Ever think about getting a job that requires no experience but pays well? If you are fresh out of school, looking for a job, or in the midst of a career change, but have no job experience on your resume, finding a high paying job may seem difficult. Many available jobs require X years of education or experience, and you may find yourself falling into the paradoxical “need a job to get experience – need experience to get a job” trap.
However, there are many jobs that don’t require any experience and even offer on-the-job training to give you the boost you need to excel in that industry. They may not be glamorous careers or even offer the best starting salaries, but a few can help you get paid more than a student with a college degree. Start your career search by applying to these jobs that require no experience.
Here are a number of high-paying jobs that require no experience or degree to get.
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Best Jobs With No Experience Needed
1. Real Estate Broker
Successful Real Estate Brokers are great at professional networking and building up a large referral network. It also helps when agents and brokers work in high-priced markets such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, or Aspen, where multi-million dollar listings are common and their 3% commission can yield tens of thousands in income.
Like any other career or industry, there are also the perks of being an insider with intimate knowledge of real estate values, prices, and listings. After setting aside money for investment purposes, real estate brokers and agents can then begin to buy and sell homes for themselves.
To become a real estate broker, most states require that you take a 60-hour course or about 8 real estate classes at your local community college, and pass a state exam for certification. Only a high school diploma is required.
Annual Salary Range: $35,000 to $275,000
2. Oilfield Worker
With the oil and gas industry booming due to fracking and shale oil, careers in the oil industry are readily available. Because entry level oilfield workers get on-the-job training, no previous experience is needed and a high school diploma will get you the job. Oilfield jobs come with great pay and benefits packages, including health, vision, dental, paid vacation, and retirement accounts.
If you are willing to work on an oilfield platform and take on the dangers and difficulties of the job, oil rig workers can make nearly $100,000 a year while a “drilling consultant” can earn $250,000.
Annual Salary Range: $40,000 to $100,000
3. Truck Driver / Delivery
For a job that pays well in comparison to others on this list, it may seem surprising that getting a job as a truck driver requires little to no experience. If you have a clean driving record, enjoy being on the road, don’t mind spending time away from family and friends at home, and feel comfortable behind the wheel of an 18-wheeler truck, then perhaps a career as a truck driver is suitable for you.
If driving a Big Rig truck is out of the question, consider becoming a delivery driver for a regional logistics company or one of the national players, such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL. The benefits are great and most trucking companies will pay for your training and help you get your commercial driver’s license.
Given the long hours, valuable cargo and heavy workload, you may be required to undergo medical examinations and background checks, though this depends solely on the company that hires you.
Annual Salary Range: $20,000 to $60,000
4. Police Officer / Law Enforcement
Careers in law enforcement can be mentally, emotionally and physically tough, yet offer high levels of job satisfaction, great salaries and excellent benefits, including access to comprehensive health plans, retirement accounts and a pension fund.
Criminal justice jobs, such as police officers, detectives and investigators, special agents, parole or correctional officers, and public safety and administration positions, generally require a high school diploma, though an Associate’s or Bachelor’s is recommended for quicker promotions and pay raises.
After applying and completing drug, background and polygraph tests, recruits must then graduate from the Policy Academy. No prior experience is required – everything you need to know will be taught as part of your on-the-job training.
Law enforcement jobs can be found at the local, county, state, and federal level and are very in-demand careers for the foreseeable future.
Annual Salary Range: $40,000 to $80,000
5. Customer Service Representative
Working as a customer service representative is not only a rewarding experience, but there are very few requirements to getting the job so no experience is needed. You can even work from home in select positions. As long as you have a pleasant demeanor, strong interpersonal communication skills and a willingness to help others, you can find work in the field of customer service.
The pay scale for customer service reps is generally higher than what you’d receive in other entry-level positions, and much of what you learn at this job will translate to workplace success later on in your career.
