Prestige vs Pay: Would you choose a “high-status” job for £50k or a less skilled one for £100k? (UK)

Posted by Last_Somewhere9688@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 51 comments

Genuine question and I’m curious what people think. Do you believe having a prestigious job (e.g. doctor, civil engineer) but being paid poorly say £50k with 8 years of experience is better than having a less skilled / less prestigious job with the same 8 YOE but earning £100k? I honestly don’t know what to think about this. I’m kind of somewhere in between. I do have a prestigious career, but it pays really badly, and I’m increasingly considering moving toward something that pays better even if it comes with less status. Is prestige, title, and perceived social value worth a big pay gap? Or does compensation ultimately matter more once you’re past the early-career stage? Interested in perspectives from people actually in “prestige” careers vs those who prioritised pay.

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51 Comments

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Other_Exercise@reddit

Depends. I once took a high prestige (relatively speaking) for very low pay, not deliberately but out of necessity. Years later, I've much higher pay in a less prestigious job, but you can bet I still make sure to name-drop that prestigious role. So in other words, you can leverage a high prestige job into jobs that you then actually like, which is essentially the plot of the Devil Wears Prada.

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Mr_Bumcrest@reddit

Less skilled for 100k. Anyone who says otherwise is a prick

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HirsuteHacker@reddit

I don't give a flying fuck about the prestige 100k please

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gagagagaNope@reddit

Chase the money, then find a role you like. Much harder the other way round

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Sea-Still5427@reddit

Depends what matters to you, but if you're genuinely not sure, go for the money and see how that feels. You can always switch back to something more purposeful later.

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Affectionate_Comb_78@reddit

50k vs 100k is a big quality of life change, trumps any value of "prestige". If you'd said 50k vs 60k or 200k vs 250k it may be more of a question.

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hdhxuxufxufufiffif@reddit

>50k vs 100k is a big quality of life change It depends. I'd rather earn £50k for a low stress 9-5 where I don't have to stay late or take work home and get my weekends to myself than earn £100k for 50+ hour weeks, taking work home, having to work when I'm meant to be on holiday, etc.

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Affectionate_Comb_78@reddit

You could just as easily have the worse salary with the worse life style though, that wasn't the question. I'd take the 50k where I also get 250 days holiday a year vs the 100k where I'm constantly bitten by snakes. But that wasn't the question.

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ScumBucket33@reddit

I’ve got a PhD in sciences and quit that to work a job with no entry qualifications that paid a significant amount higher. I have zero regrets.

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deafened_commuter@reddit

You gotta say higher numbers before we stop caring which.

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Silvagadron@reddit

If there’s a guy who lives on my street in a 5-bed detached house and a fancy car who made his money as a self-employed tradesman and has no university education or post-nominals, I’d think he has his shit together more than the surgeon who rents a two-bed flat and can’t afford a car and cycles to work.

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TooLittleGravitas@reddit

Depends on circumstances, if you have a family then I suppose money has to come first. If not then, for me it's not so much about prestige as job satisfaction. Engineering is notoriously lower paid for the level of expertise than, for example, finance, but the satisfaction is higher (IMHO). I imagine being a doctor is the same.

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Astronaut_Level@reddit

I wouldn’t even debate it. Think about what this money can mean to you, your family and your future (e.g. early retirement if you plan wisely)

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RaymondBumcheese@reddit

A better question is probably a job you love vs a high paid job you don’t care about. (I chose the latter)

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zephyrmox@reddit

Prestige isn't important. I don't care about my job but it pays well. My job lets me live the life I want.

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Historical_Project86@reddit

Hunner. There is no such thing as prestige.

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Electronic-Fennel828@reddit

100k every day. I’d rather have someone actively deride my job (as long as it was one I was comfortable doing) but make bank. I don’t want to be a martyr, I want to be financially comfortable.

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delpigeon@reddit

A better salary is better any day of the week.

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TimenyCricket20@reddit

This is generally the case. Tradesman can do very well for themselves compared to corporate roles.

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Own-Aardvark-4394@reddit

Prestige doesn’t pay your bills - unless it’s something like how people might take a “low paid” public sector role as it then allows a massive jump into the private sector (low paid relative to what the equivalent private sector role would pay)

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Rough-Sprinkles2343@reddit

As a former doctor, less status more money any day. You think people care you’re a GP or chartered engineer or scientist

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Evening-Tour@reddit

Which ever one made me happier and gave me a decent work life balance. If both would make me as miserable as each, is take the higher paid one.

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Soniq268@reddit

I can’t think of a job that I think is prestigious… certainly not a Dr or civil engineer. There are jobs that I admire because of their impact on society/the planet, like people doing amazing things to save the planet, or kick ass civil rights lawyers. I’d do that for 50k.

