What should one consider if pay is one's main concern?

I am in my final year of Undergrad and i dont have a concrete idea of what I want to do. I am studying Math and Computer Science and have decided to focus on CS as i find it more interesting though CS will Inherently be nicely complemented by math. So far my main consideration is cybersecurity.

Does anyone have any advice or comments with regards to choosing a direction or project within Computer Science if my main focus with regards to work is pay? Ive seen people say that STEM pay is generally better outside the UK, but i feel like trying to get my first serious job abroad is unrealistic.

I'm not a cyber security specialist (although I have a friend who is a pen tester), but I'm an electronics engineer with a few years of experience and some years of supporting STEM students employability.
I also employ STEM students & graduates for the company where I work.

It sounds like you don't have any relevant work experience, hence why you say that you don't have a firm idea on what kind of career you'd like to go with. I'd suggest you apply for graduate placements (normally a 2-year programme) or internships (12-months placement). Not only this will give your CV the necessary boost, you'll get to see what the CS related work actually is in the real world and will help you make the necessary career decision (understand what you like vs what you don't like).

Have a look here for internships - https://www.gradcracker.com/search/computing-technology/work-placements-internships
and here for graduate placements - https://www.gradcracker.com/search/computing-technology/graduate-jobs
I found gradcracker to be one of the best places to look for such programmes.

Internships pay around £18-£25k and grad programmes pay around £28-£35k. I mentioned both because you may have better chances of getting an internship rather than a graduate job since I assume you don't have any relevant work experience yet.
Currently we are in the "2nd" hiring wave cycle (the 1st one was in September-December), therefore you may see less options, but there are still dozens if not hundreds of opportunities out there. And of course, don't wait until you graduate to apply, early bird gets the worm.

Once you finish either an internship or a graduate programme, there is almost always an option for such employee to "offboard" into a permanent entry role, where salary range can be anywhere between £30k and £40k. A few years down the line you may become senior/lead engineer with a salary range around £40k-£70k, the range is quite big because there are many variables at play here - the industry, the job function, the management, your salary negotiation skills, etc.

Personally I think anything above £40k for a 9-5 job that you enjoy is a good place to be in. In the US of A you may get to $60k-$80k for an entry level CS job, but as you say the chances of you getting a job there right after graduating are slim (not zero though), and you also need to calculate the differences in taxes, health insurance costs, rent, car loan, etc.etc., so although $80k may seem tempting, what you get in your bank account and what is the value you get per 1$/£/€ will vary greatly between the countries.

Hopefully that helps, let me know if you have any more questions.

All the best,
Al

Any high paid job is going to involve spending the majority of your time managing people or projects (usually both). Technical skills become less relevant if you’re hoping for promotion.

Spending time and effort in understanding the basics of managing yourself and others - including managing upwards (because most people in management roles are terrible managers) is going to be your best option if you’re only interested in salary.

Any high paid job is going to involve spending the majority of your time managing people or projects (usually both). Technical skills become less relevant if you’re hoping for promotion.

Spending time and effort in understanding the basics of managing yourself and others - including managing upwards (because most people in management roles are terrible managers) is going to be your best option if you’re only interested in salary.

I am in my final year of Undergrad and i dont have a concrete idea of what I want to do. I am studying Math and Computer Science and have decided to focus on CS as i find it more interesting though CS will Inherently be nicely complemented by math. So far my main consideration is cybersecurity.

Does anyone have any advice or comments with regards to choosing a direction or project within Computer Science if my main focus with regards to work is pay? Ive seen people say that STEM pay is generally better outside the UK, but i feel like trying to get my first serious job abroad is unrealistic.

This has always been a very outdated concept in tech. You can get paid top whack for your technical skills in the IT industry. You don't have to end up managing people.

I said managing people OR projects.