What Certifications Can Get You A Good Job Without A Degree

Key Infor­ma­tion:

• A four-year col­lege degree is no longer the only route to career suc­cess, with cer­ti­fi­ca­tions offer­ing faster, more afford­able alternatives.
• Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions pro­vide tar­get­ed, job-ready skills that are increas­ing­ly val­ued by employ­ers in indus­tries like tech, health­care, and skilled trades.
• Cer­ti­fied pro­fes­sion­als often expe­ri­ence strong job prospects, reduced stu­dent debt, and high income poten­tial with­out need­ing a tra­di­tion­al degree.
• Choos­ing the right cer­ti­fi­ca­tion depends on per­son­al goals, indus­try demand, and learn­ing pref­er­ences, with many flex­i­ble, online, and low-cost options available.

A four-year col­lege degree is the only path to career suc­cess. Gen­er­a­tions of young Amer­i­cans heard it from their par­ents and grand­par­ents. For most of the 20th cen­tu­ry, it was a wide­ly held belief.

But times have changed, and it has become a myth in the 21st cen­tu­ry. Find­ings from a Pew Research study back it up, too.

• 40% say that it’s not too or not at all important.
• 22% say that it’s worth it even with stu­dent loans. About 29% say that its cost isn’t worth it.

Indeed, cost is a major con­sid­er­a­tion in the col­lege deci­sion. Tuition infla­tion — at 3.63% per year, on aver­age — is high­er than gen­er­al infla­tion. A col­lege stu­dent will spend $38,270 per year, on aver­age, on direct and indi­rect costs. 

And then there’s an increased demand for skilled cer­ti­fied work­ers. Their earn­ings and over­all wealth have also increased over the past decade. Plus, many peo­ple in skilled trades have low or no stu­dent loan debt.

Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions are fast, cost-effec­tive, and high-return paths to good jobs with­out a degree. A wide range of indus­tries val­ue cer­ti­fi­ca­tions, too, from busi­ness to skilled trades.

So, if you’re inter­est­ed in cer­ti­fi­ca­tions that pay well with­out a degree, read on. We’ll fea­ture in-demand cer­ti­fi­ca­tions in var­i­ous indus­tries and pro­vide infor­ma­tion on where to find them.

Relat­ed:

• ICF Accred­it­ed Exec­u­tive Coach­ing Certification
• Best Online PMP Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion Courses
• Change Man­age­ment Train­ing Pro­grams and Certifications
• Dig­i­tal Trans­for­ma­tion Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions for IT Professionals

Why Certifications Matter in Today’s Job Market

Of course, cer­ti­fi­ca­tions aren’t for every­body. But you must con­sid­er them because of their increas­ing impor­tance in the job market.

Employers are prioritizing skills over diplomas.

Yes, diplo­mas have their mer­its, espe­cial­ly for lead­er­ship posi­tions and advanced roles. But more and more employ­ers are pri­or­i­tiz­ing skills, too. Skills-based hir­ing means employ­ers seek job-ready skills among candidates.

Certifications signal readiness and specialization.

A four-year col­lege degree involves com­pre­hen­sive edu­ca­tion. In con­trast, cer­ti­fi­ca­tions result in the devel­op­ment of tar­get­ed or spe­cial­ized skills. Skilled cer­ti­fied pro­fes­sion­als are often seen as more pre­pared to contribute.

This is par­tic­u­lar­ly true for in-demand cer­ti­fi­ca­tions with­out a degree. Exam­ples include the skilled trades and Comp­TIA A+ certification.

Time and cost: certification vs. college degree

Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions have short­er com­ple­tion times and cheap­er costs than col­lege degrees. If you want faster entry into the work­force and few­er stu­dent loans, con­sid­er them.

The rise of online certification programs and employer partnerships.

Col­leges, online plat­forms, and cor­po­ra­tions offer high-pay­ing cer­tifi­cate pro­grams. Their flex­i­ble sched­ules, afford­able costs, and con­ve­nient access make them a pop­u­lar choice. Employ­ers rec­og­nize their cer­ti­fi­ca­tions, too, which increas­es their val­ue in job applications.

Top Industries Hiring Certified Professionals

Many indus­tries seek skilled, cer­ti­fied pro­fes­sion­als to fill their man­pow­er needs. Con­sid­er these indus­tries if you’re seek­ing strong job prospects and career growth.