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Quiet_surprise79@reddit

How does status help me? Is it going to pay for my car to get fixed in an emergency or allow me to go on holidays? Let me afford hobbies or pets? Or is it just going to burn me out when I constantly feel undervalued for working hard and earning less? I'd take the £100k.

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RodneyTheArmouryGuy@reddit

As long as the job didn’t kill my soul, the money would win.

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DigBeginning6013@reddit

I chose a job on how much I'll get paid for how little work

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Practical-Stuff-6306@reddit

£100k and you work in a warehouse? no thanks £50k for a career I desire, yes.

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Cultural_Tank_6947@reddit

Unless £50k gross is meaningless for you, always follow the money.

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AF_II@reddit

Are there even 'prestigous' jobs any more? Is anyone actually impressed that you're a Dr or a lawyer? IME people either think you're an ivory tower posho who doesn't know what life is like or ask you to do your work (diagnose me! can I get legal advice on this?) for free. Pay, every single time, absolute no-brainer.

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Classic_Mammoth_9379@reddit

I don’t think it’s the right lens to look at it. Do you enjoy it? I have swapped a more prestigious management career for a lower status technical role. The idea of prestige never factored in the decision though, it was a way to remove the stress and all the stuff I hated, for something that I enjoyed more but was still challenging and was enough to maintain a reasonable salary.

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ryrypot@reddit

How is this even a question? Give me the high paying job for less work please.

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TrickDelay9115@reddit

Hahaha wtf. More money of course. Prestige is useless

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FinalEdit@reddit

Sorry, can I spend status? Where are these magical $tatu$ Bucks I can spend?

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One-Program6244@reddit

In some cultures and for some people, the image is very important to them. The old stereo-type of far eastern parents wanting their kids to be either a doctor, lawyer or banker is or was quite prevalent. Even today there are plenty of people on LinkedIn with over inflated job titles, calling themselves CEO or Head Of whatever. To answer the original question, job titles are not a high priority for me. I don't feel the need to brag and I'm not interested in my parents being able to brag to other parents. Money is why I work.

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P-l-Staker@reddit

I work for money, not fake "status".

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Ok_Boat_1243@reddit

Money is more important than prestige. Especially in this economy. When I think of my friends that I did my Bachelors with, we all went in different directions and my friend who made a financial choice with her career earns almost 50k more than the rest of us. Her career is less prestigious, more stressful but she is financially at peace. She made the executive decision and she is happy. We have all chosen different paths but I think going with your sense of fulfilment and taking into account your finances is the best decision. Think about your life in 3-5 years chunks, would you need money or prestige more in 5 years?

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Superb_Copy1644@reddit

£100k any fucking day

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BaBaFiCo@reddit

Which one has the best job security and requires me to do the least work?

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BigBastardChap@reddit

I don't care what anyone else's job title is, couldn't give a shit. :/ And I'm assuming nobody cares what I do either. If I was lucky enough to have the choice, I'd work for the company that paid me enough to live comfortably and save for the future, whilst also having as little stress and impact on my personal life as possible.

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fernofry@reddit

Status means nothing if you don't have the capital to back it up.

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OrdoRidiculous@reddit

The only reason I'd go for a prestige job over a well paying one is if the opportunity cost of not doing that stint left me worse off in the long run.

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Euphoric_Rough_5245@reddit

I have a less prestigious job but I’m passionate about what I do so I’ll take the less skilled one with more money. I don’t really care about status as the only person I need to impress is myself.

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notleave_eu@reddit

£50k in this country is nothing. Say you get 3x your salary for a mortgage that’s £150k, and that’s if you already have a 5%-10% deposit. That doesn’t also include affordability checks. Give me £100k every day of the week. Money doesn’t directly buy you happiness, but it gives you security, and that is all I want.

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imSlashing@reddit

Who tf cares this much about what others think about them to be more stressed out for 50k less

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ENTPrick@reddit

My philosophy is, you can call me a graduate or whatever you want, as long as you pay me enough. However, big companies tend to have salary brackets for roles, so at some point - you hit the ceiling and need to slip into the next bracket.

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parallelWalls@reddit

1. Meaning 2. Money 3. Prestige

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ImpressiveGift9921@reddit

I can't eat prestige or social value so I'll take the 100k job please.

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Logical_Card@reddit

You have to be passionate to be in a prestigious but low paying job. Otherwise go for something that pays the bills.

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velos85@reddit

Less but earning more. I work to live, not live to work.

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marKyy1@reddit

Less skilled for 100k 👍🏼easy answer

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