Looking to develop high-income skills in 2024? Look no further than this guide!
Every personal finance expert will say that saving and investing money is the best path to wealth.
They are 100% right about that.
But what some experts fail to stress is that boosting your income is also a fundamental step to building wealth.
And no, you don’t necessarily have to start your own business to increase your income – although it’s perfectly fine if you do!
However, you can also substantially increase your income with upskilling.
Now, you might be thinking…
What Is Upskilling?
Upskilling is the act of learning or enhancing a new skill. If you’ve ever played video games when you were younger (or still do!), you can think of it as a career level-up.
Upskilling can lead to an average 8.6% average salary increase – representing around $8,000 –, according to Gallup.
Okay, but… which skills should you be focusing on to boost your income?
The answer is: focus on high-income skills.
If you want to learn what are the best high-income skills for 2024, stick to this article from top to bottom. However, if there are any specific topics you’re interested in, feel free to skip to the following sections:
- What Are High-Income Skills?
- Best High-Income Skills To Learn Or Improve In 2024
- Best High-Income Skills Without A Degree You Can Learn From Home (And For Free!) In 2024
- Answering The Question: “What Kind Of High-Income Skills Should I Learn”? (Or: How To Master The Skills For Your Dream Job)
- Final Thoughts
Let's get to it!
What Are High-Income Skills?
High-income skills are a set of abilities that are in high demand in today’s marketplace and, therefore, have high earning potential. It’s the kind of skill that businesses need to grow their customer base, increase their revenue, and stand out from competitors.
Some of these are specific to certain fields but are also transferable from industry to industry. For example:
Suppose you are a software developer who has expertise in Python and is currently employed at a SaaS healthcare organization. In this case, you have acquired a valuable skill that is in high demand: software development, specifically with Python programming. Hence, you can seamlessly transition to another SaaS company that operates in a different industry, such as Finance, but continue working in your field of expertise.
But other skills encompass abilities that are highly requested for every job, like communication and leadership.
Most high-income skills can be learned from home through free or low-cost online courses. That’s the difference between high-income skillsand high-income jobs, by the way. While you can acquire the first one without a traditional degree, high-income jobs refer to the best-paying careers in the traditional sense – like doctors and lawyers, for example, where their specific skills are obtained through traditional education.
Best High-Income Skills To Learn Or Improve In 2024
So you might wonder: what are the best high-income skills to learn or improve in 2024?
To answer this question, let’s take a step back and look into the best-paying industries in 2024: Finance & Banking, Information Technology, and Healthcare, according to Forbes.
Now, working for one of these industries doesn’t mean having traditional education and work experience in these fields. In other words, you don’t have to be a hedge fund manager, a software engineer, or a doctor to fill in a position in finance, IT, or healthcare.
Instead, you can leverage high-income skills to work within these industries in your area of expertise.
For example:
- A Marketing Manager can leverage leadership skills to work for a bank.
- An Account Manager can enhance their communication skills to work for a SaaS company.
- A Customer Success Specialist can develop organization skills to work for a healthcare insurance company
With this in mind, we’ve analyzed job descriptions for multiple positions across these industries and wrapped high-income skills to learn or improve in 2024, and that can be applied by professionals regardless of their current position or career goal. They are:
#1: Communication
Communication is the number one high-income soft skill required for multiple job positions in the best-paying industries.
No surprise there! Think about it: by communicating clearly, you can carry out multiple tasks with way more efficiency. This goes to tasks like:
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams
- Reporting results to C-level executives
- Marketing a new product
- Briefing team members about a new project
- Or simply writing a very important e-mail.
Communication is key for every single task you put your hands on.
Pro Tip: Consider enrolling in a copywriting or storytelling course to help you enhance your communication skills!
#2: Leadership
Leadership is a soft skill required in high-paying positions, and not just in upper management. Some companies view candidates with leadership skills to be reliable team players, as they encompass a set of valued abilities, like active listening, strategic thinking, conflict management, feedback, problem-solving, and time management.
You don’t need to aim for an upper-management position to leverage these skills and increase your income. Leadership skills make you a more proactive and productive worker – every company would love having people with these qualities fill every role!
Pro tip: Consider entering a mentorship program to learn leadership skills from real, inspiring leaders!
#3: Organization
Organization comprehends a set of abilities like goal setting, attention to detail, planning, and prioritizing. Great professionals often excel in their careers because, in addition to leadership skills, they are also highly organized.
And, the good news is, that developing organizational skills doesn’t necessarily require you to take a new course. You can start by introducing some habits into your daily routine, like:
- Organizing your workstation
- Creating daily to-do lists
- Categorizing your activities from low-priority tasks to high-priority tasks
- Setting milestones for your projects
- And so on!
