you’re not working with an agent or publishing house, you get to keep almost all your earnings from digital downloads. Ka-Ching!
Check out my Write To $1K Review to find out about the best training on how to become a full-time writer.
3. Start A YouTube Channel
It seems like everyone wants to be a YouTuber these days, and there are good reasons for that:
You’re your own boss, you get to work from home and make your own hours, and you make content about anything you want. Plus, you can make good money from it and even become famous.
What’s not to like?
What skills do you need?
Becoming popular on YouTube is a matter of luck, to some degree, but there are certain tips you can follow to grow your channel and increase your revenue. You don’t need to be an expert in anything; you just have to be likable and consistent, mostly.
Posting every day and at the right times seems to do the trick for most people. If you have the right personality and charisma, you can do anything, from playing video games, to showing people things you bought, to filming yourself in your daily life.
How do you make money?
Opportunities for affiliate marketing, ads, and sponsorships abound, so it’s worth a shot. The best part is that the videos you make continue to make you money the entire time they are up.
So, you’ll make money off views and affiliates even for videos that are two years old, for example. The more videos you’ve got, the more views they’re going to rack up, which translate directly into revenue for you.
4. Teach your native language
It used to be that you needed to go to school or pay through the nose for the luxury of studying a foreign language. However, the internet made it possible to learn as many languages as you want from the comfort of your own home.
What skills do you need?
In recent years, online-based teaching has really taken off, and it’s turning out to be very lucrative for people who are interested in sharing their language skills.
You don’t even need to know a second language, because you can just teach your native language! Basic literacy can still make you money in this day and age.
How do you make money?
Especially with how popular and in-demand English is, there is no shortage of eager students, particularly on the Asian market.
All you need to do is sign up for a couple of online teaching platforms like VIPKid, iTalki, or Teach Away and apply.
Armed with a webcam and patience, you can help people, make new connections, and make a buck at the same time. Prices will vary depending on the platform, but native speakers are paid more.
5. Rent Your Stuff
Selling items you no longer need can be a viable income avenue, and there’s a market for people who actively seek old, unwanted items from their own home, other people’s attics or flea markets and sell them online for a mark-up.
But did you know it’s also possible to rent your belongings?
What skills do you need?
All you need to get started is something people need or want to use, but do not want to buy. From a cheap apartment rental to a car, power tools, camera, wedding dress, party games, or even furniture, there are more items than you think that you can make a profit from through sites like Loanables.com.
All you need to do is present them in a way that is appealing to a possible renter. Good photographs and a compelling description usually do the trick.
How do you make money?
The process is simple – just put up pictures of the items you’re renting on dedicated platforms, including Craigslist, and AirBnb, or the multiple apps built specifically to serve the sharing economy.
This way, everyone wins: you earn some side money with zero effort, and someone in need doesn’t pay an arm and a leg for something they won’t use long-term.
6. Become A Virtual Assistant
More and more start-ups and even bigger companies are becoming entirely remote operations. But a lot of the people running businesses like this still need assistants, even if they’re not working right outside their office – that’s where you come in.
What skills do you need?
Being a good assistant is mostly about having common sense and anticipating needs. As the right hand of the person you are assisting, you are usually in charge of administrative duties, such as organizing their schedule, setting meetings, sending memos, booking flights, sending emails, etc.
How do you make money?
Most virtual assistant jobs are offered on a part-time basis. You may have 10 or 20 hours per week booked, which is not likely to provide enough income.
However, the beauty of this online job is that you can absolutely work as an assistant for multiple people, or you can even work on another project at the same time, if your duties are not demanding or urgent.
Check out sites like Remote.co and Indeed.com to get started – multi-tasking has never been so rewarding.
7. Participate In Reviews And Focus Groups
We’ve pretty much become a review-based society. 84% of shoppers say they turn to online reviews before purchasing something, and 30% of them rely on review for 100% of their purchases. It’s not surprising that reviewers and focus group participants have become valuable to brands and consumers alike.
What skills do you need?
The beauty of this gig is that all you need is an opinion, and honesty.
Every reviewer should strive to create a comprehensive review or offer constructive feedback, to help the consumer or company as much as possible. However, it all comes down to telling people whether you liked something or not, and why.
How do you make money?
Amazon and other platforms are known for sending out free products and vouchers in exchange for reviews of their products.
Some platforms facilitate the connection between focus groups and participants. All you need to do is look for one you qualify for, spend some time offering your opinion, and rake in the cash.
Check out this list of 22 review sites to get started.
What’s The Bottom Line?
Not having a college degree can be a career roadblock, but not if you work online!
There are more and more side jobs, full-time jobs, and even careers you can start online, with no higher education necessary.
It’s all about what you can bring to the table and how good of a self-starter you are. Opportunities exist and can also be created if you’re motivated and think outside the box.
From starting your own online business selling products or services to participating in the gig economy and providing remote work for different companies, making money online is possible for anyone without a degree.
How I Make Money Online
I’ve been earning a solid 5-figure income online and have the freedom to travel across south-east Asia doing what I love – and all without a degree!
I worked hard and followed the right training, but I went from call centre slave to living the digital nomad lifestyle in less than a year.
Click here to find out exactly how I did it.
Simon Crowe is on a mission to help as many people as possible kiss their bosses goodbye.
Take the free Wealthy Affiliate test drive to discover how to smash your online income goals and make your dream business a reality.
Starting a YouTube channel has always seemed like a huge job for me. I feel I do not have what it takes to engage it. Affiliate marketing, however, is easier since you do not have to buy the goods that you are trying to market and you can actually select whichever niche suits you.. thank you
Hey Smoochie, a cool nickname by the way! Yeah, I planned on starting a YouTube channel for at least 3 years before I managed to pluck enough courage to just go ahead and do it…
Hiding behind a keyboard is one thing, but looking down the lens of a camera is something else. But like with anything, the more you do it, the better you get and the more natural it becomes.
You’re right about affiliate marketing though, it doesn’t matter what kind of content you create; whether it be videos of blog posts, you can still make money by promoting other people’s products or services.
I’m so glad you found this valuable and a big thanks for taking the time to let us know what you’ve decided.
All the best! 🙂