To ask what career will have the most prospect

I’m surprised people are saying Accountant. Well paid, perhaps, but oh so stressful.

Dentistry gets my vote, especially if you can get into cosmetic dentistry.

Learn coding.
Cyber security.

I'm not sure what the best job is. Well paid, good work-life balance, not too much stress?

And that report that Duchess linked is 300 pages long, so extensive. But what job should MN dc be encouraged to consider? Who knows! That report says Builders are in short supply. They are well paid. But they work hard, in all kinds of weather, and all of them at aged 60 are physically crippled by the years on their knees. So not altogether easy.

<<Still none the wiser as to what route to recommend ds2 takes. >>

Interesting because I was just listening to the Economist saying that there's a coming generational shortage of accountants in the US.

@InWalksBarberalla

Accounting isn't going to be hit hard by AI. The accounting world has been discussing this for years and they're working with AI and accountants will still be needed for the human top level advice. This myth had been quashed a long time ago.

But most accounting jobs aren't that well paid, and even well paid Accountants work hard for their money.

I think there are better paid jobs out there.

@bradpittsbathwater which makes it v difficult for decision making when starting or changing career.

Data analysis seems to be a wacking growth area, I’d have thought it will be badly hit by AI but perhaps not

I’d read this

www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/

Depends on your values and interests. You’re not going to thrive and progress in a career that kills your soul.

Apart from some hands on jobs, AI is a threat to all employment prospects. It don't think there will be an industry that won't be affected by it.

But she did say More wage and Woking hours.
teaching isnt known for its great wages and good term-time hours.

I think this is a good thread. Undefined can lead to all sorts of suggestions.

Accounting / finance will be affected by AI in a way that will impact employment prospects?

@saltinesandcoffeecups you are very right about Supply Chain/ purchasing/ procurement. There's a shortage of those skills too in the Uk because nobody comes out of Uni thinking of that career option - probably because there are very few Uni courses devoted to the subject. It is possible to gain a professional qualification (CIPS) post Uni and that will open many doors to a well paid career with job security

I’m an actuary which generally comes out very high on surveys that looks at pay, conditions, stress, hours etc.

You have to be a trainee actuary first though which is tough as the exams feel never ending.

And you need to love maths but still be able to string a sentence together.

Tech, finance, engineering? I guess if want money you could do recruitment or sales for high end clients. Skilled trades? The energy industry? (I guess that goes back to engineering)

Teaching

If you think that’s a silly answer, you might have asked a question that is too vague.

If you are an adult retraining , I was an unqualified Parish Clerk, I worked 20 hours a week flexibly around my children, £19 an hour. All councils will pay for you to qualify. You earn more when you qualify and Clerks of large parishes or Town/City councils can earn £50-70k.

If you’re good at maths- actuary.

Looking at current trends in the UK, what is needed and what people value -

private practice nutritionist
personal trainer
environmental engineer
solar engineer
psychiatrist
therapist

And the traditional skills. plumber, electrician, thatcher, plasterer, roofer.

The UK needs an additional 27,000 people qualified just to install domestic heat pumps. Then solar panels, insulation, wind farms etc. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/20/were-facing-a-critical-shortage-why-uks-green-revolution-urgently-needs-skilled-workers

Plumber.

I'd worry these will be badly hit by AI.

Accounting and Finance for sure pays well but the stress and hours worked can also be pretty brutal.

This type of thing is an easy google search.

Computer science
Accounting
Finance

Nah… it will become self aware enough to develop on it’s own. 😉

I'd look for something that won't get taken over by AI. Maybe AI development?

I think that is somewhat regional… For reference I’m in the US… all averages using the ‘low’ side of the scale.

Registered Nurse makes £71K/year
GP … £160K
Hospital physician…£201K
Pharmacist…£71K

But to your other question my answer still stands from above and you need to do some research… just some random examples that I can think of…

Trades… hard work but good money… OTJ (on the job) training
Utilities Field work…Apprenticeship… steady work… great pay
Utilities in general…good industry and all types of specialties needed
Quality…Not the most popular guy at work but the stress is generally low and money can be good.

Supply Chain/Purchasing… nobody ever thinks of this field .. livable stress good pay
Insurance… always a stable and usually good pay for the work…claims suck!
Data Analyst… A couple of certifications and the rest is OTJ training. Good money an low stress but odd hours.

Basically if a job that some little kid wants do when they grow up. It’s likely not worth it 🤣