The Student Room Group

Which graduates are most likely to make 50k+ in their careers?

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Anyone who works hard tbh, I know some people study business at UCL and is in a **** job whilst another mate from an ex poly worked hard and is now a solicitor at a city firm.
A lot of people who have posted on this thread are incredibly pretentious and out of touch with reality. You do not need to be a graduate in a specific field to be successful and earn a high amount. That's just telling people that unless you do this, this and that then you're not going to achieve anything in life.

A degree is absolutely no substitute for hard work and determination. My older brother left school at 16. Joined the marines. Came back to the UK aged 23. Worked six 16 hour days a week for 3 years. Then when he had money bought a gym.. bought a restaurant, bought and rented out student accommodation and now at 31, rakes in over £250k after tax a year. All of that with a handful of GCSE's and a serious work ethic.

My point is, not everyone is in a position where they can go to university. Hell, not everyone is intelligent enough to get degrees in biochemistry, medicine and maths (myself included). But that does not mean that they cannot be successful.
Original post by ElChapo
The vast majority of posters aren't on any salary at all, mostly undergrads and sixth form students.

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It's also completely and utterly bias since people have resorted in saying the subjects they study/plan to study.
Original post by ✈ ✈
We need to put this into context. The whole point of attending university is to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to enter your chosen industry.


Alongside your implicit assertion of equivalence between making lots of money and having wants in life, this amounts to contrive a view of a singularly sorrowful being. Why is the totality of ones experience of tertiary education appropriately considered only relative to employment, and why is a high salary a condition of having a life-plan?
Original post by Michael!
A lot of people who have posted on this thread are incredibly pretentious and out of touch with reality. You do not need to be a graduate in a specific field to be successful and earn a high amount. That's just telling people that unless you do this, this and that then you're not going to achieve anything in life.

A degree is absolutely no substitute for hard work and determination. My older brother left school at 16. Joined the marines. Came back to the UK aged 23. Worked six 16 hour days a week for 3 years. Then when he had money bought a gym.. bought a restaurant, bought and rented out student accommodation and now at 31, rakes in over £250k after tax a year. All of that with a handful of GCSE's and a serious work ethic.

My point is, not everyone is in a position where they can go to university. Hell, not everyone is intelligent enough to get degrees in biochemistry, medicine and maths (myself included). But that does not mean that they cannot be successful.


I agree that a university education isn't necessary to making lots of money, as is frequently assumed here, but I have a tendency to wince whenever anyone equates being 'successful' and having an above-average income.

Your brother is in an extremely privileged position, and I strongly urge you to encourage him to effectively give to charity. According to Giving What We Can's (GWWC) calculator, your brother earns over 235 times the global average income, and would be able to save 12 peoples lives a year if he donated just 10% of that sum to effective charities.

Here's the link if you're interested: http://www.givingwhatwecan.org/
Original post by 19cvabn
Where the hell did you get 60k for 1/2 year experience in dentistry? After you graduate your starting salary would be 20~29k, for you to be able to get that said 60k benchmark you need to have at least 10 years of exprience or increase your Band if you want to work in NHS, still more schooling and exams. Where did you get your references to get these amount?


20-29K?!?! Your first year is a 30k salary.
60k is the average for an associate dentist. Increase your band? More schooling and exams? What are you talking about?
A general dentist who is an associate at a standard general dental practice earns 60k on average.
Where the hell are you getting your figures from?
GDPs are not paid in the same way as doctors or hospital dentists.
Original post by Michael!
A lot of people who have posted on this thread are incredibly pretentious and out of touch with reality. You do not need to be a graduate in a specific field to be successful and earn a high amount. That's just telling people that unless you do this, this and that then you're not going to achieve anything in life.

A degree is absolutely no substitute for hard work and determination. My older brother left school at 16. Joined the marines. Came back to the UK aged 23. Worked six 16 hour days a week for 3 years. Then when he had money bought a gym.. bought a restaurant, bought and rented out student accommodation and now at 31, rakes in over £250k after tax a year. All of that with a handful of GCSE's and a serious work ethic.

My point is, not everyone is in a position where they can go to university. Hell, not everyone is intelligent enough to get degrees in biochemistry, medicine and maths (myself included). But that does not mean that they cannot be successful.


Yeah yeah bla bla bla. You're missing the point of this thread. If you wanna talk about you-don't-need-degrees-to-be-successful go on the specific thread please. And read the title of this thread once again.
Original post by walkers38
Yeah yeah bla bla bla. You're missing the point of this thread. If you wanna talk about you-don't-need-degrees-to-be-successful go on the specific thread please. And read the title of this thread once again.


