Best-Known Companies to Work for Without a Degree

Skipping the Degree?

As the cost of higher education has skyrocketed in the United States, many people are priced out of a college degree. Even for people who can afford it, the question remains: Is a college degree worth it? Considering that many well-known billionaires like Bill Gates dropped out of college, the answer for some might be: maybe not. Add to that racial discrepancies in college graduation rates and student debt, and it becomes easy to see why some major companies are starting to consider it important to hire employees without that once-coveted bachelor’s degree. If you’re a self-starter who can develop the skills needed to do a job, check out these major companies that don’t require a college degree.

Google

People who work at Google are often the cream of the crop. However, a degree next to your name isn’t the only way to secure employment at Google. If you have the skills, you can work in most software engineering and project manager roles. The tech behemoth even offers free access to numerous courses and educational information to help you develop coding skills. Part of the hiring process is a comprehensive interview where you can prove you belong at Google.

Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently announced Tesla employees need not have a college degree. He went so far as to say that colleges are a place for having fun, not learning. There are currently numerous openings. A few require a college degree, but many have no degree requirements or say a degree or exceptional ability is required.

Netflix

Netflix is another big-name company that doesn’t require a degree for some positions. It has even highlighted a handful of Netflix employees who don’t have a college degree, including senior-level employees like Ken Florance, who is vice president of content delivery. Netflix currently has job openings throughout the world. Some openings that don’t require a college degree include taxonomist, senior software engineer, administrative assistant, and more.

Apple

Working for Apple is a dream of many. Don’t have a college degree? Don’t worry. In 2019, about half of Apple employees had no college degree. Apple CEO Tim Cook says the skills learned in college don’t match up with what is required in the workplace, especially when it comes to coding. The company has hundreds of job openings currently available.

IBM

Another tech company that doesn’t require a college degree is IBM. In fact, IBM takes things a step further with its innovative apprenticeship program. Workers can complete a 12-month, paid apprenticeship where they learn the skills needed to fill higher-level positions within the company.

Dropbox

Dropbox co-founder Arash Ferdowsi doesn’t have a college degree, so it isn’t surprising there are some professions within the company that don’t require one. While some positions specify applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree, other job openings, like being a mobile software engineer, require a degree or equivalent technical experience. This flexibility seems to be becoming more and more common among tech companies.

Penguin Random House

If tech isn’t your thing, there are plenty of other companies that hire without a degree. Book publisher Penguin Random House beat many tech companies to the punch by doing away with degree requirements back in 2016. The company currently has a number of open entry-level and experienced positions that don’t have any degree requirements.

Costco

If you think a non-degree job at Costco means you’ll only be stocking shelves, think again. While these jobs are available, Costco also has jobs in IT, software engineering, and analytics. Many current Costco office employees (including those who can work from home) started out in stores or warehouses and worked their way up the company ladder as well.

Whole Foods

Whole Foods’ no-degree policy is just one way the company empowers workers. They also practice wage-transparency, which means everyone knows what everyone else makes. It's considered an important step towards equal pay for minorities and women. Whole Foods team leaders can even earn an average of $99,000, no degree needed. If that doesn’t sound like a good fit, corporate positions are also available (but some do require a degree).

Publix

Grocery stores Whole Foods and Costco have many non-degree jobs, and so does yet another grocery chain: Publix. This Florida-headquartered grocery chain has various in-store and corporate positions that don’t require a college degree. Some require no experience, while others require a degree or equivalent experience.

Starbucks

Being a barista may not seem like a glamorous job, but Starbucks provides opportunities to work your way up in-store. Store managers earn an average of just over $50,000, according to the job search site Indeed. Plus, if you don’t have a college degree already, Starbucks may pay for your college education.

Chipotle

Chipotle also doesn’t require a degree for higher-up positions like general managers. With an average salary of $57,662, there is a lot of potential here. One current general manager writes on Indeed that the job can be stressful, but it is fairly easy to move up when starting as a crew member.

Lowe’s

You can get an in-store and some office jobs at Lowe’s without a college degree. Office positions like district quality coordinator or product researcher are options if you have the relevant experience. A degree could certainly help your odds, but may not be required. Lowe’s is also a proud supporter of veterans and employs over 20,000 people within the military community, including veterans and spouses of active-duty military members.

Home Depot

Another home improvement store, Home Depot, has various positions for non-college graduates. They have many on-the-floor positions as well as options for sales consulting, lead generation management, and remote jobs like cybersecurity engineering. Full-time associates can also receive up to $6,000 toward degree completion at Bellevue University.

Nordstrom

For the fashion experts out there, what better place to work than Nordstrom? There are many positions in the company that don’t require a degree, including visual merchandiser, beauty counter manager, product manager, and even principal engineer. Nordstrom currently has job openings in many cities across the country.

Hilton

The hospitality industry isn’t for everyone, but if it is, Hilton is one standout place to search for jobs that don't require a college degree. Some corporate jobs that require experience but no degree include digital marketing manager, art director, and quality assurance analyst. There are also numerous hotel jobs available.

Bank of America

Some companies make you search to see if they require a degree. Bank of America proudly declares a four-year degree isn’t always necessary to work a tech job within the company. The company even offers a training program to help workers get the skills needed to move into key positions. There are also banking jobs within the company that don’t specify a degree requirement.