Skills trump degrees for coveted remote jobs in 2024
NEW YORK, UNITED STATES — A seismic shift is underway in the remote job market where skills and experience are taking priority over college degrees.
In 2023, 70% of companies adopted skills-based approaches, indicating a willingness to hire candidates based on proven abilities rather than education. Meanwhile, 45% of U.S. employers plan to ease degree requirements for certain positions in 2024.
According to Fast Company, among the roles that have emerged as highly lucrative and remote-friendly, five stand out for their impressive salary averages and accessibility to non-degree holders:
- Salesforce Developer – Average Salary: $93,679 – A Salesforce developer is a skilled software developer who tailors the functionality of tools within the Salesforce platform to suit the specific needs of businesses.
- Product Manager – Average Salary: $94,709 – A product manager is a person responsible for identifying and addressing the problems of a certain product in relation to the customer’s needs. They have a keen eye for recognizing the product success rate.
- Data Engineer – Average Salary: $96,427 – A data engineer focuses on designing scalable data processes and models, necessitating knowledge of programming languages and hands-on experience in data engineering tools.
- Mortgage Underwriter – Average Salary: $73,244 – A mortgage underwriter has a thorough understanding of mortgage industry regulations and strong analytical skills.
- Executive Assistant – Average Salary: $63,110 – An executive assistant is an employee who offers high-level administrative support to the company’s senior-level managers and executives.
Executive assistants’ everyday tasks range from answering phone calls and setting up meetings to handling executive requests and other office tasks. They also manage administrative tasks and direct less senior administrative staff.
While degrees still hold cachet in some old-school industries, skills-first recruiting is becoming the norm.