Pro tip: Consider leveraging free management tools like Trello, Notion or ClickUp to keep you organized!
Best High-Income Skills Without A Degree Your Can Learn From Home (And For Free!) 2024
You don’t need a college degree to get a high-paying job. Sure a formal degree can help. But there are also several high-income skills you can start learning today without ever going to college!
Whether you’re just getting started in your career, planning to change careers, or looking for lucrative side business ideas, the list of high-income skills coming up in this blog post will help.
Here’s a list of high-income skills that you can learn on your own, at your own pace, for a fraction of a formal college degree.
And I don’t just want to plant ideas in your head. I want to help you land easy high-paying jobs! So, I’m also including the average base salary listed on Glassdoor for these skills and the best resources to help you learn each one.
#1: Copywriting
Copywriting is one of the most valuable skills for every business imaginable. Copywriters are responsible for writing the text, or copy, found on sales pages, landing pages, emails, search ads, and more. Their job is to use those words to persuade consumers to do things like buy, click, or download a company’s offer.
Copywriting is everywhere. And there’s never a shortage of work. But because the demand is so high, there is a shortage of talent, which is why you can make a pretty decent income once you’ve mastered the skill.
Average Annual Income: The average base salary for a Copywriter goes from $56,000 to $85,000 per year. Senior Copywriters can earn as much as $111,000 per year.
How to Learn Copywriting: There are tons of blogs, courses, and free tutorials to learn copywriting on the internet. Here are some of the best:
#2: Web Development
Web developers help businesses build attractive, high-quality websites. Usually, these are the types of websites that can’t be built using platforms like WordPress or Squarespace.
A web developer needs to learn advanced programming languages like CSS, C++, Javascript, Ruby, Python, and more. Of course, this isn’t easy and requires you to learn a lot of skills. But once you do, a high salary is the reward!
As you can imagine, gaining the skills to become a web developer takes a lot of work — especially if you’re starting from zero. But thanks to several free and paid online resources you can learn everything you need to know at your own pace.
Average Annual Income: The average base salary for a Web Developer goes from $66,000 to $108,000 per year. Senior Web Developers earn as much as $155,000 per year.
How To Learn Web Development: Here are some of the best online courses:
If you prefer in-person learning, there are also a ton of coding courses and bootcamps all over the world.
#3: Content Marketing
As a Content Marketer, companies will pay you to create high-quality content in the form of blog posts, videos, infographics, e-books, case studies, and more. Those companies will use those materials to attract and educate customers, build their brand, and demonstrate authority within their niche.
All of those goals are extremely valuable to a business’s success. That’s why many businesses are willing to pay expert content creators quite well.
Average Annual Income: The average base salary for a Content Writer goes from $47,000 to $74,000 per year. Content Strategists earn from $59,000 to $98,000 per year. And Content Marketing Managers make from $65,000 to $105,000 per year.
How To Learn Content Marketing: How you approach learning and mastering content marketing may depend on the type of content (e.g. blogs, videos, etc.) you want to create. But you can learn the basics by checking out:
#4: SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of making a website easy to find and relevant whenever someone uses a search engine like Google to look for information.
And since many companies generate more revenue from organic search than any other marketing channel, those companies are willing to invest in employees and freelancers who specialize in SEO.
Average Annual Income: The average base salary for an SEO Specialist goes from $51,000 to $85,000 per year. SEO Analysts earn from $67,000 to $110,000 per year on average. And SEO Managers earn from $67,000 to $113,000 per year.
How To Learn SEO: SEO is a field that requires you to always be learning and adapting. To get started, check out the blogs, YouTube channels, and courses from:
#5: Digital Marketing
Digital marketing encompasses a lot of different skill sets. For example, SEO, SEM, social media marketing, content marketing, and email marketing all fall under the category of digital marketing.
But you don’t need to achieve mastery in every area of digital marketing to land a high-paying job. With a proficient understanding of the principles of digital marketing, companies will hire and pay you well to develop, track, and improve digital marketing campaigns.
Average Annual Income: The average base salary for a Digital Marketing Specialist goes from $49,000 to $74,000 per year. Digital Marketing Managers earn from $67,000 to $110,000 per year.
How To Learn Digital Marketing: There are a lot of great resources online to learn digital marketing. And a lot of the best ones are even free! Here are some to help you get started:
#6: Graphic Design
Companies hire freelance and in-house graphic designers to create things like logos, banners, packaging designs, posters, and templates. And because the quality of these designs can have a huge impact on a business’s success, graphic designers tend to make a pretty decent income.
Average Annual Income: The average base salary for a Graphic Designer goes from $47,000 to $68,000 per year. Senior Graphic Designers can earn up to $99,000 per year.
