Revealed: The Careers That Earn You The Most In The First 20 Years
Taking into account the impact of COVID on the airline industry, the table below shows the average earnings for each of the top-paying roles analysed over a 20-year career, less training and education costs.
|
Career |
5 Years |
10 Years |
15 Years |
20 Years |
|
Pilot |
-£70,000.00 |
£146,500.00 |
£478,500.00 |
£924,500.00 |
|
Financial Manager |
£99,000.00 |
£277,000.00 |
£587,000.00 |
£1,087,000.00 |
|
PR Director |
£1,722.00 |
£159,722.00 |
£439,722.00 |
£939,722.00 |
|
Senior Police Officer |
£130,794.00 |
£339,121.00 |
£598,576.00 |
£916,279.00 |
|
CEO |
-£2,278.00 |
£183,722.00 |
£447,722.00 |
£807,722.00 |
|
Marketing Director |
£3,722.00 |
£153,722.00 |
£348,722.00 |
£798,722.00 |
|
IT Director |
-£2,278.00 |
£137,722.00 |
£353,722.00 |
£728,722.00 |
|
GP |
-£67,130.00 |
£46,807.00 |
£282,705.00 |
£636,615.00 |
|
Legal |
-£34,286.00 |
£195,706.00 |
£575,706.00 |
£627,706.00 |
|
Hospital Doctor |
-£67,130.00 |
£46,807.00 |
£275,770.00 |
£592,105.00
|
The roles that pay the most in the first 20 years
According to the latest ONS data, the 10 highest paying roles in the UK earn an average of £71,000 per year, with pilots reporting an average salary of £92,330 and CEOs £85,239.
Taking into account the personal costs of training, education and licence fees, Standout CV can reveal the roles that will earn workers the most in the first 20 years of their careers.
Over the course of 20 years, pilots were found to accumulate the most earnings of the top-paying roles, cashing a total of £1.13 million. However, within the first 5 years of their career, the average pilot makes a net loss of £70,000 due to the cost of qualifications and other fees.
The second-highest earning role over the course of 20 years is financial manager, earning those that follow it as a career choice as much as £1.1 million; with a net gain of £99,000 within the first 5 years. This is due to a degree not being required to start a finance career and many top firms moving away from this as a requirement and, instead, offering vocational training.
Rounding off the top 5 earning careers, Standout CV’s analysis found that PR directors amass £939,722 of earnings, over 20 years, senior police officers will earn £916,279, and CEOs £807,722.
It might seem surprising to see CEOs earning less than senior police officers and other top-paying careers. However, the study found most CEOs start their career within graduate sales positions, with varying degrees of student debt and volatility of earnings through their career paths.
For medical professionals, the choice can be whether to work in a community setting or a hospital environment. According to Standout CV’s analysis, those who become GPs will earn more over 20 years than those who work in a hospital environment, with GPs earning an average of £636,615 across 20 years whilst hospital doctors earn £592,105 across the same period.
However, this disparity between the GPs and hospital doctors reverses by the 24th year in the profession, with those working in hospitals earning more than their GP counterparts.