Always wanted to work for yourself? I mean, seriously, who doesn’t?! Earn one of these degrees and you can choose the path to building your own way and working for yourself. Let’s start with the obvious….We ALL know that you can be a self-employed doctor, dentist, lawyer, orthodontist, chiropractor, counselor, psychologist, etc. and while those are all amazing positions to be in, they aren’t what this list is all about. This list contains occupations (that require some form of degree) of the “not so popular”/ “maybe you weren’t thinking outside the box” type jobs, but certainly obtainable ones and some high-paying ways to become self-employed!
CONSTRUCTION MANAGERS
Level of Degree Needed: Bachelor’s
Type of Degree Earned: Construction Science, Building Science, Construction Engineering
Nearly 54 percent of all construction managers are self-employed… That’s a HUGE percentage! Most construction managers work their way up the ladder for years working for the “man” in order to get to this high paying position, but increasing in numbers are the ones earning a bachelor’s degree in construction and some are also becoming certified although this is not required. Acquiring a master’s degree in finance or business administration improves your abilities to run a successful construction business as well!
Self-employed construction manager’s salaries vary depending on the location, the project, and the economy. Salaried construction managers may have many benefits such as paid vacations, health insurance, per diem allowances and a vehicle in which to travel from site to site but the self-employed construction manager, providing these benefits for him or herself, will have to work harder and smarter in order to succeed in this field.
Most graduates of four-year programs begin as cost estimators, field engineers, assistants, or schedulers to a project manager before earning a spot as a construction manager. On the job experience in construction is a must before taking the ropes on your own and managing a crew. A four-year degree in construction or building science will teach you design and site planning, business and financial management, engineering, value analysis, safety, cost estimation, and much more.
SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THIS DEGREE ONLINE:
AMERICAN INTERCONTINENTAL UNIVERSITY offers an online Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Project Management featuring a comprehensive educational experience that is industry-relevant and is designed to prepare students for a wide range of fields within the degree. Learn more about American Intercontinental University’s online Bachelor of Business Administration degree program.
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY offers an online Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Project Management or Green and Sustainable Management degrees of which provides you with the skills needed to become successful in the areas of managing time, managing clients, critical thinking and much more, preparing the student to become an expert in small business management. Learn more about Liberty University’s online BS in Business Administration degree program.
MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
Level of Degree Needed: Bachelor’s Degree or Master’s Degree
Type of Degree Earned: Business Administration
The job outlook for Management Analysts/Consultants is projected to grow 14 percent through the year 2028, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Twenty-six percent are self-employed, which is 3 times the average for ALL occupations! If you are hired as a management consultant then your job is to improve the company by finding ways to increase its profits and change its structure. You may specialize in a specific area to the company or have a broad spectrum within the company or even be self-employed and work within a few different companies handling different aspects of business consulting.
In order to work as a management consultant, you may only just need a bachelor’s degree to work, for example, in a government agency but in the private industry, a master’s degree in business administration may be required along with experience in the field in which you are consulting. Not only must you have a degree you must be self-motivated, have good judgment, strong oral and written communication abilities, analyze and create, and most importantly, play well with others. Most management consultants are employed to the point of managing their own schedules and at some point managing others and it is at this point that many will choose to branch off on their own and start a consulting business themselves.
SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THIS DEGREE ONLINE:
POST UNIVERSITY offers a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a Management concentration. Obtaining your degree from The Malcolm Baldrige School of Business at Post University entirely online prepares the student for a successful career in management and consulting. Learn more about Post University’s online BSBA degree with a Management concentration degree program.
COLORADO TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY offers a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Management will allow the student to gain the knowledge and skills needed to successfully focus on a career in Management and, further, the consulting field. Learn more about Colorado Technical University’s online BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Management degree program.
