{"id":781299,"date":"2024-07-10T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-07-10T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=781299"},"modified":"2024-07-09T14:50:24","modified_gmt":"2024-07-09T12:50:24","slug":"9-jobs-that-dont-need-a-degree-in-south-africa-with-one-paying-r2-7-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/trending\/781299\/9-jobs-that-dont-need-a-degree-in-south-africa-with-one-paying-r2-7-million\/","title":{"rendered":"9 jobs that don\u2019t need a degree in South Africa \u2013 with one paying R2.7 million"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Not every job well-paying job in South Africa requires a degree, and some even hold some of the highest offices in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many South Africans do not attend university for various reasons, such as lack of finances, insufficient grades, or simply lack of interest in careers that require a degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2024, many jobs in South Africa will increasingly not require a traditional degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This shift is driven by the rise of skills-based hiring, where employers prioritise practical abilities over formal education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tech industry is a prime example, with roles in software development, cybersecurity, and data analysis often filled by self-taught individuals or those with non-traditional education backgrounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Online courses and certifications offer practical, up-to-date skills faster and more affordably than university programmes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, there are some well-paying traditional jobs that don’t require degrees, which include being a pilot or even a Cabinet minister, which is the highest-paid job on this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a good education and strong qualifications are valued in many organisations, the South African government has often downplayed the importance of qualifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This was partially true throughout former President Jacob Zuma’s almost decade-long tenure, in which he was often criticised for having no formal education, not even a Matric.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Former President Jacob Zuma. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Despite no requirement to have a degree, Members of parliament earn millions of rand in salaries, with South Africa’s 32 Cabinet Ministers of the 7th Administration earning R2.7 million, or R225,000 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below are other notable occupations that don’t require degrees, with salaries ranging from R96,000 to R4 million per annum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jobs listed are among the occupations selected by salaryexplorer.com as some of the best-paid jobs that don’t need a degree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The salaries where taken from Payscale and Talent.com, which both aggregate salary data from thousands of employers and employees across South Africa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cabinet Minister<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salary:<\/strong> R2.7 million (R225,000 pm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In South Africa, there is no academic qualification requirement for politicians to serve as councillors, members of provincial legislatures, or members of parliament\u2014including cabinet ministers and even the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of South Africa’s current 32 cabinet ministers, 26 have some form of Higher Education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, three ministers\u2014Agriculture\u2019s John Steenhuisen, Public Works and Infrastructure\u2019s Dean Macpherson, and Sports, Arts and Culture\u2019s Gayton Mckenzie\u2014only have a Matric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Real Estate Agent <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average:<\/strong> R432,000 (R36,000 pm)
Salary range:<\/strong> R187,500 to R4.3 million<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Real estate income is completely commission-based, meaning there is a lot of money to be made, with multi-million rand properties often being sold across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although a real estate agent licence requires completing an NQF4 RE qualification and passing the Professional Designation Examination (PDE4), several other entry-level positions, such as interns and candidates, are available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pilot <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average:<\/strong> R 309,500 (R25,800 pm)
Salary range:<\/strong> R250,000 to R1 million<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start at a flight school, you do not need a degree or prior qualification, and you can even start part-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pilots have to obtain a Private Pilot License (PPL) or a Commercial Pilot License (CPL), along with medical certificates and theoretical knowledge courses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SEO Specialist<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average:<\/strong> R 210,000 (R17,500 pm)
Salary range:<\/strong> R175,000 to R510,000 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While there are complementary degrees, such as marketing, that would help you become a Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) specialist, you don’t need a degree to become one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many SEO professionals enter the field through on-the-job experience or by taking online SEO training courses and learning through experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An SEO expert performs page optimization across a website to ensure search results are relevant and to create a positive user experience, growing website traffic, lead volume and brand awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Air Traffic Controller <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average:<\/strong> R254,000 (R21,166 pm)
Salary range:<\/strong> R240,000 to R560,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To become an air traffic controller in South Africa, you need to meet specific eligibility criteria. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These include having a high school diploma or equivalent qualification, being proficient in English, and having good spatial awareness and mathematical skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Higher education can significantly increase your chances of success, although a specific degree isn’t necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Content Writer <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average:<\/strong> R188,000 (R15,700 pm)
Salary range:<\/strong> R109,000 to R504,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you love writing and you want to make a living from it, you don’t need a degree in journalism, English, or creative writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are dozens of courses that train you to write standout marketing material for clients, which are often inexpensive to complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Web Developer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average:<\/strong> R138,000 (R11,500 pm)
Salary range:<\/strong> R179,000 to R570,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most software developers either have a computer science or engineering qualification, it is not necessary to complete a degree or diploma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In some cases, taking a relevant course and having experience in the field are all that is required.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photographer <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average:<\/strong> R150,214 (R12,500 pm)
Salary range:<\/strong> R96,000 to R360,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Becoming a photographer typically doesn’t require formal qualifications, but a structured educational path\u2014ranging from short certificate programs to a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in photography\u2014can provide comprehensive knowledge and skill development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Car sales<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Average:<\/strong> R240,000 (R20,000 pm)
Salary range:<\/strong> R141,000 to R438,000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many sales representatives receive on-the-job training by working in entry-level positions and do not require a degree. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some dealerships and brands\u2014even Mercedes-Benz\u2014offer training programs to acquire intensive knowledge of their products and services as well as technical and methodological skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Read: Canada is after these skills in South Africa \u2013 offering up to R6 million<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not every high-paying job requires a university degree – here are some examples, including fields where you can earn million-rand salaries.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":594114,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872,1],"tags":[4541,12547,853],"class_list":["post-781299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-trending","tag-payscale","tag-salary-explorer","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=781299"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":781654,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/781299\/revisions\/781654"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=781299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=781299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=781299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}