If you enjoy your job and earn £50k+, what do you do for a living?

[Querymary12]

I'm thinking about a career move and I'd be keen to hear about what other options there are out there.

@8Track I'm interested in changing careers to become an accountant and trying to find the best way to train and work. How did you get a training contract? Looking for some advice thanks!

Freelance designer writer web digital marketing person living in the US. I've spent years wondering what my actual job title is but it seems to get less and less specific the longer I do it.

I love it. Different challenges coming up all the time. Learning new stuff. Helping clients. Getting paid to design stuff.

My latest project was designing labels for medical marijuana products.

@onsloop like others in this thread, I am an accountant. In my case Chief finance officer of a school. There are a few qualification routes you can follow. In my case I did CIMA, Chartered institute of management accountants. I have never worked for a firm of accountants.

Previous jobs have made bomb disposal robots, or armoured vans.

Lots of variety.

@onaloop I meant!

Dog groomer

Clearly I'm in the wrong job

@Savoretti

Dog groomer

Do you own your own grooming business? I didn't realise it paid so well.

Digital learning. It's pretty easy to learn and to earn a fair amount doing it.

Live-in Governess abroad. Earning £40k pa tax-free with all expenses paid and generous gifts/bonuses (able to save my entire wage).

Upsides: Lovely parents. Sweet kids eager to learn. Lots of travel to lovely places. Amazing food. Fabulous amenities.

Downsides: Long hours. Impossible to maintain a romantic relationship so can get really lonely. When kids grow up I move on which can be an emotional wrench.

Got here via English degree then teaching EFL. Massively helped by my aptitude for multiple languages.

Patent attorney (in house). I earn a six figure salary working (mostly) office hours. It’s never dull! But you do need lots of qualifications - I have a degree in chemistry, a PhD in biochemistry, 7 years of R&D experience, two sets of professional qualifications (U.K. and European),
and almost 15 years experience in my current role.

@WillYouDoTheFandango

Medical communications (need a degree or preferably PhD in a life science to be a writer or some finance skills to be a project manager).

I’m looking into this, I have a BSc, MSc and PhD in a life science, spent 10+ years in academia (lecturing, RG uni, have a fair few publications under my belt), then a career break (children). My post career break job is far removed from my original career, but I do a bit of medical comms unofficially, due to my background and I’ve realised I really enjoy this bit… Just not sure how I’d get into it 🧐🧐

@8Track

Chartered accountant, assistant manager level in audit with a small firm. London based which does boost the salary to be transparent. 55k. Did an unrelated degree, (then a decade of other work), 3 yr training contract while working, now 2 yrs post qualified.

Love my clients, colleagues, opportunities to train others.

This sounds exactly like what I want to do!! How did you get your training contract?

Actuary, really enjoy it and good work life balance

Independent educational psychologist. Takes years to qualify but my work is always interesting and I think I help the young people, families and schools I work with. I also work school hours, term time only which is lovely.

@BestestBrownies

Live-in Governess abroad. Earning £40k pa tax-free with all expenses paid and generous gifts/bonuses (able to save my entire wage).

Upsides: Lovely parents. Sweet kids eager to learn. Lots of travel to lovely places. Amazing food. Fabulous amenities.

Downsides: Long hours. Impossible to maintain a romantic relationship so can get really lonely. When kids grow up I move on which can be an emotional wrench.

Got here via English degree then teaching EFL. Massively helped by my aptitude for multiple languages.

Wow what an interesting life! Sounds amazing!

We should probably all say how much we spent on degrees/ training as well as our current salaries! 🙈

Teacher at independent school. Head of Year. Love my job 😊

Forgot to add for mine (commercial contracts) I havea law degree, spent 2 years in a grad scheme. 4.5 years to over 50k. 7 years in and over 70k (excluding bonus at circa 10% PA dependent on financial results) - you don’t need a law degree on my field but a degree be beneficial.

Specialist HR role. Focused more on engagement, Development and culture so I feel like I get the fun side of HR!

Would be beneficial *

I’m a- oh never mind…You said ‘if I enjoy it’.

Academic historian. PhD plus 20 years + teaching and lecturing experience. I mostly enjoy my job but there are big downsides to the working culture - overwork and very poor work-life balance, pay ceilings, it can be a bullying work culture, a lot of poor morale, the pension is being massively degraded compared to what it was. Funding and permanent posts are like hens’ teeth and there’s an increasing consumer culture amongst students who are getting more demanding at the same time as they are doing less and less independent work. I wouldn’t suggest going into academia now unless you have a niche technical or knowledge sector skill that you can leverage into research posts and grants or use to consult on the side.

In house Acquisitions Manager in a niche sector. 10+ years in project management. Am on £65k+ but as I said, niche sector. That salary is rare for a non Exec/Director level in house role outside London but would be peanuts at some of the big firms.

IT Service Delivery Manager

Business development manager. £65k.

No qualifications except a few GCSEs.