From my 9 year old: What is the best job in the UK?
Posted by alright-treacle@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 74 comments
My kid’s pretty bright and realises she has a lot of options. She wants to be an artist when she grows up, but also have a well paid job with daytime hours (to allow time for art as a hobby).
She’s currently leaning towards dentist, with architect and anaesthesiologist in joint second. She wants to go to a prestigious University too. She’s an odd duck (autistic).
Open to all ideas, particularly in STEM.
Thank you!
lesloid@reddit
Does she like interacting with people or not?
If so dentist could be a good shout.
If not then maybe something in engineering design - my partner a very niche area of engineering at directing consultant level and it seems pretty chill for the money he gets paid. Works from home, doesn’t have anyone reporting to him, never works before 9am or past 5.30pm and has energy to do stuff in the evenings (unlike me as a social care director I’m knackered by the end of the day) He does have a phd but that sounds like something your kid may enjoy. Get to the top of your game in a niche technical area of engineering and you can coast through, as long as you don’t go into management.
FeralSquirrels@reddit
A trick question: the ideal is to not have a job or need one and live in a Star Trek style utopia!
Jokes aside...
Leaning the same way I can only say a few things:
I'm going to go on a limb and say as she's 9 her preferences can/will change - but depending on what she actually likes doing, if it is STEM leaning? There's a variety of options.
Does she like computers? What about writing? Journalism? Travelling? Biology/Chemistry/Physics in any deeper (or shallower) capacity?
Any one of those has a number of pathways from author (she could do her own book cover art!) through to Journalism focusing on her interest fields.
There's also things like Film/Video editing, VFX or that bent which are things you can get into at any age with free tools like Davinci Resolve or other free tools.
Legitimate-Leg-4720@reddit
If you want well paid (particularly so at a reasonable age), don't pick architecture. I went to a prestigious school and most of my peers who did architecture can still only afford to live in house shares at 30-35yo. 5 years of uni + 5-10 years experience and earning max £50k in London
Aggressive_Side1105@reddit
Can confirm. My father is an architect but works crazy hours. He earns six figures because of the crazy hours and reputation he built up in the 1980s when it paid better. For people starting out now the pay is not great considering the amount of study needed.
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
Blimey, I thought architects got paid well!
Wonderful-Bonus5439@reddit
My sister became a GP so she could be an artist without money worries. She works 2 days a week for £60k and spends the rest of her time painting!
hulmesweethulme@reddit
I don’t know, but not architecture. You leave university at 30 with eye watering debt just to be paid 35k and work stupid hours to scrap against lots of talented people to maybe get promoted to senior architect in 10 years time for the handsome sum of 40k. Ask me how I know!
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
Jeez, that’s terrible, I make more than that and didn’t go to uni!
hulmesweethulme@reddit
Honestly it’s terrible. I was 35 (8 years experience) and on 44k. I moved over to a management role a few months ago and now work for a main contractor and am now on about 60, so much better! I just wish I didn’t waste my time trying to be an architect first
Legitimate-Leg-4720@reddit
I guess I'm some years behind you, 29 and just finishing my Master's degree. I wanted to quit earlier but I felt like my only options were in adjacent creative industries which do not interest me all that much - continuing with architecture felt like my only option for somewhat of a career / stability / income.
Frustrating really as I also loved maths / physics as a teenager, if I just followed that through to university, I assume I could have had a good income by now.
hulmesweethulme@reddit
I was much the same. I just carried on because I didn’t really have any options, at least not any that paid better. I do wish I’d gone into design management straight out of uni. It’s not creative, but to be honest, neither was architecture. The job is so different to what I thought it would be. I just want to earn good money now, and I’m very happy I moved over.
Legitimate-Leg-4720@reddit
Glad you found it! I think I'll have to look into design management too.
hulmesweethulme@reddit
I’m actually planning to make an architect to design manager course in the future, so I’d be more than happy to help you if you need - it would help me understand what course content I need, so shoot me a DM if you need/want help.
IllPanic4319@reddit
She sounds like a budding architect to me
Hollyhop_Drive@reddit
So from her three options,all three are well paid options. However, architects put in insane hours, anaesthetists work nights. Dentists are very well paid, work more comfortable hours than the other two.
