The 8 little-known ‘quiet success’ jobs where you can earn up to £65k – be a high-flyer WITHOUT a degree

STUCK in a job hunt nightmare where your applications are being ghosted and you can’t catch a break? You’re not alone. The red alarm has been sounded over a dismal jobs market, as vacancies have plummeted to their lowest level in five years. But applying for over-looked ‘quiet success’ roles could boost your chances of getting hired – and bag you up to £65,000 a year in the process. Young people are struggling to find a role amid a dismal jobs market Credit: Getty CV-Library found eight ‘quiet success’ careers that pay high salaries Credit: Getty ‘Quiet success’ careers are ones which are well-paid, but overlooked by job seekers, according to jobs platform CV-Library. That’s because you might not know that you can switch to them without a degree, or they may not be roles you’ve heard of or considered before. New research from CV-Library has identified eight of the top-paying ‘quiet success’ careers offering above-average salaries. You don’t need a degree for them either – for some, you just need the right transferable skills. But be aware that if you earn while you learn on the job through an apprenticeship, you will likely have to take a pay cut for a year or two while you get the experience you need. Intelligence analysts, who piece together information from different sources to spot threats or trends, come out on top, typically earn £65,014, CV-Library found – and according to the civil service, you can get hired without a degree. Meanwhile, project managers can pocket £59,699 a year on average, and marketing strategists can take home £50,888 – and neither require a degree to get into. Some of the jobs don’t require you to spend thousands of pounds retraining either. Paid apprenticeships, employer-funded qualifications and on-the-job training can all provide routes into the careers on the list. Katie Emerton, recruitment expert at CV-Library, said: “These top-paying ‘quiet success’ careers prove you don’t need a formal university degree to build a lucrative, professional and high-paying career. “From apprenticeships to paid training schemes, many of these jobs are accessible for everyone, no matter their background or experience, offering strong salaries, long-term job security and crying out for skilled workers.” Here are the jobs paying up to £65k, how to get into them and where you can apply… Intelligence analyst – £65,014 If you like digging through data to find trends, you may enjoy being an intelligence analyst Credit: Alamy Intelligence analysts piece together information from different sources to spot threats or trends and identify any suspicious behaviour, and they can typically earn £65,014. They can work everywhere from government departments and the police to regulators, banks and private companies and spend time going through data. And there are several routes into the profession – with the civil service saying it will “recruit anyone with the right skills and aptitude, whether they have been to university or not”. You need to love analysing data and finding patterns, and will need good communication skills. If you need to build your analytical skills first, there are free options available. The Government-backed Skills Bootcamp programme currently lists free data-analysis courses, including a 10-week Data Skills Bootcamp in Oxfordshire and 10-week online data analyst training for eligible people in Hampshire. There are also free Level 3 data analyst courses lasting around 12 to 16 weeks in some parts of England. The Home Office regularly employs intelligence staff and it says they are regularly offered the opportunity to work outside the office, with plenty of learning and development on the job. You can also search the National Careers Service for current apprenticeships to get your foot in the door. The Royal Navy is currently advertising an apprenticeship paying £20,400 a year. There are vacancies for experienced professionals around right now, too. The Ministry of Justice is recruiting an Intelligence Analyst in London on £42,397 to £44,432, with applications open until August 31. Project manager – £59,699 If you’re organised you could suit being a project manager Credit: Getty Project managers make sure projects and big pieces of work are completed on time and within the designated budget. It can be a well-paid role, with average salaries hitting £59,699. Project managers are employed in lots of areas including industries like construction, rail, technology, finance and healthcare. That means you may already have experience that could help you move into the role. For example, you’ll need to be very organised and have a lot of attention to detail, and you will need to be able to communicate effectively with lots of different people. The Open University offers a free course in project management which looks at responses to problems and how to plan. One route is to work your way up from a project support or coordinator position and complete project management qualifications while working, or simply train on the job. If you lack any experience, then the National Careers Service says you can also enter through an Associate Project Manager apprenticeship, paying from £16,640 a year. This apprenticeship takes two years – so while you’ll need to take a brief pay cut, you’ll soon be on track to earning a good salary with experience under your belt. Network Rail regularly recruits experienced project and scheme project managers, and one project manager role in Glasgow is advertising salaries of £55,596 to £67,813 a year. It also offers a Level 4 Project Management apprenticeship earning £20,500 a year. You can search for roles on Indeed, Totaljobs and CV-Library. Marketing strategist – £50,888 Getting into marketing doesn’t require a degree as it uses transferable skills Credit: 72Point Marketing strategists work out how businesses should promote themselves and their products to customers. You don’t necessarily need to go back to university to switch into marketing, as it’s a career that uses a lot of transferable skills. Experience in areas such as social media, communications, sales, content or digital marketing can help you get your foot in the door – and once you’re in, you could earn over £50,000. There are also free digital skills bootcamps available through the government’s National Careers Service if you want to boost your skills – and your chances of getting hired You can take a free course in digital marketing at the Open University and you’ll get a free statement of participation after. Marketing roles are available on most job websites including LinkedIn, which says it currently has over 46,000 marketing roles on offer. Firefighter – £45,235 Firefighters are well-known but it may be an overlooked career choice Credit: Reuters Firefighting may be a well-known profession, but CV-Library reckons it’s relatively overlooked by those looking for a well-paid career without needing a degree. Fire and rescue services typically train successful recruits themselves, while another route is a Level 3 Operational Firefighter apprenticeship. For that apprenticeship, you’ll usually need GCSE English and maths at grades 4 to 9. Applicants will also need to pass physical, medical and background checks. Weston College advertises the apprenticeship with a £25,750 salary. Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service is currently accepting applications for wholetime firefighters until August 31, with salaries ranging from £30,384 to £38,881 per year. Successful recruits complete either a Level 3 Operational Firefighter Apprenticeship or a Level 3 Diploma in Emergency Fire and Rescue Service Operations in the Community. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service is also accepting applications for on-call firefighters on an ongoing basis for the same salary. Fire service benefits vary, but a major one is being enrolled in the firefighter pension, which pays a guaranteed income in retirement, as well as paid training and access to Blue Light Card discounts. Check your local fire service website and the National Fire Chiefs Council jobs board for vacancies. Virtual assistant – £45,167 Virtual assistants manage diaries and emails on behalf of professionals Credit: Getty Virtual assistants provide admin support remotely and complete tasks such as managing diaries and emails, arranging meetings and booking travel. Strong organisation, communication and computer skills can be more important than qualifications and you typically won’t need a degree. It’s a good role for anyone organised and salaries are typically around £45,167, but CV-Library labelled it as a ‘quiet success’ career that flies under the radar. If you need to brush up on Microsoft Office, Google Workspace or digital skills first, there are free online courses available through providers and some adult-learning services. You can take a free virtual assistant course at Oxford Home Study College. You should be particularly cautious about paying large upfront fees for courses promising to turn you into a virtual assistant, though, as a formal certificate isn’t usually required for the job. LinkedIn is advertising a range of personal assistant roles, many of which are remote. Railway engineer – £44,747 Railway engineers can start out with a paid apprenticeship Credit: Alamy Rail engineers work on the trains and tracks that keep Britain’s railways moving – and can earn almost £45,000 a year on average. There are lots of different specialisms, from track and signalling to rolling stock and mechanical engineering. One of the cheapest ways in is through a paid apprenticeship. The National Careers Service currently lists a Level 3 Rail Engineering Technician apprenticeship paying between £14,560 and £23,132 a year while you learn. Network Rail also runs its own early-careers and apprenticeship programmes, with a current listing paying £22,293. For people who already have mechanical or engineering skills, there are direct-entry vacancies too. CV-Library is also currently advertising more than 1,000 rail engineer-related vacancies across the UK. Lift engineer – £40,900 Employers typically look for engineers working towards an NVQ Level 3 Lift engineers install and repair lifts and escalators and could earn around £40,900 a year. You’ll need technical training, but there are plenty of apprenticeships or employers may fund the qualifications you need. Employers generally look for engineers who are working towards an NVQ Level 3 in lift engineering. KONE, a lift and escalator provider, says it has over 50 open roles. You can find also find a range of vacancies through sites like Indeed and CV-Library. Utilities technician – £40,523 Thames Water is currently hiring technicians across the South East Credit: Alamy Utilities technicians keep essential services such as water, electricity and gas infrastructure working. Jobs can involve maintaining equipment, finding faults and repairing networks. Again, paid apprenticeships can offer a route in without a university degree or a big retraining bill. For example, the National Careers Service currently lists a Level 2 Water Network Operative apprenticeship paying £19,968 while you train. Thames Water says it is currently hiring mechanical, electrical and control technicians across London and the Thames Valley. One live specialist technician vacancy in Greenwich pays an above-average salary of up to £47,000, depending on experience, and comes with a company van, tools and PPE. Applications close on August 25. Severn Trent has also recently been recruiting maintenance technicians on £41,762 plus standby, call-out and overtime payments. 'My £45k job was so stressful I thought I was going to leave my kids without a mum, now I earn more as a Virtual Assistant' WHEN Martha Kilner was blue-lighted to hospital from her teaching job, she thought she was going to leave her three kids without a mum. Then just 39, Martha was struggling with panic attacks, deep vein thrombosis and a number of health issues that she believes were all sparked by her hectic job. But after making a life-changing decision to give it all up, she started her own business working from home, and is now earning more and working less. After 19 years as a primary school teacher, the Year 3 teacher started to struggle with 60-hour weeks and a heavy workload in 2019. Martha, from London, told The Sun: “They ran a number of tests but couldn’t find anything wrong with me, so I went back to work.” Teaching her year three class remotely through the Covid lockdowns of 2020 then finally gave Martha the push she needed to quit her £45,000-a-year teacher job. She said: “I realised I much preferred teaching in a small group on a computer from home. When I was finished, I was home – I could just do a load of washing, nip out for a walk and everything felt so much easier.” A friend then suggested Martha become a virtual assistant, or VA. A VA helps clients, who tend to be business owners, manage their appointments, but it could also include social media, website creation and maintenance, admin, research and anything else – all done from home. After posting a LinkedIn post advertising for VA work, Martha was fully booked within six weeks. Last year, Martha turned over £52,000 and worked 25 hours a week. She then pays herself 65 per cent of what she earns – this year, this has worked out at £2,000 to £2,700 a month. She added: “I’m much happier living as I am now, I’m not permanently exhausted and can actually enjoy my week.” Read her full story HERE.