As a customer service representative, you will either be there to help customers in person, over the phone, or through email/chat. Whether it’s dealing with billing and payment issues, faulty or defective products, answering questions about a product or service your company provides, or walking the customer through a process, your primary objective is to make the customer’s shopping experience as enjoyable and stress-free as possible. This job may be demanding at times, but for one that does not require any experience, it can be a great way to jump start your career in sales.
Annual Salary Range: $20,000 to $40,000
6. Retail Salesperson
Similar to customer service, one of the most popular entry-level jobs out there is working as a salesperson in retail. You can work for clothing retailers, electronics distributors, sporting outlets, craft and book stores, and discount shops – the possibilities are nearly endless. Every company needs sales people and considering the entry-level positions usually require no experience, most companies are willing to offer on-the-job training.
The skills you learn in this job, such as assisting customers, organizing the store’s inventory, answering technical questions about products or services, are skills that can be applied to other jobs you’ll have in the future.
The only requirements for a job in sales are an outgoing and friendly personality, fluid communication skills, a willingness to learn, and the ability to follow instructions. You don’t need any previous experience to land a job in retail, but you’ll need a couple of these jobs in order to work your way up the ranks and land higher paying jobs at more prestigious companies. This is especially true with businesses that prefer to hire and promote from within the company.
Although you won’t be paid much more than minimum wage in your first job and you’ll get some sweet employee discounts on items in the store, get your feet wet with the first job in retail and move up from there.
Annual Salary Range: $20,000 to $120,000
7. Bill Collector
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the employment rate for bill collectors is expected to grow 20% over the next 10 years. The best part is that, as far as jobs that require no experience go, becoming a bill collector only requires a high school diploma. Job requirements include good customer service and effective communication skills as well as persistence and determination. Although a bill collector may not be a glorious career, the position is in-demand.
Annual Salary Range: $22,000 to $48,000
8. Security Guard
There are multiple venues in which security guards are needed. From shopping malls and sporting events to secure transportation and important governmental buildings, security guards are in demand. Most of these positions only require a high school diploma, though you may be subject to a background and drug test. Depending on the nature of the work your job entails, you may even need a firearms license.
The hours may vary and you may be asked to work graveyard shifts, so schedule flexibility is preferred. As for the pay, expect more than minimum wage, but working as a security guard is not a particularly lucrative job unless you have more experience under your belt and work for a top-notch company that needs qualified security guards. Nonetheless, it can be the first step in working in law enforcement, where federal, state and local employees earn a high salary.
Annual Salary Range: $18,000 to $40,000
9. Waiter / Waitress / Bartender
For anyone who desires a career in the restaurant business, starting off as a waiter or waitress is the best way to break into the food service industry. Unless you’re applying for a job at a fancy, fine dining restaurant, most waiter/waitress jobs don’t require experience.
However, it ought to be noted that job applicants with more experience are more likely to get hired if a job is highly sought-after and offers the potential for big tips. The hourly wages aren’t great when you’re first getting started, but the tips can be wonderful. If you are friendly and helpful to those whom you’re serving, you could get 15-20% or more in tips, based on the overall bill.
It’s not the easiest job out there, but if you truly want to make it in the food business and move up the chain in order to work in nicer restaurants or start your own, becoming a server can give you the experience you need to get to where you want to be.
Similarly, bartending doesn’t require a formal education or previous job experience, but most bartenders do attend bartending school. Like serving, bartending can be a high-stress, high-reward type of job that requires you to be quick on your feet, personable and gregarious with customers, and have the ability to work well under pressure.
Annual Salary Range: $15,000 to $52,000
10. Cashier
One of the most basic entry-level positions is that of a cashier. This is a job that many individuals with no prior work experience flock to in order to build up a resume and move on to bigger and better jobs. That isn’t to suggest that working as a cashier can’t be fun. On the contrary, you get to interact with people on a daily basis, you’re working in an air-conditioned, clean environment which can be particularly nice during the hot, humid summer months, and you’re paid a fairly decent wage, given the lax nature of the job.
