In Kazakhstan, a number of professions that do not require higher education can bring in up to 4 million tenge. This list was published by entrepreneur Vyacheslav Chagai, reports infohub.kz.
The most profitable in the selection was the profession of event organizer. According to Chagai's estimate, earnings here can range from 500,000 to 4 million tenge and above. Apartment renovation specialists can earn from 600,000 to 3 million tenge, while auto body specialists and stretch ceiling installers can earn up to 2.5 million tenge.
For pastry chefs, the entrepreneur set a range of 400,000 to 2 million tenge, for landscape designers — from 700,000 to 2 million, for tattoo artists — from 300,000 to 1.7 million, and for drone operators — from 300,000 to 1.5 million tenge.
It is important to note that this is an entrepreneur's estimate, not official income statistics for these professions. "Experience, quality of work, number of clients, reputation, and the ability to sell your services are what matter here," Chagai believes.
For comparison, according to the Bureau of National Statistics, in the first quarter of 2026, the average monthly salary in Kazakhstan was 461,500 tenge. The median salary was significantly lower — 331,500 tenge. In other words, half of all employees earned less than that amount.
In some sectors that include professions from Chagai's list, salaries are indeed higher than the national median. For example, in construction, the average salary was about 536,800 tenge, and in wholesale and retail trade and repair of cars and motorcycles — 430,200 tenge.
Official statistics also show another side of the issue. On average, having an education is still linked to income levels. According to BNS data for 2025, workers with secondary education earned an average of 289,700 tenge per month. For workers with higher education, the figure was 497,600 tenge, and for those with postgraduate education — 672,500 tenge.