10 High-Paying Jobs For Young People In South Africa Without Qualifications (Earn between R18k-35k)
Having a university degree ensures you a high-paying job on the market, but what if you don’t have a degree or qualification?
We’ll discuss the highest-paying careers that young people can obtain without committing to a 3–4 year university or college degree in this article.
It’s nearly impossible to find employment in South Africa without a degree because the unemployment rate is still high and educational expenses are rising.
You would need to bring a variety of unique abilities and skills to the table.
Let’s get going.
High-Paying Jobs for Young People in South Africa
You can get the following jobs without a university degree and still earn a decent salary per month.
If you’re looking to out-earn your university-certified friends and family members, then you need to consider the following options.
1. Web Developer
Web development is the most in-demand skill in the country.
Web developers create web software using programming languages such as Java, PHP, SharePoint, and so on.
Without attending a 4-year degree at a university, you could acquire specific web development skills with online courses – in less time. Once you’ve graduated online, you’ll need to build a portfolio to prove your experience with the acquired skill.
That will get you a good job in South Africa.
Salary: R8 000.00 – R12 500.00 per month.
2. Makeup Artist
Responsible for transforming celebrities’ faces and bodies to resemble any character.
You can find a high-paying job by choosing to work with popular celebrities.
You don’t need a college degree to become a makeup artist.
Salary: R6 700.00 per month.
3. Real Estate Agent
You can make a good career in real estate.
Start by volunteering as an intern at a real estate company and dedicate your time to learning how to sell and rent out properties.
That’s how you’ll become an expert in real estate, by learning from the best. When your internship ends, you’ll instantly become a qualified real estate agent with experience.
You’ll help homeowners who don’t have the time to rent or sell properties.
Salary: R15 000.00 per month.
4. Executive assistant
You could either become a company secretary or personal assistant to an executive.
Being an assistant/admin pays well because executives in businesses always have a lot in their hands.
With relevant experience, you can make a living from the position.
The best part?
You don’t even need a degree to become an executive assistant. You must be good attributes and personal skills such as communication, organization, data capturing, etc.
Salary: R8 500.00 – R19 000.00 per month.
5. Project Management
In my experience, in the digital marketing industry, I’ve seen a lot of developers become project managers without actual qualifications.
You must have good communication and people skills.
You’ll need to client expectations by working with your team to estimate hours for a project.
Also to find more efficient and cost-effective ways of running projects successfully.
Salary: R17 000.00 per month.
6. Digital Marketer
The easiest way to learn digital marketing is through online courses.
Digital agencies are always looking for experienced digital marketers in South Africa.
Once you understand how digital marketing help business expands and grow, start building a portfolio. You can begin with a simple personal blog, create social media pages and apply the skill to it.
If you can make your personal blog successful, then you could work at any agency in South Africa because you know your business. You’ll manage social media communities for clients, write content for advertising and blogs.
Salary: R14 500.00 per month.
7. Become a DJ & Producer
If you have friends with music equipment, you could ask them for help in learning new skills.
Becoming a DJ is not difficult, you’ll need to the genre and specialize in it. Next, you must learn and understand the music copyright law in South Africa.
After learning how to mix music, you could start learning music production software and start producing beats. You could sell the beats to upcoming artists and be featured.
DJs make a lot of money, especially when you have a lot of experience in the field.
Well-established DJs charge over R17 000 per hour per event.
Salary: R1 500.00 – R3 000.00 per event.
8. Assistant Supervisors
The first line of communication between managers and employees.
Managers in high-traffic companies oversee a lot of activities that sometimes are difficult to keep track of. An assistant becomes very significant in such environments to help managers with day-to-day activities.
Salary: R14 00.00 – R18 000.00 per month.
9. Graphic Designer
You can learn graphic design on YouTube today.
If you really love making fancy things, then you’ll love and understand the graph sign tutorials quickly on YouTube.
Your responsibilities in businesses would include designing the following:
- Social media posts
- Newsletters
- Web banners
- Website mock-up
- Mobile App mock-up
If you focus on the above-mentioned skills, you’ll lend a high-paying job in South Africa.
Salary: R7 500.00 – R25 800.00 per month.
10. Waitress
It’s reported that waitresses don’t earn much from their jobs however, working in the busiest and most expensive restaurants might get you a job that pays a decent salary.
Of course, you will be working long hours and it’ll be worth it.
You’ll get training during the restaurant’s recruiting process.
Salary: R5 810.00 per month.
