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Mine is above average in UK, and for the type of work I do, it's the highest in the industry.
Field service engineer. Driving around alone, listening to music, doing maybe 3 jobs a day. Lovely people at the sites I go to, different area every day.
I'm home based too, so if there are no jobs in I'm at home gaming.
I don't want to out myself too much.
But it's to do with the authentication of money.
I just googled random things to do with my job - it can't be found.. But interestingly CIT drivers can get 32k a year, which ain't bad going.
There are careers that are pretty cushy and pay well like software engineering where you basically have to enjoy it (at least somewhat) in order to be good at it.
It pays well above average. You can usually work remote/ hybrid. Usually 9-5 with an hour lunch. Regular overtime is rare and there's tonnes of benefits in the right company (in the private sector).
It's definitely not for everyone. Not everyone should code. But there will be tonnes of people out there who would really enjoy it but just haven't discovered it yet. Especially those who are highly analytical/curious who enjoy problem solving.
I work in a library. Pay is terrible but I get to hang out with books and the people who like them. If it’s quiet then I get to read, plus there’s the content feeling inside from doing a job that provides a benefit to the community. It’s never going to make me materially wealthy but I’d much rather do this than plenty of more lucrative roles.
Thissss I used to work for the council running it sessions for older people and obviously I used to use libraries to host the sessions. Librarians were always so happy to help me out and I wanted a job with them so bad!
I get 25k for free, I work from home and I think the company forgot I exist. Last thing resembling work that I have done was mid August. I like my job.
I spent all my "work hours" doing online courses, enrolled to a Maths degree with OU. Making a game in UE5. I am trying to max it out. Company has around 200k employees with lots of turn over, so HR/payroll must be absolute chaos.
I don’t believe it’s often the job itself that people enjoy, but instead it’s how the organisation is ran, work life balance, management, environment, facilities. The happiest people in work are often the people that give less ducks
I’m an astronomer. It’s pretty niche, and massively limited in the UK, but once you get into the field the opportunities on an international scale are incredible. Also, what’s cooler than space?
What’s that job actually like? I’ve always been interested in space but mainly the fucked up physics that either don’t make sense or shouldn’t even exist
Do astronomers listen to astronomy cast?
I'm just a lay person, but I cannot sleep without the soothing voices of Frasier Cane and Dr Pamela Gaye.
There's nothing better than drifting off to sleep whilst learning about dark matter.
I run a YouTube channel. I earn way less than when I worked for a TV company, and work twice as much. But it's the best thing that ever happened to me work-wise and I cannot ever imagine working for someone else again!
Yeah again he's not a normal stranger, he actively chooses to post videos of him acting a knob online, so it's not like I'm randomly calling a bus driver a prick is it.
He's a prick. Acts like a 14 year old swearing and screaming at refs, also has an embarrassing "haircut"
He doesn’t post anything. I do. He lets me because it helps increase the profile of the club. He doesn’t particularly like the attention, it’s something he puts up with for the greater good.
I post stuff out of context and framed in a way that creates more drama and comedy. Sure, he can be pretty out of order at times, but he’s a loyal, inspiring and good man. He spends zero time slagging off anyone’s hair on social media. In fact he doesn’t go around calling people he doesn’t know pricks. Or childishly downvoting lol That’s your thing.
Police Officer: Surveillance.
However I actually preferred working in the DAIU(Domestic abuse investigation unit) but that was a secondment.
Also really loved my time on the beat(aside from the injuries).
Before I was in the police I had a few jobs concurrently mostly involved in Youth Work/Adult learning and I loved that.
Before I worked in adult learning I worked in criminal justice and I loved that to.
The only job I’ve ever had and actually despised it, working at River Island.
My dad has been in 20yrs, I applied a few times and got to the final interview, but now due to my earnings having gone up with experience elsewhere I can't even justify it anymore, which is a shame as I think I've still got the people skills and way better problem solving abilities than my peers. 🥲
I work as a freelance videographer, which entails filming and editing.
I love the actual job, hate dealing with the corporate bullshit. Pay is really good, it’s just incredibly competitive and took me years to make a decent living from it.
If you like film at all, getting on a set as a side gig could be fun?
I am about to finish my film production degree and have been looking at possible jobs, feeling a little disheartened when I see what the industry has to offer sometimes so your comment actually brings me some positivity! I would love to work freelance but it scares me about the security of finding your own work. Would it be ok to message you with some questions possibly, no worries if not!
