Finance or technology career?

I have two amazing degree apprenticeship offers however, to make a decision between them, I need to choose a field of work- finance or tech?
In terms of lifestyle, number of opportunities in each sector and salary...
PS. I am equally interested in both and have the grades for both so ‘whatever you like’ won’t help me lol
Thanks !

Both are completely different industries containing many different jobs, each completely different from each other. You should be asking yourself what role you want at the end of the apprenticeship; which one do YOU like the most and why; what do both apprenticeship consists of and what role you will be working as.

There are high paying jobs in both industries so its pointless to choose based on salary. We can't tell you which is better either as its completely down to preference.

Thanks for ur response
I like the structure of the tech apprenticeship and it is also more flexible at the end in terms of role- however, my confusion comes from many family friends telling me that I might be financially better off in the long term, doing the chartered accountancy apprenticeship...I am unsure as to which role has a higher demand from a labour point of view?

Thanks for ur response
I like the structure of the tech apprenticeship and it is also more flexible at the end in terms of role- however, my confusion comes from many family friends telling me that I might be financially better off in the long term, doing the chartered accountancy apprenticeship...I am unsure as to which role has a higher demand from a labour point of view?

Isn't accountancy supposed to be really boring o_O

And besides, technology pays a lot regardless and in many cases, will pay more than finance

Do your family friends have anything to back this up? A lot of tech roles earn just as much, and if not far out earn accounting roles depending on the company you're working at (e.g. software engineer/developer, cyber security at an international tech company such as FAANG). Due to digitalisation more and more tech jobs are appearing and the demand is growing fast. Worth having a read about this and new tech jobs soon to exist.

These degree apprenticeship aren't roles: they're qualification which you will use when getting into other roles. There's also nothing from stopping you to change industry and jobs if you feel like it/ You aren't guaranteed to be earning a high salary either (e.g. due to competition, difference in pay between companies). Both industries offer the same type of opportunities to earn high salaries, so its really pointless to compare as they do not have any similarities.

The one factor you're forgetting is the companies offering you those apprenticeship. Their teaching method, company culture, development opportunities will vary between each other and their competitors. Its best to read more about the company and some review from previous graduates from the programme.



Depends on what sort of accounting e.g. fp&a, auditor, tax, advisory, forensics. Its quite a diverse field. Some can be mundane (e.g. tax imo), others are very challenging and interesting. There's more to finance than just accounting (e.g. investment banking and management, financial controller, financial planner, underwriter, actuary), OP could also move out of accounting altogether and work as an investment manager or whatever using their chartered qualification and still earn above £60k. It all depends on OP interests and skillsets.

Also simply working in tech does not mean you'll earn a lot. Pay varies a lot between companies and region. The role is also important (e.g. a system developer isn't going to out earn an investment banker).

Isn't accountancy supposed to be really boring o_O

And besides, technology pays a lot regardless and in many cases, will pay more than finance

Lol I’ve heard it’s boring too but I can live with a few years of initial boredom if it means a better lifestyle in the long run

Nah they'll give you equally as much of a good lifestyle, with technology perhaps being even better as it's undoubtedly more hands-on and interesting. And are you sure you want to just sit at a desk and calculate tax returns for the rest of your life?

Idk what I expected when I turned to student room for life advice, but can’t believe it’s acc swayed my head 😂thanks!

Depends on what sort of accounting e.g. fp&a, auditor, tax, advisory, forensics. Its quite a diverse field. Some can be mundane (e.g. tax imo), others are very challenging and interesting. There's more to finance than just accounting (e.g. investment banking and management, financial controller, financial planner, underwriter, actuary), OP could also move out of accounting altogether and work as an investment manager or whatever using their chartered qualification and still earn above £60k. It all depends on OP interests and skillsets.

Also simply working in tech does not mean you'll earn a lot. Pay varies a lot between companies and region. The role is also important (e.g. a system developer isn't going to out earn an investment banker).

I have had an offer from EY, RSM for corporate tax and Accenture for Technology and I am 100% choosing finance over technology. PwC is the biggest accountancy firm in the world, but I wouldn't like to work within technology as I did 2 weeks work experience and got to see all the different service lines and the technology department was my least favorite (I had an interest within tech too!). And there is definitely a salary difference between being an ACA charted accountant and working within the technology department in an accountancy firm. However it really depends on what you want to peruse as a career.

FP&A is corporate finance not accounting. Corporate accounting and financial reporting is a different beast.

And accounting =/= finance. Although you can move to finance from accounting with the right background and a bit of luck as you've mentioned.

Also worth noting that there's working "in tech" which is working for a tech company and working in a technical job which can be at a nontech company. Nontech companies don't tend to value the core roles within tech companies the same way tech companies do. Ergo, you'll more than likely make less because you're a "cost center" and not a revenue center.

Generally anyone working "in tech" tends to get paid very well because tech companies typically pay very well. Some roles "in tech" that are "core" roles like product management, product marketing management, software engineering, design, data science/analytics and sales (if it's a B2B company) tend to have a bit of a premium. But other roles at tech companies also pay very well. For instance a Finance Manager working at a tech company in the bay area might make $250-300k total comp but at a nontech company they mght only make $120-180k.