ADVERTISING and MARKETING
Level of Degree Needed: Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate
Type of Degree Earned: Advertising, Business Administration, Marketing
If you are interested in running your own advertising agency, it is imperative that you get your degree in advertising and a lot of experience under your belt before going out on your own. A bachelor’s degree in advertising, marketing, sales or a related field can put you in a position to obtain a management position within an advertising firm. You may even go on to obtain your master’s or doctorate degree in order to advance within an agency or hold a teaching position at a university level. Becoming a self-employed advertiser means that you can either run your own advertising agency or simply freelance. When you are self-employed you are responsible for all types of positions all wrapped up in one….you become the creative director, the copywriter, the advertising manager, and executive all within your own agency hence many responsibilities come with taking on this challenging journey.
SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THIS DEGREE PROGRAM ONLINE:
SAINT LEO UNIVERSITY‘s Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing can be obtained via the Donald R. Tapia School of Business. Learn consumer behavior, marketing policies and strategies, and social media marketing, to name just a few, via the courses available that will help you build a solid foundation in the field of marketing. Learn more about Saint Leo University’s online BA in Business Administration degree program with a concentration in Marketing.
WESTERN GOVERNORS UNIVERSITY offers a B.S. in Marketing Management that is designed for those looking to get a great start on their marketing careers or for those already experienced in the field looking to enhance their portfolios. Learn more about Western Governors University BS in Marketing Management distance learning degree program.
PRIVATE DETECTIVES and INVESTIGATORS
Level of Degree Needed: Associates or Bachelor’s, On-the-Job Experience
Type of Degree Earned: Criminal Justice, Police Science
Depending on what type of investigating you are interested in, you would probably want to choose your degree based on this information. For example, if you are interested in becoming a corporate investigator, you would need a degree with coursework in accounting, business, and finance or if you are looking into financial investigating, an accounting degree would be your focus. Even computer forensic investigators would need a specific degree in computer science or criminal justice. Don’t forget that many states require you to be licensed for this position.
The best route to becoming self-employed in this field is to work for the man for several years to obtain the experience needed to set off on your own. Also, with the ever-changing world in relation to investigating, it is imperative that you keep up with the latest methods of fraud detection and changing technologies. About 25% of P.I.s and detectives are self-employed in the United States and the rate of growth, according to the US BLS, is about 8 percent between now and the year 2028 which is actually faster than average. As a matter of fact, private detectives and investigators generally choose this as a second career after retiring from jobs such as paralegals, accountants, and those in finance.
SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THIS DEGREE ONLINE:
PURDUE UNIVERSITY GLOBAL‘s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice will teach you techniques and principles regarding all aspects of crime scene investigations, including, but not limited to, how to, locate, collect and analyze crime scene evidence and identify crime scene boundaries, identify the forensic material and much more. Learn more about Purdue University Global’s online BS in Criminal Justice degree program.
PENN FOSTER CAREER SCHOOL offers a Criminal Justice bachelor’s degree taught by dedicated faculty that will educate you with real-world experiences preparing the student for a rewarding career in the criminal justice field. Learn more about Penn Foster Career Schools online Criminal Justice Bachelor’s degree program.
INTERPRETERS and TRANSLATORS
Level of Degree Needed: Bachelor’s
Type of Degree Earned: Interpreting, foreign language
Twenty-one percent of interpreters and translators are self-employed! Probably one of the most exciting careers you can have. You get to meet new people and YOU are the reason for communication between people otherwise not able to communicate! An interpreter or translator will typically need at least a bachelor’s degree and be fluent in two languages with English being one. You may not need to major in a particular language so much as a particular field of study where you have expertise in the subject matter you are translating. Working as a court or medical interpreter or translator, you may complete job-specific training versus a finance or engineer translator, which is in more technical areas, generally require a master’s degree. You will need to take an exam for certification in your state.
Based on your reputation or referrals, you may become a self-employed translator or interpreter but you must first start from the bottom to obtain the skills needed to succeed. You must have the ability to concentrate, be sensitive to cultural differences, have excellent business skills, in addition to, excellent listening and speaking skills along with having dexterity and interpersonal skills. Between 2018 and 2028, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a growth rate of 19 percent, much faster than average!