She sounds bright, and she's so young. She doesn't have to choose yet.
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
She’s planning her future- child free, rich artist with loads of pets. She understands she’ll need a well paid job to pay for her pets, her art hobby, and her bills. Sounds amazing!
When I was 9 I think I wanted to run a pony school.. I went into sales 😂
hulmesweethulme@reddit
How does she have it so right so young?
Hollyhop_Drive@reddit
I wanted to be an astronaut! Lol.
That does sound amazing. Best of luck to her with it 😄
donalmacc@reddit
I wanted to be a professional footballer, despite not liking football. So, she's ahead of both of us.
Hollyhop_Drive@reddit
I wanted to split my time between being a ballerina for the English National Ballet and working at NASA.
Yeah this kid's way ahead! 😅
Think_Money_6919@reddit
Preparing our children to start thinking about work at the age of 9, a recession indicator if I’ve ever seen one. Just let her focus on school and what she enjoys, she’ll figure out what she wants to do closer to the time.
JonJH@reddit
How does a 9 year old know what an anaesthetist is/does?
Of those three a dentist would probably be the best choice.
Material-Water-6892@reddit
get all A* at A level > study mathematics at Cambridge > become a quant trader and earn £200,000 + bonus at 21
Lots-o-bots@reddit
That requires your definition of a best job to be earning the most money. Personally, I wouldnt consider 16 hour days and work that screws over other people to be the best job and thats before the inevitable coke addiction.
InkedDoll1@reddit
I work in cancer care, a non clinical role but if I had my time again I'd like to work in the research field. It's so interesting but also fulfilling. We have lots of clinical trials going on all the time and I find that side of the organisation fascinating.
Redditboyy_@reddit
How ur 9 year old knows about anesthesiology?
InkedDoll1@reddit
Maybe she's had surgery? I'd had a couple by that age and knew what the doctors did
Barkasia@reddit
I assume OP's going to point to the autism, but it does seem a bit like the invisible hand has taken a break from economics to guide this youngun to 'suitable' career paths.
thethirdbar@reddit
not neccessarily. my daughter is five and wants to be an scientist when she grows up, so asks lots of different questions about things in that sort of genre. it doesn't seem like a huge leap for me for a curious kid to have discovered the concept of anesthesiology by 9.
THROWRAsaltylemon@reddit
My mum used to watch a lot of medical shows when I was a kid, so I understood about all different types of doctors early on because I would watch them with her. Could be a similar thing here or OP knows her daughter has some interests so has given her books or other resources to learn about it more.
qwertymcqwertface@reddit
Developer. AI is taking over junior roles, in years to come the seniors will have retired, people who are still seniors will be getting PAID.
Princess_of_Eboli@reddit
I'm autistic. She'll likely need a job that really focuses on her interests and where she won't get socially burned out. I'm currently in academia and find it suits me for those reasons.
Architecture is quite underpaid and doesn't have a good work-life balance. I chose it because it seemed like the most "realistic" option outside of art. I then left it because it was too much sacrifice.
Artists don't need to sell work to make a living. Many of them work in arts policy whilst getting grants, funding, residencies, and so on. In Ireland, there's now a basic income scheme for artists. It's not glamorous but if that's what she wants to do it might eventually cause her harm to force something like dentistry.
Some art related jobs which people hire for (rather than studio work):
Photographer Conservationist Technician Curator Archivist Animator Illustrator Programmes Officer Education officer Graphic designer Art teacher
A lot of creatives I know who make a living from their creative work, have their own businesses. People make good money making high quality knives, dried flower arrangements, selling their prints on clothing, selling their art books, and so on.
Pedantichrist@reddit
Do lots of different things. Do adventure training when young, software sales in your thirties and something low paid and pleasing in your forties and fifties.
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
Love this- she is NOT adventurous though 😂
Pedantichrist@reddit
She is 9, you have no way of knowing yet. We have multiple lives within one.
charlottedoo@reddit
Probably get a degree in building surveying and see if you can top it up to do architecture as a masters. Surveyors get paid a lot more than architects but being able to do both would be good for the art part.
