College certainly isn’t for everyone. Thankfully, most employers in the tech industry are more interested in results than degrees.

Because as technology continues to grow, so too will the demand for highly skilled specialists within the tech industry. As long as you have the right abilities and experience, here are 7 of the highest paying IT jobs you can apply for without a degree.

Web Developer

There’s been an increasing demand over the past decade for talented web developers to continue populating the internet with websites. Which explains why the growth projection for web developers is actually more than double the national average for employment.

Web developers need plenty of experience using a variety of computer programming languages, and will often specialise in back-end or front-end technical development, or maybe a mixture of both.

While there are some web developers who have received a bachelor’s degree, it’s still possible to find employment with no degree at all, provided you have the required experience.

Systems Analyst

Computer systems analysts are required to create and design the information systems and other procedures of an organisation while focusing on the profitability and overall efficiency.

These analysts will always consider the goal of a company when ascertaining how technology can best be leveraged to ensure these goals are achieved.

While a bachelor’s degree is often the minimum educational requirement for systems analyst roles, there are still plenty of companies out there who will hire someone without one for an entry-level position.

Network Engineer

Typically working with more physical IT hardware than software, network engineers are required to develop, design, install, and maintain communication networks effectively.

Network engineers need to be experts in all aspects of networking in order to troubleshoot any issues relating to the enterprise network of a company. Some roles will also require maintenance of firewalls and other security software, as well as a variety of other networking technologies such as routing hardware and cryptographic tunnelling.

While a bachelor’s degree is often required when applying for this role, entry-level positions are available too. Especially if you are a self-taught coding expert with plenty of real world experience.

Digital Marketer

While the marketing world is always continually evolving, the role of a digital marketer is still based around leveraging all channels of communication in order to attract, acquire, convert, engage, and retain customers.

Digital marketing requires soft skills like client communications as well as hard skills such as online analytics of data. That’s why the key requirements for this position will almost always include high levels of experience with digital advertising, social media platforms, and a proven understanding of current SEO techniques.

As with most traditional marketing roles, a college degree will always be beneficial. But because this role is highly measurable, some companies will employ digital marketers with a history of high performing digital marketing campaigns.

IT Support

As technology becomes more involved with our everyday lives, IT support specialists are increasingly necessary to help end users understand and troubleshoot computers and other tech devices.

Some IT specialists are remotely based and help external customers over the phone or via video chat, whereas others are based internally so they can help other employees onsite. They work directly with end users by instructing or performing computer repairs, or with the installation and troubleshooting of physical hardware and IT software.

While the requirements for IT support specialists will vary based on the needs of each company, entry-level roles will usually require experience with a variety of computers, devices, platforms, and operating systems.

Cybersecurity Specialist

Because every organisation on the planet, whether public or private, needs to know that all of their company secrets and customer data are 100% secure, cybersecurity is one of the most in-demand jobs in the tech industry today.

Specialists in cybersecurity develop, create, and implement data protection firewalls and other strategies across all network infrastructures.

They monitor all channels for potential threats of cyberattacks and other database vulnerabilities, so they can then successfully defend the data from any network attacks. While a degree may be preferred by some companies, enough of the right experience will certainly get your foot in the door.

Graphic Designer

Graphic design is often a go-to position for anyone who has a combination of artistic and tech experience because it’s more based on skill than degrees. The specifics of a graphic design position will often be wide and varied, as it depends on the company you work for, but can include anything from creating logos to designing advertisements.

With the consistently growing fields of digital advertising and marketing, creative roles like graphic design are currently pretty high in demand. So as long as you have the right experience and a highly creative portfolio of work, you might be able to land a position as a talented graphic designer who brings their campaigns to life.

Final Thoughts

If you reckon you have what it takes in these roles, but you haven’t earned a degree, don’t let your tech talents go to waste. You can find yourself a high paying career in any one of these tech fields without wasting years going to college first.