If you want to be a cashier, you could work at grocery stores, retail outlets, fast food restaurants, and gas stations. Countless businesses need cashiers with basic mathematical skills to accept a customer’s money and return them the correct amount of change. Depending on where you work, a job in cashiering could bring in minimum wage up to $15+ per hour.
Annual Salary Range: $15,000 to $32,000
11. Product Demonstrator
If you’ve ever been to Costco, a convention, or a county fair, you’ve probably come across a few product demonstrators. At Costco, they’re the ones offering you free samples in hopes of enticing you to buy whatever food or drink product you tried. At conventions and fairs, product demonstrators show off any number of different items, from jacuzzis to food items to dog grooming tools and electronics or software. The primary purpose of the job is to show consumers how a product works and could be used to improve their lives.
Product demonstrators don’t need experience to do well in this position; an upbeat personality, strong interpersonal and sales skills, and knowledge of the product you’re trying to sell are the only requirements for this gig. Though this career is likely to come with a salary slightly higher than minimum wage, there are companies that offer commission and sales incentives to product demonstrators. This can be particularly lucrative if you are selling a popular and profitable product.
Annual Salary Range: $20,000 to $48,000
12. Garbage Collector
With union wages and benefits, most holidays off, tons of vacation days, and a daily exercise routine, working as a garbage collector has its perks, even if it isn’t the most glamorous job. You’ll need to be an early morning person who is physically fit and capable of heavy lifting, but as a good paying job that does not require experience or a college degree, garbage collectors make a decent living.
Annual Salary Range: $20,000 to $65,000
13. Telecommunication / Utility Company Employee
Telecommunication and utility companies operate in stable and secure industries with high barriers-to-entry, meaning profit margins are relatively low due to high capital expenditures, but careers are steady.
Electric, gas, and water utility workers as well as cable TV installers, tower and field technicians, and sales and customer service representatives make decent salaries and enjoy comprehensive health benefits packages. With on-the-job training and no previous experienced required, these easy jobs are great options for the future.
Annual Salary Range: $25,000 to $58,000
14. Human Resources Assistant
If you like interacting with and helping people navigate corporate structures or the labor market, working in human resources may be the best job for your interests. Human resource assistants document, organize, and keep track of company employee files and records as well as manage employee relations and the interview/hiring process.
Although a high school diploma is the most basic requirement for this position, many employers are now requesting candidates with at least an Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree. Professional advancement is faster and more certain with a formal education and customer service or HR experience, but opportunities do arise and assistants can eventually become managers or directors with years of on-the-job training and expertise.
Annual Salary Range: $25,000 to $60,000
15. Fast Food Worker / Movie Theater Employee
To counteract the growing rates of obesity in the US, many Americans are eating more healthy items, such as salads and sandwiches. To keep up with the growing demand, sandwich franchises like Subway, Quiznos, Togo’s, Jersey Mike’s Subs, and Schlotzsky’s Deli have been opening new stores across the country. This means there is also a greater demand for sandwich artists, and no previous experience is required to obtain this job.
Sandwich artists are in charge of making custom-order sandwiches for customers, cleaning up the kitchen, and keeping track of inventory. You may only make minimum wage when starting out, but you still get tips and experience at running a sandwich eatery, which can come in handy if you ever decide to open up your own restaurant.
With the summer movie season well underway, movie theaters are also looking to hire more staff to keep up with the influx of customers. Working at a movie theater offers the option of several different jobs: box office cashier, concession stand worker, theater clean-up crew, and ticket taker. Movie theater employees make average entry-level wages and may get discounts on movie tickets.
Annual Salary Range: $15,000 to $24,000
Top Jobs With No Experience
If you’re unemployed or looking for a new career, there’s no need to worry about prior experience requirements in order to qualify for a job. Entry-level work doesn’t offer six figure salaries, but it does come with its own set of unique advantages such as great benefits, tips, store and employee discounts, and generally, an easy job. Jobs that require no experience can give you the solid foundation you need early on in your career to proceed forward onto more challenging, yet financially rewarding job opportunities later in life.
