The best-paid jobs you can get without a university degree

A levels results day is here, which means many pupils across the country will be reacting to whether their grades are good enough to get them into university. 

But not all top jobs require degree-level qualifications. Jobs website Indeed has compiled a list of the five best-paid jobs for school leavers who don't have a university degree. 

Such attractive salaries will give pause for thought to teenagers wondering whether to press ahead with a degree course, especially with the average student racking up debts of £55,000 during a typical three-year university course.

10. Mechanic, £28,734

Mechanics need a level 2 qualification in light vehicle maintenance and repair, which you can get through an apprenticeship or a college course.

On-the-job training is essential, and gaining work experience as a garage assistant in your spare time will help prepare you for a career with cars.

9. Head chef - average salary: £30,867

See yourself as a budding Gordon Ramsay or Heston Blumenthal? You don't need a degree to join them.

To get started in the industry, you will need on-the-job training as a trainee chef or assistant in a kitchen, an apprenticeship or to have taken a college course. The ability to stay calm under pressure, having strong time management skills and - of course - a passion for food are essential qualities.

8. Pilot - average salary: £32,691

Although we don't know if Will Smith or Tom Cruise's characters in Independence Day and Top Gun went to university to get a degree, they need not have done. 

Pilots can earn in excess of £30,000 without the need for a degree. To begin training as a commercial pilot, you'll typically need a minimum of five GCSEs and two A-levels. 

7. Executive Assistant - average salary: £33,150

Whilst few people probably grow up wanting to be executive assistants, someone has to manage the schedules of some of the country's highest earners. With a starting salary of around £10,000 more than the UK average, school leavers without a degree can end up earning far more than those with one. 

6. Fitness Manager - average salary: £34,374

If ensuring the smooth running of a gym or fitness club appeals to you, then consider a fitness manager role which comes with a healthy salary just shy of £35k. If you're lucky, you might even be given free gym membership, too.

5. Sales manager - average salary: £37,991

If you have a natural talent for motivating and selling to people, then becoming a sales manager is an obvious career path.

Day-to-day tasks include setting targets, anaylsing the data and budgets to meet them, and motivating the company's sales force - and you can take apprenticeships and courses to learn the relevant skills.

4. Maintenance Manager - average salary: £38,675

Whilst a sufficient knowledge of plumbing, electrical systems and carpentry is useful, a university education is not mandatory to become a successful maintenance manager. With an average starting salary of £38,625, it's hard not to be tempted by this line of work.

3. Software engineer - average salary: £39,097

A degree isn't necessary to design, test and develop software. Taking coding courses, working on personal and open-source projects and gaining experience on different control systems are just as important - and just as valuable to recruiters.

2. Construction Manager - average salary: £53,118

Construction managers can earn up to twice as much as teachers, all without having to pay tens of thousands of pounds for a degree. 

Once a construction manager, you'll need to be able to work in poor weather and have good leadership and organisational skills. A salary in excess of £50,000 would make up for it, though.

1. Ethical hacker - average salary: £56,547

Using your coding skills to lawfully find vulnerabilities in company's computer systems can bring in more than double the national average salary and, while some ethical hackers may have degrees or technical qualifications, many learn the skills through experience.

Plus, this job is in high demand: data from Indeed shows there are more than twice the number of postings for ethical hackers as there are searches by prospective employees.