-Intrepid-Path-@reddit
It's anaesthetist in the UK. And she most certainly won't be working just daytime hours working as one.
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
Thanks, this is helpful! How do you find the job?
My daughter had grommets fitted a few years ago and was obsessed with the process of the surgery. She still has her cannula 😂
cec91@reddit
I’m a uk anaesthetist too. This is super cute!
I’m assuming by find the job you mean how do you enjoy it? Like any job it has its ups and downs, rough hours with lots of night shifts and likely to get worse at a senior level…but I do think these considerations are probably above the level of a 9 year old considering she wouldn’t even start anaesthetics training until she was at least 25!
-Intrepid-Path-@reddit
You go to medical school, then do the foundation programme, then apply for anaesthetics core training, then anaesthetics specialty training, and finally become a consultant anaesthetist many years and many very difficult exams later.
811545b2-4ff7-4041@reddit
Dentistry is a good shout really. Good money and in demand, and even harder to replace with AI than many doctor roles.
cec91@reddit
Anaesthetics is pretty tricky to replace with AI
saltwatersunsets@reddit
As a doctor, I’d strongly suggest not a doctor. Nothing about this field of work is getting better.
No-Problem-1354@reddit
At 35, I can’t even say anaesthesiologist 😂 so it’s pretty remarkable to hear that a 9 year old has even heard of one.
I wanted to be a teacher or a dentist at that age.
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
She had a small operation a couple of years ago and found the process of surgery and particularly the anaesthetic really interesting.
No-Problem-1354@reddit
Sounds a bright kid with a bright future ahead of her 😊
coastalkid92@reddit
Just based on some people I work with, these could be things she might be interested in:
Materials Engineer
Product Design
Artwork Manager (lots of companies that do packaging and packaging design have teams for this)
And then based on her already states interests:
Orthodontist
Radiologist
Medical illustrator or scientific illustrator
MissingScore777@reddit
Radiology is one of the medical fields most impacted by AI
TheShakyHandsMan@reddit
I’m in product design. Basically my job is drawing pictures all day.
Rosetti@reddit
Professional chocolate and toy tester.
burnafterreading90@reddit
No idea how much they earn but Ocularist is a nice job for someone who enjoys art but wants to dabble in something healthcare related!
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
Oh my god, she would absolutely love this! She’s always drawing and sculpting eyes! I’m going to tell her this job exists!
apextwit@reddit
9 years old and thinking about future careers is so depressing. When she goes to university in 9 or 10 years she won't be the same person she is now, she will likely have different interests and life goals, and who knows what options there will be for careers and education. It's also important to think that setting herself up with such high goals at *9* could lead to real disappointment and psychological issues if she gets to 18 and for whatever reason cannot or does not manage to achieve the goals she set aged 9. If she's extremely intelligent then fair play go nuts, but pretty bright covers a lot of average kids whose childhood dreams of being a doctor, vet, dentist etc never materialise because life.
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
I’ll admit I do talk careers with my kids quite a lot- I had no career advice, drifted, and didn’t find my place in life until my late 30’s. We frequently discuss different careers, the academic path to get there, how much they pay and what the hours are like.
We are NOT choosing her career just yet, just spitballing really!
Midnight7000@reddit
She's 9. Reddit isn't required for suitable answers.
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
I’m just here for a bit of light hearted discussion about UK careers- she’s not going to decide her career path based on a Reddit thread! Just something to chat about.
Proper_Ad_5547@reddit
It’s more the fact she’s 9 then deciding off a Reddit thread
Consistent-Sport-481@reddit
What bestr place to ask?
A bunch of random weird strangers that have jobs from every area. Sensible and a bit left field.
It's not that deep.
Have a cup of tea, you'll be ok
Spirited_Owl_9976@reddit
British Reddit is 50% software developers, 50% feral northerners
Consistent-Sport-481@reddit
Cool.
Still not that deep.