Technology and IT

Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions fill urgent work­force gaps in com­put­er and IT occu­pa­tions. There’s a high demand for coders, net­work techs, and cyber­se­cu­ri­ty pro­fes­sion­als. These are among the high­est-pay­ing jobs you can get with a cer­ti­fi­ca­tion, too.

Healthcare

Med­ical assis­tants, phle­botomists, and cer­ti­fied nurs­ing assis­tants (CNAs) are also in high demand. Fast train­ing means fast entry into the work­place, too. These skilled pro­fes­sion­als also enjoy high job secu­ri­ty, with pro­ject­ed job growth reach­ing as high as 15%. 

Skilled Trades

If you’re look­ing for trade cer­ti­fi­ca­tions for good careers, be an HVAC tech­ni­cian. Con­sid­er being a plumber or elec­tri­cian, too. Their medi­an salaries range from $59,810 to $62,970 per year (BLS, May 2024) and can be as high as $106,030 per year.

High-Paying Tech Certifications Without a Degree

There’s no need for a col­lege degree to break into the tech indus­try. Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions are enough for many entry-lev­el jobs.

Google IT Support Certificate

This is among the best cer­ti­fi­ca­tions for a career change, as no degree or expe­ri­ence is required. It’s designed as an entry-lev­el path into the IT field. Pos­si­ble roles include help desk tech­ni­cian and IT sup­port specialist.

This is a ful­ly online, low-cost pro­gram avail­able on Coursera.

CompTIA Certifications (A+, Network+, Security+)

Comp­TIA offers many online cer­ti­fi­ca­tions for high-pay­ing jobs. The A+, Net­work+, and Secu­ri­ty+ cer­ti­fi­ca­tions pro­vide foun­da­tion­al knowl­edge for cyber­se­cu­ri­ty and IT sup­port. Employ­ers wide­ly rec­og­nize these cre­den­tials, so being hired shouldn’t be an issue.

AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner

The cre­den­tial is ide­al for indi­vid­u­als new to cloud com­put­ing. Depend­ing on your pace, train­ing time is 1–3 months, result­ing in rapid job entry. Cloud oper­a­tions spe­cial­ists and cloud sup­port asso­ciates are high-ROI jobs.

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

The tech­nol­o­gy and busi­ness indus­tries place pre­mi­um val­ue on project man­age­ment cer­ti­fi­ca­tions. The aver­age salary for CSM pro­fes­sion­als is $113,381/year.

Healthcare Certifications for Stable, Well-Paying Jobs

The health­care indus­try rec­og­nizes the val­ue of short-term cer­ti­fi­ca­tions for jobs. Addi­tion­al­ly, these cer­ti­fi­ca­tions can serve as step­ping stones toward more advanced roles.

Certified Medical Assistant (CMA)

Clin­ics, doc­tors’ offices, and hos­pi­tals are pop­u­lar work­places for CMAs. Start by explor­ing CMA pro­grams at local com­mu­ni­ty col­leges. CMA pro­grams have short com­ple­tion times, usu­al­ly under 12 months.

Phlebotomy Technician Certification

Becom­ing a phle­boto­my tech­ni­cian requires quick train­ing, typ­i­cal­ly com­plet­ed with­in three months. Lab­o­ra­to­ries, hos­pi­tals, and blood dona­tion cen­ters are pop­u­lar workplaces.

Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

This is among the cer­ti­fi­ca­tions that pay well with­out a degree — EMTs can earn more than $60,780/year. An EMT cer­ti­fi­ca­tion can be earned in less than a year, too. EMT work is fast-paced, with oppor­tu­ni­ties for advancement.

Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)

CNAs play cru­cial roles in patient care. There’s also a high demand for their ser­vices in health­care facil­i­ties. The CNA cer­ti­fi­ca­tion is also a step­ping stone to becom­ing an LPN or RN.

Skilled Trades Certifications with High Income Potential

Con­sid­er these trade cer­ti­fi­ca­tions for good careers if col­lege isn’t for you.

HVAC Certification

HVAC tech­ni­cians enjoy steady job demand due to the grow­ing hous­ing and com­mer­cial mar­kets. Pro­ject­ed job growth is 9% (BLS, 2023–2033). Cer­ti­fi­ca­tion pro­grams and appren­tice­ships are available.

Electrician License or Journeyman Certification

Elec­tri­cians enjoy high earn­ings — as high as $106,030/year — and job secu­ri­ty (i.e., 11% pro­ject­ed job growth). The cer­ti­fi­ca­tion process involves train­ing and pass­ing a series of exams.

