It’s another month, another rent check to write and now you have a dental bill that’s bigger than you expected. Maybe you’re a student or a parent who has been staying home and out of the workforce, but you now really need to get working. What is a job that you can start right now?
Online salary and career site PayScale.com has come up with a list of jobs that require little, if any, previous experience and do not require a bachelor’s degree, special skills or vocational training. Your chances at getting these jobs may be helped with more skills, experience and education, but the right employer could hire you without them. Most of these jobs require on-the-job training, but at least you’re getting paid while you learn.
Here we feature the five highest-paid gigs on PayScale’s list of jobs you can start today. Below that is the full list of job titles, as well as their median pay for the first five years on the job and what the most common level of education is for each.
1. Account executive
Median annual salary: $46,000
Account executives exist in almost every industry and the job varies greatly depending on what company you’re working for. In essence, you’re in charge of maintaining the relationship between your company and its clients. You could work in advertising, for a medical devices company, a beverage distributor or a machine parts company. Whatever a company sells to a client, they need that client relationship to be nurtured and improved at all times.
2. Sales consultant, automobile/cars
Median annual salary: $38,000
Can you get someone to fall in love with a car enough to buy it? If you’re a natural at the listening, questioning and (not-always-so-gentle) encouragement required to be a successful salesperson, there are likely opportunities for you in the car sales business. Your hours may be heavy on weekends and evenings but, if you are successful, your pay could grow quickly.
3. Manufacturing technician
Median annual salary: $36,000
As a manufacturing technician, your job is, typically, to assemble a product of some kind. You could be soldering wires together under a microscope or fitting all the components of a radio into the external case. Your job includes making sure that your tools are functioning and are calibrated properly. Safety and a team focus are also essential.
4. Office manager
Median annual salary: $34,000
You sit in the middle of the storm of office activity and help make sure that everyone is able to get their work done. From making travel arrangements to restocking the printer with paper, the office manager must cover a variety of tasks. You may do billing work and handle customer service requests. The possibilities are almost endless. Your job description will depend on which office you work for. Being flexible, responsive and decisive are great qualities to have for this job.
5. Cable television installer
Median annual salary: $31,000
As an installer, you go into people’s homes and connect their cable system to one or more television sets or computers for high-speed Internet. You have to be good at troubleshooting and comfortable explaining to subscribers how to operate their cable system. As your skills grow, you can get into other technical jobs in the telecommunications industry, which changes quickly as new technologies become available.
| Job Title | Median Pay 0 to 5 Years |
Typical Education Reported |
| Account Executive | $46,000 | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Sales Consultant, Automobile/Cars | $38,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Manufacturing Technician | $36,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Office Manager | $34,000 | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Cable Television Installer | $31,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Administrative Assistant | $31,000 | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Telemarketer | $30,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Construction Laborer | $30,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Customer Service Representative (CSR) | $29,000 | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Truck Driver, Light Or Delivery Services | $29,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Bus Driver, School | $28,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agent or Travel Clerk | $27,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Dog Groomer and Bather | $25,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Nanny or Aupair | $25,000 | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Data Entry Operator | $25,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Line Cook | $22,000 | Associate Degree |
| Bank Teller | $22,000 | Bachelor’s Degree |
| Barista | $19,000 | No Degree Reported |
| Pizza Delivery Driver | $17,000 | No Degree Reported |
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