People can answer honestly about Thier job, the kid gets some decent information
People can piss about and say what they want and parent can curate responses 🤷
alright-treacle@reddit (OP)
Yeah, I don’t think she knows Reddit exists- I’m not going to show her 😂
Shmiggles@reddit
Anything with an underlying mathematical formalism is a good bet. I don't mean working in accounts receivable, I mean something that relies on calculus and/or linear algebra. That kind of higher-level maths is the transferable skill between a lot of high-paying occupations like software engineering and high finance. When I was a physics teacher, I had to push the whole 'STEM skills' thing, but maths is the only 'STEM skill' that matters. When I left teaching, I was able to immediately start as a software engineer, because I needed to know how to program computers to get through my degree (and used that skill to cut down on my admin work when teaching). A good degree in maths, physics, engineering or certain areas of chemistry can get you a six-figure income; a degree in biology will keep you closer to the median salary.
Architect isn't a great choice: like all creative industries, there's a handful of celebrity architects who make squillions and the rest are on peanuts. The civil engineers who have to work out how to make the architects' ideas physically possible have a more reliable income.
manhattan4@reddit
Architecture is not very glamorous for the most part. The pay isn't amazing, the training is extensive, and the hours are long. Also if they're interested in STEM then civil / structural engineering would be much more applicable than architecture in the same sector.
iffyClyro@reddit
All depends doesn’t it.
Something that won’t be diluted by AI.
I have decent work life balance and have a decent standard of living being a police officer.
Probably underpaid in the grand scheme of things and it’s 50/50 if you get management that actually value you.
Proper_Emu_2296@reddit
I mean this is hard to think about when you’re 9 haha but those are very “present” jobs. When you get older you appreciate being able to WFH or at least easily organise your life around appointments, kids, etc. A job where you have to arrange human cover just to be gone for 30 minutes is very different to one where nobody misses you for short periods.
They’re also quite traditional jobs, which kids get more visibility of, I really wish when I was younger someone had opened my eyes to less traditional careers, like cybersecurity or data for example.
I now recruit senior technology roles and you would not believe how much of the workforce comes from overseas, and that’s no problem of course but it’s like our own children are simply not seeing or following these career paths because they still growing up hearing doctor, teacher, police officer etc. It’s nuts how much opportunity is being missed
firsttimeredditor101@reddit
As a doctor I completely second this!
No_Candle2537@reddit
At this age I think it's best to place emphasis on how many different routes there are into all these jobs. I was like your daughter and it felt great to know exactly what my plan was at the time, but it can put a lot of pressure on you (especially as a neurodivergent kid) when the time creeps up.
It's great she has these aspirations, but if she's anything like me or the other enthusiastic neurodivergent kids I've known, knowing exactly what she would have to do if plan A doesn't go as intended would take a whole mountain of pressure off when the time comes, and you never know what might come up at just the wrong time - I was doing exams when covid hit, for example.
I'd recommend starting by looking at the courses your local colleges offer, and the Open University.
Think_Money_6919@reddit
Just let her focus on school and what she enjoys doing the most, 9 is far too early to think about a career to aim for. She’ll figure out what it is she wants to do over time.
LilacRose32@reddit
Accountancy- lots of nice rules to follow and no one’s life/health on the line. I find my current role interesting enough but leave it at 16:30.
ConsciousSky5968@reddit
Honestly, the best job is something that doesn’t feel like work at all. If she finds something she loves then she’s made it!
bishibashi@reddit
Dentist seems like a good target. The work and subjects involved to get to the point of actually applying are basically the same as for medicine so don’t really need to make a decision until you actually apply. Even the work experience could probably work for both. Getting into a prestigious university while using one of your a levels for art might present a slight challenge, but nothing’s impossible.
Old-Huckleberry-8315@reddit
One thing worth teaching early is that the “best job” is usually a balance between interest, lifestyle, stress tolerance, and long term stability rather than prestige alone. Plenty of high status careers quietly consume people’s time and energy so completely that hobbies disappear anyway. A job that funds and protects the life she actually wants may matter more than the title itself.
Consistent-Sport-481@reddit
One that pays well, you have an interest in and you can picture yourself doing in 20years.
But also know that retraining isn't a bad thing.
You don't have to pick a forever job you get to try new things if you want to!
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