These open Illinois state jobs don’t require a degree — one offers up to $90K a year

Meredith Howard
·5 min read

If you’re searching for work and don’t have a college degree, there are options with the Illinois state government.

Less than 30% of St. Clair County residents over the age of 25 hold a bachelor’s degree or a higher level of education, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Many state government jobs in Pennsylvania, Utah and Maryland no longer require a college degree, and the Illinois state government also has positions that don’t require a bachelor’s degree.

The Work for Illinois website displays job listings, deadlines and qualifications, and you can apply for positions online. Additional information about application requirements is available.

Here are five open state government positions that don’t require a college degree.

Conservation/historic preservation worker

Agency: Department of Natural Resources

Wage: $15 per hour (temporary position, not to exceed six months)

Location: Grafton, Ill.

The application for conservation/historic preservation worker closes Oct. 3.

The position’s responsibilities include, according to the job listing:

  • Perform routine maintenance and janitorial duties of site buildings and public use areas.

  • Assist in area preparation and operation for various hunting seasons.

  • Operate and perform routine maintenance on equipment and vehicles.

  • Assist in the inspection of public use areas for public safety and hazards.

  • Explain site rules and regulations to users.

Minimum qualifications and employment conditions include, the listing says:

  • “Knowledge, skill, and mental development” equivalent to completing eight years of elementary/middle school

  • Ability to pass background check

  • Employee must be at least 17 years old and hold a valid driver’s license

  • “Elementary knowledge of materials, tools, and equipment essential to grounds and building maintenance

  • Ability to operate and maintain tools, equipment and trucks

  • Must be able to carry up to 60 pounds and walk over rough, broken terrain”

Human resources representative

Agency: Department of Human Services

Wage: $59,136 to $90,852 per year anticipated

Location: Chester, Ill.

The application for human resources representative closes Oct. 4.

The position’s responsibilities include, according to the listing:

  • Perform a variety of professional human resource activities for the employees of Chester Mental Health Center.

  • Coordinate employee benefits, participate in new hire orientation and provide advice and counsel to employees for Chester Mental Health Center.

  • Assist in the implementation of the employee performance evaluation program.

  • Work closely with management on employee/staff issues.

  • Conduct employee annual review of healthcare worker registry, sex offender registry, child abuse neglect tracking system and national practitioner data bank to verify if disciplinary measures should be taken toward facility employees.

  • Maintain a log of licensed professional staff employed at the facility.

The job listing says minimum qualifications include “knowledge, skill and mental development” equivalent to completing four years of college plus one year of professional experience, preferably in human resources, or “satisfactory completion of an approved training program.”

Highway maintainer - snow removal operator

Agency: Department of Transportation

Wage: $20.55 per hour (temporary, on-call position)

Location: Positions available in St. Clair, Madison and other metro-east counties

The application for snow removal operator (District 8) closes Oct. 5.

The job responsibilities include, according to the listing:

  • Operate CDL Class A or B licensed vehicles

  • Assist in emergency snow and ice control

  • Assist in servicing, washing and making minor repairs of equipment

Required qualifications, according to the listing:

  • “Knowledge, skill and mental development” equivalent to completing four years of high school

  • Class “A” CDL with appropriate endorsements, to include X or N and no airbrake restrictions

  • “For seasonal employees only, possession of a Class B CDL with appropriate endorsements, to include X or N and no airbrake restrictions, is acceptable for a period of two years. At the beginning of the third year from the initial hire date, a seasonal employee must possess a Class A CDL.”

  • One year of driving experience immediately before hiring free of incidents that could result in license suspension or revocation

Executive secretary I, opt. 2

Agency: Department of Transportation

Wage: $3,858 to $5,348 per month

Location: Collinsville, Ill.

The application for executive secretary closes Oct. 10.

Job responsibilities include, the listing says:

  • As secretary to the bureau chief, perform duties including transcribing and keyboarding correspondence and meeting minutes.

  • Perform clerical support for the bureau staff.

  • Serve as receptionist; receive visitors and direct them appropriately.

  • As executive secretary, serve as lead worker to the office occupations trainees, assign and review work, provide performance evaluation input and explain work rules, regulations and procedures.

  • Arrange travel and hotel reservations for supervisor and staff for seminars and meetings.

  • Set up conferences; gathers data and makes recommendations.

  • Maintain files on complaints received from officials, the public and reports from field engineers.

The position’s minimum qualifications include, according to the listing:

  • “Knowledge, skill and mental development” equivalent to completing two years of secretarial or business college and one year of secretarial experience or completion of high school and three years of secretarial experience

  • Ability to type accurately at 55 words per minute

Office specialist (opt. 2 typing)

Agency: Department of Human Services

Wage: $46,296 to $64,176 per year

Location: Springfield, Ill.

The application for office specialist is due by Oct. 10.

Job responsibilities include, according to the listing:

  • Maintain, update, keyboard and make changes to the master vendor database at Bureau of Disability Determination Services.

  • Assist with special projects, regulating, monitoring, controlling and operating the computer systems and applying software to design and update spreadsheets and databases which are required in a timely manner.

  • Monitor system activity.

  • Provide a leadership role in assisting, instructing and guiding new support staff and other staff within the BDDS in the use of the computer/software files, databases, tables and researching of documents, vendor file maintenance and data regarding the vendor file.

  • Maintain files of particularly large and complicated vendors for future reference and/or updates.

The listing says minimum qualifications include:

  • “Knowledge, skill, and mental development” equivalent to two years of business or secretarial college and one year of office experience or completion of high school and three years of office experience or three years of independent business experience

  • The ability to accurately type at 30 words per minute