LOL
I'd say an accounting and finance degree to work for a blue chip company studying CIMA or ACCA is the path of least resistance to get to £50k 5 years after graduation.

You'll be exempt from half your exams, and don't work the crazy hours that ACA grads in practice do. You also get a good taste of where you'd like to be as you rotate around different finance functions within your training scheme.

I've seen all the finance grads who've stayed on reach this milestone pretty easily, and id imagine it would be a similar story in other corporates.


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Original post by Pipsico
I'd say an accounting and finance degree to work for a blue chip company studying CIMA or ACCA is the path of least resistance to get to £50k 5 years after graduation.

You'll be exempt from half your exams, and don't work the crazy hours that ACA grads in practice do. You also get a good taste of where you'd like to be as you rotate around different finance functions within your training scheme.

I've seen all the finance grads who've stayed on reach this milestone pretty easily, and id imagine it would be a similar story in other corporates.


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OK, thanks for this, but what about career progression from £50k? Is it more than possible to get towards £80k with this sort of degree after 10 or so years? So, senior/executive/directorial roles or just better paid jobs?

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Reading the thread, it's as if people think you need a degree in accounting and finance to go into accounting and finance...
Original post by Jammy Duel
Reading the thread, it's as if people think you need a degree in accounting and finance to go into accounting and finance...


Lol exactly, you need to just pass the specific accounting exams. Would you say it's therefore better to do something more general like an economics or maths degree, than a finance or accounting one?

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Are you a dentist? I dont think so. :smile:
Original post by Wisefire
Lol exactly, you need to just pass the specific accounting exams. Would you say it's therefore better to do something more general like an economics or maths degree, than a finance or accounting one?

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You can do any degree you like.

Obviously if you do something irrelevant you have to do a better job of explaining your motivation but it's a very open industry. So do something you enjoy. Personally, I always think Maths looks impressive as obviously it's quite hard but only do it if you think you'll do very well.

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Original post by alevelzzz
20-29K?!?! Your first year is a 30k salary.
60k is the average for an associate dentist. Increase your band? More schooling and exams? What are you talking about?
A general dentist who is an associate at a standard general dental practice earns 60k on average.
Where the hell are you getting your figures from?
GDPs are not paid in the same way as doctors or hospital dentists.


how would you know about this thing? Are you a dentist? (Dont think so) Im sorry youre speaking with 0.5 years of experience assuming that individual just graduated from university. 0.5 years of experience = 60k, wow, lets be realistic ok. :smile:
I have a question, if you reach 50k+ salary benchmark, do you proclaim yourself as rich?
Original post by 19cvabn
I have a question, if you reach 50k+ salary benchmark, do you proclaim yourself as rich?


That's very much relative.

Would I consider myself rich relative to my family & friends? Yes.

Would I consider myself rich relative to work friends or in absolute terms? Absolutely not.

Would I consider myself rich? No, especially not in London.

Not that it will probably happen but if I ever hit around 200-250k+ a year then I'd personally consider myself rich or to 'have made it'.

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Going into law can assure you earn 50K+ by the time you're 30,
That's only if you work in the UK top law firms,
I know a guy working at where I done my work exp, he's 26 and he earns 59K so if you can learn yourself a training contract and they keep you on then when you're an associate you can earn quite a bit,
Not to mention the partners who are like 35 and earn 100K+ with bonuses

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Original post by Jammy Duel
Reading the thread, it's as if people think you need a degree in accounting and finance to go into accounting and finance...


Well it makes sense if you know exactly what you want to do.

You save yourself 1 and a half years of studying whilst working.

I personally did a maths degree, and am still studying in my 3rd year of my finance grad scheme, whereas my other colleagues who did A&F have been sitting back since last August.

Do not underestimate how hard it is to study and work at the same time.

I don't feel like my knowledge in maths has helped me that much more.

But no doubt you have a greater depth of choice.




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Original post by noshahmad
Going into law can assure you earn 50K+ by the time you're 30,
That's only if you work in the UK top law firms,
I know a guy working at where I done my work exp, he's 26 and he earns 59K so if you can learn yourself a training contract and they keep you on then when you're an associate you can earn quite a bit,
Not to mention the partners who are like 35 and earn 100K+ with bonuses

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Wow. That's actually pretty damn good (those particular prospects).

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