Entry Level Jobs: 4 Jobs You Can Get Using Only Certificate

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A Bachelor’s degree, 3+ years experience, industry certifications...

These are just some items you’ll see on the wish list of employers, job posting that advertise “entry-level” seem to be more suited for veterans in the industry.

It’s no wonder I constantly get asked “Can you really break into a job with no related experience? Don’t I need a bachelor's degree? Michael, are you just scamming us?” 

I can confirm, I scam you not. 

For every job posting that has unrealistic requirements, there’s a job out there that you can wiggle your way into. That’s right, there are actually entry-level jobs where the right certification , properly writing your resume, and doing your research, can land you in a new career.

Is the certificate is ALL you need to land the job? The answer is no because your resume and LinkedIn profile also need to be optimized, these cannot be ignored. It doesn't matter if you have 10 years experience in a field and you're a perfect fit if you resume and LinkedIn don't showcase your qualifications. Show don't tell.

Knowing that, let's go over some of them.

Entry Level IT

If you enjoy helping others with technical issues or setting up technologies, which can include software, hardware, and networks, this job is perfect for you. Companies need IT personnel to troubleshoot technology issues and set up systems that they use.

In IT, you’ll find entry-level roles like IT Support Specialist or Helpdesk Support that only require certificates. There are also many entry-level IT positions that you can qualify for by translating your current experience. For example, if you’ve had past experience in a customer support role, there are responsibilities that overlap such as troubleshooting customer issues. Or if you were ever in an administrative role, answering phones, doing paperwork, you’re not far from the support work that IT personnel do.  

If you don’t have much work experience and would like to be a little more competitive, consider getting a relevant certification. The main certification for IT is the CompTIA A+, which you can get by passing the exam. To study for it you can use a website CertLibrary.com to get prepared for the exact questions you’ll be asked.

What if you truly have no work experience or don’t want to do it alone? There are programs like Merit America that will help you acquire the knowledge and skills without the need to undergo a 4-year degree.

Entry Level Data Analytics 

Does helping business leaders make a decision from a bunch of data sound appealing to you? As a data analyst, you would be answering business questions that would help people in problem-solving and decision-making. 

What state are most of our customers from? How many of our emails are related to that recent bug? If we stop supporting our old products, will any of our customers give a damn?

These are just a few examples of questions you’d help answer. 

This entry-level job involves figuring out how to acquire the data, cleaning it, interpreting, analyzing, and presenting data in a way that tells a story (think charts and graphs). 

You can break into entry-level data analytics by taking a course like the Google Data Analytics Certification. 

If you’d like more support on your journey and you have little experience, a bootcamp like Flatironschool.com or Careerfoundry.com might be a good idea.  

Entry Level Marketing

As a marketer, you’ll need skills in copywriting, researching, social media, customer service, and more.

Marketing aims to help businesses promote their products and services, ultimately resulting in more sales.

There are lots of marketing courses available online. The most comprehensive is the Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate which will teach you everything you need to land an entry-level job in marketing. Most importantly, you’ll finish the course with a portfolio which will be crucial when applying to jobs. 

You can also try the Google Ads Certifications as well as other courses on Google that cost $0 to learn the skills and get a certification in order to be more qualified for an entry-level marketing job.

With your skills plus certification, you can break into entry-level marketing careers such as Social Media Marketing, SEO Specialist, Community Manager, Copywriter, and much more. 

Another supplement to a course is to build your own social media channel. Choose a platform that sounds compelling to you whether it be Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest, anything. Then choose a subject you’d like to make content about. Could be anything from fitness, travel, 16th Century Cutlery—whatever floats your boat. 

Even if you don’t get many followers, it’ll showcase your work and that you’re capable of managing a social media channel.

Entry Level Project Management

Chances are you’ve managed a project at some point in your life. Whether it was a small project at work or being the go-to planner for a camping trip with your friends. 

If you enjoyed it, you’re in luck because entry-level project management is a role that will always be in-demand and well-paid.

As a project manager, you’ll determine the goal of the project, what’s needed to complete it, problems you might encounter, target dates, the deadline, etc. 

There are plenty of certifications out there that’ll make you a competitive applicant. 

Google has a solid comprehensive course on the subject with the Google Project Management Professional Certificate. 

That being said, I’d recommend starting with an industry standard PMI or CAPM. There’s also the CompTIA Project+ which is specific to managing IT projects.

Many entry-level project management jobs don’t require you to have a certification to be hired. However, a certification is proof that you are skilled and qualified for the job you’re applying for. 

There is no right or wrong path to breaking into an industry. It all depends on where you’re at in terms of experience and education, and personal aspects like your responsibilities and how much energy you can dedicate.

The most important thing is to not get overwhelmed with all the options. Choose one method. Don’t try to do multiple certifications or learning paths at once.