How To Learn Graphic Design: You may be able to find in-person graphic design classes at your local community college. You can also use the following resources to learn graphic design online:
- Udemy: Introduction to Graphic Design
- Graphic Design Certification by Calarts
- Udemy: Graphic Design Bootcamp: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
- Skillshare’s Graphic Design Courses
#7: Sales
Sales isn’t just a high-income skill. It’s a high-income skill. And that’s for two reasons. First, companies always need someone who knows how to persuade people to buy their products or services. This is, surely, no surprise. But the second reason might be.
If you’re good at sales, you’ll make more money in whatever career you have. How so? Because you’ll know how to show the value of skills and experience to employers and convince them you’re worth being paid well!
In other words, even if you don’t plan on starting a career in sales, I still recommend learning this high-income skill. Your bank account will thank you later!
Average Annual Income: The average base salary for a salesperson ranges between $47,000 and $85,000 per year. Area Sales Managers can make from $70,000 to $124,000 per year. And Regional Sales Managers can earn up to $136,000 per year.
How To Learn Sales: There are a variety of sales training courses, workshops, tutorials, and books to help you get better at sales. Here are a few online options to help you get started:
- The Art of Sales: Mastering the Selling Process Specialization
- Hubspot Academy’s Inbound Sales Course
- Mastering Sales: A Toolkit for Success
To recap, here's a graph that illustrates the potential income from mastering the skills we've listed above:
Answering The Question: “What Kind Of High-Income Skill Should I Learn”? (Or: How To Master The Skills For Your Dream Job)
Now that we’ve covered the best high-income skills that you can learn from home in 2024, it’s time you discover how do you pick the ones that are the best fit for you!
We’ve wrapped up a step-by-step guide to help you fill in the missing gaps in your resume and land a job you love!
Here’s where you will start:
#1: Ask yourself where you see yourself in the future
And I’m not talking about specific positions you’d like to fill in, e.g. Manager, Director, or CEO (although, these can also be a good starting point)!
Instead, ask yourself what kind of life do you envision in the future. Do you see yourself living in the city? Would you like to work onsite or remotely? How would you like to spend most of your time during work: do you see yourself attending meetings, corporate events, or conferences, or would you rather work in your one space and dive into specific tasks?
These are some questions you might want to ask yourself because they can point you in the best direction. For instance, if you’re the type of person who enjoys connecting with people, you might consider a role in Sales. But if you’re not, maybe a career as a developer might be the best fit for you.
When you’re done with this exercise, you’ll be ready to…
#2: Connect with people who made it there
Start networking with people who are living the dream! Not only are these connections valuable for the future, but they can also enlighten you about the good, the bad, and the ugly aspects of pursuing this path – and you’ll probably be able to leverage their experience and avoid common mistakes.
Not sure where to begin? Hop to our comprehensive guide on how to network with 4 proven strategies for connecting the right way!
Want a shortcut to these people's direct contact information? Head over to MailScoop.io and find anyone’s professional e-mail address in seconds, for free!
#3: Make a list of companies you would like to work for and look for roles that interest you
Based on the exercises above, craft a list of 15 companies you would like to work for that match your personal and professional requirements. Then, see if there are any open roles you’d be interested in – even if you don’t have the traditional background or experience to fill the position.
But don’t go applying just yet.
First, you’ll need to…
#4: Scan the job description to find missing skills
Once you’ve selected the jobs you are interested in, grab a copy of your resume and head over to ResyMatch.io to scan and score your resume versus any job you are targeting.
Upload a copy of your resume on the left side and copy and paste the job description on the right. Then, hit “Start Resume Scan” to find missing hard skills and soft skills.
Or, if you already have everything in hand, simply upload your resume and copy and paste the job description below:
Scanning...
#5: Start learning and putting into practice
Once you’ve found the missing skills, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and start working on them! There are plenty of ways you can learn and develop your skills, like:
- Starting an online course
- Taking a mentorship program
- Working on a personal project
- Volunteering for your school, a non-profit organization, or even the company you work for
- And so on!
Remember, knowledge doesn’t have to come from a traditional background and experience!
#6: Update your resume
When you feel you’ve mastered the skills you need, it’s time to update your resume! Head over to our guide on how to build a job-winning resume to get started. Or, if you prefer, pick one of our free resume templates below!
Free Job-Winning Resume Templates, Build Yours In No Time.
Choose a resume template below to get started:
Final Thoughts
Mastering any skill, whether it be a hard or soft skill, requires an investment of time, effort, and persistence. But the high-income skills I’ve shared in this post have the potential for huge returns!
So, if you’re looking to increase your salary, start a side business, or switch to a more lucrative career path, consider one of the skills I’ve listed in this post.
And if you’re ready to start applying for new jobs, be sure to also optimize your LinkedIn profile and update your personal brand to attract the recruiters and hiring managers looking for your new skillset!