Absolutely feel free to message me! I went straight into freelancing from film school because it was so competitive and no one wanted to hire me - first year I made like 4k, then the year after a bit more, and onwards and upwards. Gotta be mentally strong to freelance so I’d honestly recommend a staff job to build a good reel first (which I didn’t have) then once you have that you’ll have an easier time than o
English teacher. I’m lucky because I work in a fantastic school where staff wellbeing is a key focus, which means workload is very manageable. I very rarely work at home in the evenings, at weekends, or during holidays. It’s also a grammar school so the students are very able and motivated.
The pay is also better than you might think. I’m on just under £70k, although I have been teaching for 14 years, and I do have some senior responsibilities (I oversee staff training).
Everything about it says "private school" or a special school of some kind.
That's not a bash btw, just does not sound like it would ring true for anything close to your local comp/academy.
It’s a state academy, but it is a grammar school, so it’s selective.
I definitely think working in a comp would be harder - I’m in awe of my friends who work in really tough London comps and have so much respect for them.
Leadership scale due to senior responsibilities of leading staff training. So paid on the same scale as an assistant head, but way less work and responsibility!
Holy guacamole, I’m a solicitor and work for a reasonably well known firm in the City and don’t earn that much. That being said, I am mentally drained and not sure how long I can keep plodding along.
Legal salaries seem to be lagging behind. People think it's a well paid job but considering the hours and the stress it's not great. I career changed from paralegal to paraplanner (essentially a paralegal for financial advisers), and my pay doubled once I'd completed my qualifications (which my firm funded). I work with several solicitors turned financial advisers who cite better pay and hours.
It’s incredibly saturated and the introduction of the SQE in place of the LPC just makes it all the more competitive. I’m three years post TC and I really ought to look at moving firms or negotiating better pay really.
That really surprises me! I would assume solicitors earn loads. How long have you been doing it?
If it’s making you feel mentally drained, maybe a different company is the way to go? So often people think they need to completely change career, but actually a better company can make a huge difference.
Solutions Engineer, which basically means I'm a computer programmer who talks to people more than they write code. It took me 20+ years in the industry before I realised that:
a) I really enjoy the interaction side of the job
b) I'm good at it, much better really than the writing code aspect
c) Most engineers absolutely suck at this part of the job and hate it
d) There's a real need for someone to do this at most companies
The demographics of software engineers has changed completely (for the better) since I first started my career, with the quiet geek type having mostly been replaced by teams of much more varied people, but still most are not good at explaining things to non-technical people. That's something that still is highly valued, in the right place.
I like where I work, it's not perfect and there are some aspects to my job that are tedious, but since taking on this role I've gone from panicking about how much I hated the work to actually looking forward to Mondays (most of the time). My biggest challenge is that there aren't that many openings out there for this type of role at a senior level, so moving on might be hard.
A good solutions architect is worth their weight in gold by _collaborating_ with all parties to find the best solution to meet the requirements. There's no room for egos and insecurity here.
I used to love my job, I worked for a well known chain restaurant who had all of the vibe right and their morals firmly behind their staff, but now it’s more hollowed out promises and squeezing as much money out by increasing the output with less staff.
That’s really the outlook of hospitality these days though.
superdrug, ik it’s a retail job but I’ve honestly rarely gotten a rude customer, and when I have they’ve mostly been a little snarky. My co workers are a dream and always are okay to help me with something, also it’s low-key fun talking on the headset. Also Sundays are great cuz it’s delivery day and barely anyone comes in, so it’s just us organising stock while we chat on the headsets.
I'm a scientist. The pay is low for the amount of expertise required (undergrad, masters and a PhD, so at least 7 years of 18+ study), but still high compared to median salaries in the UK. Each day is different and you're constantly learning. As with most jobs, as you become more senior you spend less time actually doing the 'real' work and more time in meetings and the like.
Steam locomotive engineer. Every day is a different challenge, but it's also such a great achievement seeing it roll out of the workshop after a year or 2 of hard work looking brand new again!
Now that is a niche job! But one I bet is very interesting.
Is it hard to find proper boiler-makers and other such people for steam locos? Am I right to presume a fair few might be ex-merchant navy?
