Does this job exist?

[ThisFairJoker]

Hi all,
DD is in year 11 and has been thinking about careers recently. She is very bright (predicted all 9s at gcse) and very motivated. However, she is not sure what she wants to do.
She has lots of requirements for her future career! And I'm not sure that a job like this really exists, so I was wondering if anyone knew of one which fits all or most of these:
-High salary. She would love a big house in an area close by (who wouldn't!) And just generally to keep up a nice lifestyle. Also has dreams of owning her own horse.

-Good work life balance. She's not afraid of hard work and as I say I think she is very capable, but she still wants to have time to enjoy outside activities/see family and friends and I don't think she'd be keen on working weekends.

-Ideally not having to live in London. I know that for law/banking the majority of big firms are based there. Are they? She has said she wouldn't mind it for a few years, but not permanently.

-Interesting/engaging work, even if it means higher stress.

I have said that one of these requirements often comes at the expense of some of the others, but I was wondering if a job like this even exists! Any help or suggestions appreciated. TIA x

Forgot to say that she is happy to go to uni and do any further study required!

HR.

Literally came here to say this! Everyone moans about it but if you work hard and play smart with progression, you can make a decent amount without crazy hours or having to be based in London.

Thanks so much! Hadn't really thought about that, will have a look into it.

What interests her in terms of subjects? Is she more creative or interested in science/maths or what other topics interest her?

It’s hard to suggest careers without knowing that - earning a good salary & not wanting to be in London doesn’t really give any indication of what she’d be good at :)

What are her natural strengths? Is she outgoing, more insular, analytical, articulate, diplomatic, willing to lead, creative, thirst for learning/teaching etc?

There might be tons of industries that offer what you want but not all the roles within those industries will suit her.

Universities tend to offer a good work-life balance (the non-academic roles anyway) in my experience, and there are a good variety of roles there.

Engineering.
Architecture.

Has she considered a role in Tech? I work in cybersecurity and enjoy my job and it meets all the criteria your DD has set although interesting will depend on what she finds interesting 🙂

Tech leadership via the project/programme management route - hard work and at times super stressful but I’ve managed a decent salary and work/life balance as I’ve moved further up the greasy pole 🤣
My experience has been throwing myself into work as a priority in my 20s is now paying off in my 40s (and hopefully beyond!)

Thanks for the replies,
She is quite outgoing and articulate. I would say that her best subject is probably maths, but she is well rounded.

ICT

Art is definitely her weakness though!

I work in HR and mostly fits the bill, though I don’t have the high salary as I work for a charity but I could earn a lot more in private sector.

In the realm of jobs you don’t know exist when you’re a teenager, my DH works in compliance for a tech/IT company and earns well, works from home and fairly low stress. There’s so much out there you just don’t find until you’re in it. At the moment I’d focus on her doing a degree she really wants to do, learns her strengths, and keeps an open mind

It's often a good idea to do London for a few years as a new grad and get experience and qualifications that will serve you well when you leave London.

Other than that, high salary and good work life balance don't generally go together.

I feel like I get all those things by being a civil servant. You work under pressure to tight deadlines and the subject matter can be complex but I love it, so interesting

A grad programme at a Big4? Not as well paid as law/banking but you can train to become an accountant and then move into industry. The hours aren't insane most of the time and you can find jobs outside of London quite easily or hybrid roles. My DH works in finance in the tech industry and it's very flexible.

She could look at the civil service. Most departments have offices around the country and there’s really good work life balance.

Accountancy, either in practice or industry. Well paid, and you can work anywhere. Industry/business is better for a work/life balance though, you don't get swamped by having to do umpteen client tax returns or year-ends all at once!

Architecture? High wages and good work life balance? Hmmmm. Very, very, few people reach that point in their careers, if they even get a job given the competition. I know about 7 architects and only one of them is in that position - and he is world renowned!

Tech. I meet most of the criteria you've specified.
I have job satisfaction and good work life balance, well paid at both contract and permanent level.

This is very true. My highest earning friend is in HR. She's very much a work to live person. She's never once worked evenings or weekends.

Me on the other hand? I idiotically went into a creative career.

Accountancy is probably a good option. Try to get into the grad scheme of one of the big 4 and then she can either carry on as a chartered accountant, or it opens up a huge number of other options.

I can't think of any university non academic jobs that offer a high salary with years of experience.

Thanks for all the help so far. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but does working in tech just mean coding/developing software? Would you have to already know how to do this?

Can I ask where would you look for if you wanted a grad HR job?