Welding Certifications

These are among the best entry-lev­el cer­ti­fi­ca­tions that pay well, too. The aver­age salary for an AWS-cer­ti­fied welder is $49,074 per year, but it can range as high as $62,000 per year.

Becom­ing a cer­ti­fied welder involves short-term train­ing and leads to a hands-on career. Excel­lent oppor­tu­ni­ties are in the man­u­fac­tur­ing, con­struc­tion, and aero­space sectors.

Business and Professional Certifications for Career Switchers

Busi­ness cer­ti­fi­ca­tions are the best cer­ti­fi­ca­tions for a career change, too. Chang­ing careers is a good idea, too — busi­ness occu­pa­tions pay $80,920/year, on average.

Project Management Professional (PMP)

The PMI-award­ed PMP cre­den­tial is a high­ly respect­ed cer­ti­fi­ca­tion for mid-career pro­fes­sion­als. Earn it to for­mal­ize your project man­age­ment expe­ri­ence and tran­si­tion into advanced roles. Plus, diverse indus­tries rec­og­nize it.

Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP)

The CDMP is among the cer­ti­fi­ca­tions that pay well with­out a degree. Face­book Cer­ti­fied Dig­i­tal Mar­ket­ing Asso­ciates, for exam­ple, earn an aver­age of $73,000 per year. Instead of a degree, employ­ers use port­fo­lio-based hir­ing criteria.

Can­di­dates for the CDMP cre­den­tial learn SEO, social media, email mar­ket­ing, and analytics.

Human Resources Certifications (PHR, SHRM-CP)

The PHR and SHRM-CP cre­den­tials are among the most respect­ed cer­ti­fi­ca­tions. If you’re tran­si­tion­ing from non-HR roles to HR roles, con­sid­er them.

Where to Find and Earn These Certifications

The beau­ty of cer­ti­fi­ca­tions that lead to well-pay­ing jobs is their wide avail­abil­i­ty. Here are the best places where you can earn what­ev­er cer­ti­fi­ca­tion can boost your career.

Community colleges

Look into your local com­mu­ni­ty col­lege for afford­able yet high-pay­ing cer­tifi­cate pro­grams. There’s a wide range to choose from, too, such as skilled trades and tech certifications.

Trade schools

These insti­tu­tions spe­cial­ize in job-spe­cif­ic train­ing in the skilled trades. HVAC, weld­ing, plumb­ing, and elec­tri­cian train­ing pro­grams are available.

Online platforms

Cours­era, edX, Google, and LinkedIn Learn­ing are among the best plat­forms for online cer­ti­fi­ca­tions that lead to high-pay­ing jobs.

Professional associations

Check out the cer­ti­fi­ca­tion pro­grams avail­able at PMI, Comp­TIA, SHRM, and Scrum Alliance.

How to Choose the Right Certification for Your Goals

Choos­ing from among dozens of in-demand cer­ti­fi­ca­tions with­out a degree is a chal­lenge. But it’s eas­i­er with these tips.

• Match your inter­ests and strengths with indus­try needs.
• Research the salary expec­ta­tions, job out­look, and employ­er pref­er­ences. Refer to job boards and the Bureau of Labor Sta­tis­tics (BLS) for information.
• Look for indus­try-rec­og­nized cer­ti­fi­ca­tions that pay well with­out a degree. Con­sid­er the pro­grams’ port­fo­lio-build­ing and job place­ment sup­port as well.
• Con­sid­er your time­line, bud­get, and learn­ing style.

Conclusion and Next Steps

In con­clu­sion, a col­lege degree isn’t the only path to suc­cess. Cer­ti­fi­ca­tions can also lead to good jobs with­out a degree. Being an entre­pre­neur is also pos­si­ble with certifications.

When you choose cer­ti­fi­ca­tions, you’ll enjoy faster job entry, upward mobil­i­ty, and reduced stu­dent debt. These aren’t as true with col­lege degrees.

Yet anoth­er great thing about cer­ti­fi­ca­tions is their ver­sa­til­i­ty for diverse indi­vid­u­als. Whether you want career growth in your cur­rent role or a career change, cer­ti­fi­ca­tions are useful.

But it’s cru­cial to start on the right foot. Start by iden­ti­fy­ing your goals and explor­ing your options. Choose entry-lev­el cer­ti­fi­ca­tions that pay well and align with your goals.