What job will allow me to earn £50k starting?

24 comments

1. Erm.

   None, really.

   Sorry.

2. Given that you are qualified to do little other than medicine, that’s a hard ask.

3. Mostly my thoughts are that you need to do something about your outgoings, and perhaps consider something at least tangentially related to your degree.

   The right sales job might get you that out of the gate, but that’ll be more commission than salary and only if you’re good/lucky/etc enough to make the sales. Or a high-flying finance grad scheme might in theory pay that (if your degree is good enough) but that would be highly competitive and probably not much of an option if you haven’t been targetting it.

   I don’t think there are many plausible options for £50k out of the gate without any subject-specific qualifications. Maybe have a look at medical sales if you have the temperament and decide you can put up with something medicine-related.

4. Medical sales… medical research… medical software… finance at major medical companies

   Obviously you’d have to be the top of your field or do a masters at a highly regarded university. £50k is a bit steep though. £35k-£45k is more achievable and £50k within a couple of years.

5. I can’t think of much.

   However, if what you actually want is nothing to do with sick people or patients, then there are plenty of options – most of them in pharma research or early-stage medical research management (i.e. before any clinical work). In particular, some posts in pharma research require you to have a medical qualification and don’t involve any patients at all.

   You could also work in drug or medical device sales.

6. Software maybe, but you’d still have to learn how to, you know, code…

7. You want a job that requires no qualifications or experience yet pays £50k a year?

   Have you considered criminality?

8. Let me know when you find one. I’ll join you.

9. Consulting in a firm with a lot of hospital clients.

10. Lion taming. The furry ones with long snouts and that eat ants. Also same recommendation for CA’s out there.

11. Look to the rails.

    Train driver.
    Signaller.
    Train running controller.

    All earn at least 50K, and out of those 3, train driver is probably the best entry level one as you’ll get full training (but maybe not full pay until you’re qualified). The other 2 would probably require at least some railway experience, but I wouldn’t rule them out completely.

12. How about becoming a venture capitalist? High risk, high reward!

13. Let me know when you find the unicorn.

14. If this is your first job then how the fuck do you have outgoings that need a salary of 50k?

    And no, without experience of qualifications you aren’t getting a 50k job.

15. Sales.

    Not high pressure nonsense but solutions.

    You are well trained in people-centred solution finding, an ability crucial to those in complex sales.

16. My friend back in around 2003 took her first job after uni in Switzerland as a medical data analyst. The pay was much higher than here and paid off her student debts. Once she had a few years under her belt she came back to the UK.
    The cost of living over there is high, but she found a small one bed place and avoided the high end expensive life style which a lot of the ex pats enjoy. It’s worth a look if it’s pay level that’s important to you.

17. Don’t pharmacists earn a fair whack? Could you not do that? Also surely there’s loads of jobs like that in the medical profession or are you wanting it without experience? What are your outgoing that you need 50k? You got kids?

18. I thought doctora earned reasonably well?

    My GP has 5 doctors and they all have new Mercedes parked up outside, all of which are black metallic for some reason. Maybe they’re on lease.

19. You’re very naive … To get close to starting on that you’d have to do a whole new degree such as law or dentistry …

20. Not much really. I am a qualified structural engineer with a master’s degree and experience designing multi-storey buildings. Just staring at excel sheets doing calculations and checking them over and over again as well as simulations all day with a boss breathing down your neck who has a bigger boss breathing down theirs as well as architects who want to bend the maws of physics.

    Very stressful work, very highly skilled and no room for the smallest mistake, mind-draining stuff.

    Yet it took me about 8 years to reach that salary.

    The grass is rarely greener on the other side.

21. Could look into grad schemes. My friend is on 50 a year staring salary worming for Microsoft.

    They specifically want stem degrees, he did physics. Not sure if yours would meet the criteria

22. depending on where you are in the country you could earn that lorry driving

23. You say you do not wish to do anything related to medicine, and I don’t know your reasons for this, but have you considered any of the less well known medical specialties such as pathology or public health?

    I also considered leaving medicine at one point but realised that I would probably have to do something related to medicine to some degree in order to earn a decent salary. Depending on your reasons for wanting to leave, you may find that there are opportunities for your interests outside of medicine in these niche specialities. For example, there is significant interest in AI and computing in cellular pathology at the moment.

24. As a doctor you have the respect of the community.

    As a management consultant, you will be loathed by everybody. Particularly your clients’ employees and your colleagues.

    Respect doesn’t pay many bills but you don’t have to throw it all away.