A SCHOOL THAT OFFERS THIS ONLINE DEGREE:
University of Mass-Online offers a Bachelor of Arts degree program with a Translation & Interpreting Concentration; often viewed as a degree completion degree. With this bachelor’s degree, you will be prepared for a promotion in healthcare, business, education, or public health, and much more. Learn more about UMass’s online BA degree with a concentration in Translation & Interpreting.
GAME DESIGNERS
Level of Degree Needed: Bachelor’s
Type of Degree Earned: Computer Graphics, Art, Animation or related field
What a fun, exciting career to be a game designer! Taking courses in drawing, painting, computer science, sculpture, film, and interactive media can be fun and challenging. One interested in this field MUST have artistic talent, great computer and communication skills, be creative, a problem solver, and a critical thinker, and be able to manage their time efficiently to reach deadlines. Self-employed game designers make up about 57 percent of the field’s workforce, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A nice portion of game designers works from home regardless of whether they are employed or are self-employed. A career in game design is known for being a laid back, casual type of position in which the degree holder in this field is less stressful and more productive and successful. In addition, a self-employed game designer can charge more and a greater potential to work more hours. Obtaining a game design degree equals job security due to the ever-changing and growing video game industry. The constant development of bigger and better games is a nice security factor as games are becoming more and more radical and who wouldn’t want to say that they played a major role in a mega-popular video game’s existence!?!
A SCHOOL THAT OFFERS THIS DEGREE ONLINE:
FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY’s Bachelor of Science in Game Design degree program is a specialized curriculum that focuses heavily on story development, gameplay, and production. The course highlights game history, level design, and game mechanics to name a few. Learn more about Full Sail University’s distance learning BS in Game Design degree program.
AGRICULTURE
Level of Degree Needed: Bachelor’s
Type of Degree Earned: Agriculture
12% of professionals in the agricultural field are self-employed. Earning a degree in agriculture lends itself to many opportunities in the farming and fishing industries. Courses will include chemistry, biology, environmental studies, not to mention, food science, management, and economics. Many self-employed farmers grew up on a farm. Having that experience in addition to learning the business side of agriculture will have a huge effect on your success in this field as a self-employed farmer. The possibilities though are endless, including having a career as an agricultural consultant. Your career path may also lead you down the road to auctioneering, animal welfare, research, or even agricultural sales which would procure the need for a few courses in marketing.
SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THIS DEGREE ONLINE:
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY allows you to advance your career with their bachelor’s degree in agricultural business expanding on your knowledge and skills needed to manage and market ag products and face the daily challenges of the business side of agriculture. Learn more about Colorado State University’s online Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business degree program.
OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY‘s Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Sciences online program is designed for the newbie and the experienced farmer allowing you to customize your curriculum to fit your needs. OSU is also “recognized as a world-class leader in agriculture”, as identified on their website. Learn more about Oregon State University’s BS in Agricultural Sciences degree program.
WRITERS and AUTHORS
Level of Degree Needed: Bachelor’s
Type of Degree Earned: Creative writing, depending on the path taken, i.e. Copywriters would major in English, Advertising, Marketing or maybe Computer Science or Engineering (for the technical writer)
Approximately 62% of Authors and Writers are self-employed…..above average for the industry as a whole. There are many occupations in this group, such as, novelists, playwrights, poets, scriptwriters, copywriters, journalism, communications, publishing, technical writers, and, of course, authors in which you may specialize in a particular subject. The average wage per hour for writers and authors, according to the BLS, is $30.39 per hour and you get to work from home at your own pace to boot!
SCHOOLS THAT OFFER THIS DEGREE ONLINE:
FULL SAIL UNIVERSITY offers a Creative Writing Bachelor of Fine Arts degree online that carries an emphasis on writing for the visual media which includes screenwriting and scriptwriting and also teaches skills needed to advance in the industry. Learn more about Full Sail University’s online BFA in Creative Writing degree program.