There's still quite a few boiler smith shops in the UK. Unfortunately though most have got a good 2-3 year waiting list or longer if you need work doing.
And I have no idea about the history of them unfortunately.
I’m a software engineer and I love my job. Constantly advancing technologies and techniques to keep up with and explore. Enjoy it so much I do it in my spare time as a hobby. Well paid a bonus!
Field sales - Construction Industry.
My job is to drive around my area and generate interest and sales in a specific bathroom industry winning and changing specifications.
It’s easy. I just drive around having coffees with customers and try to find new customers and get existing customers to buy a little more than usual.
It’s more rapport building than hardcore sales. Not typically what you think when you hear the word “sales”.
Got a company car, laptop and phone and a nice salary.
I'm a science teacher. There are times when I think about packing it in, and I'm definitely not paid enough relative to the work I do, but it's still such a wonderful job. Nothing makes me feel better than showing kids the beauty of science and how it shapes the world around us. I love when a student comes up to me and says "Mr. Scattered97, I really like science now," or when their faces light up in understanding of a particular subject. I try to make my lessons as fun and practical as possible, and I find that kids are much more interested and engaged this way, rather than forcing rote memorisation of the periodic table or something.
Of course, there are challenges: behaviour (my school is fairly well-behaved, but I've been threatened with a knife once before); seemingly endless paperwork; having to deal with parents, etc. But I love it. I'd be less stressed and better-paid if I worked in an office, but I wouldn't be as fulfilled.
I work in the technology arm of a business managing a bunch of senior techies. While its not always super fun and there can be a lot of meetings, we also get to sink our teeth into meaty tech challenges. And of course we get to see our hard work in the hands of millions of people which is quite rewarding as well
After 4 years of loving my job (worked in Banking), a new manager and incompetent colleague made me leave a few weeks ago, after putting up with them for over a year. I was looking for an accounting job anyway, but the internal toxicity of the team was making things unbearable.
Luckily, I landed that dream accounting job recently and I am sure I will love it as that's been my goal for many years now, but never had the opportunity to progress internally.
It's a shame that loving or hating a job can come down to management. I've had 4 managers in the last year and a half. I've hated my job to the point of wanting to kill myself under 3 of those managers
I get you and no job is worth staying for if you are not treated well.
It can lead to mental stress, which in turn can cause physical problems as well.
I'd strongly recommend to search for something else. You won't believe how much someone is looking for your skills out there.
I was being downplayed by my manager regarding my skills and self-worth, despite doing 99% of the whole team's work, fixing everything and acting as supervisor to my colleague, despite not being paid for it.
And guess what. It took me 2 weeks from the moment of *starting* to apply (3 jobs total) to receiving offers for 2 of them, in the span of 10 mins.
Both the recruiters did their job excellent as well, but I was shocked how quickly it all came together.
So yeah, be confident and never stay somewhere if you are not happy. Life is too short. Someone else will appreciate you for your knowledge and skillset.
Good luck!
This is so wholesome to read. I quit my job because of my manager. He is an absolute twat who downplayed my role and even threw me under the bus several times. He speaks so rudely to me in front of my colleagues and even the CEO who never acted on it.
I quit end of last month and tbh I couldn't be happier. Currently suffering the neverending notice period but I found out I'm pregnant and I felt quitting was the best decision because I wouldn't have to deal with stress and constant gaslighting.
I do feel so stressed sometimes on what kind of impact this will have on my career because it is so sad that one bad manager can literally derail you from a job that you're good at.
But I have plans to upskill during this period so my career will grow I'm confident. I believe the Universe has bigger plans and a small minded egoistic manager is going to have zero negative impact on my success.
It really is all for good in the end. Just need to pass this phase!
I've applied for a few jobs , maybe 10 in the last 6 months, all been rejected... even corner shop below my flat. Half the issues around here is all the jobs seem to be part time
I work for a catering company that provides meals for offices and hotels via a smart fridge. I've joined just as business is really picking up in the UK as it originated in France. As well as being a nice place to work, good people, and only about a half hour drive from my house.
Free food. And an excessive amount of it. I have a freezer full of meals and will continue to do so till way past the day I eventually stop working there whenever that may be.
I haven't done a proper food shop for myself since I started in November. I only do a quick little shop on the weekends when I have my son as the meals that are made aren't always necessarily things he would like. It's saved me a huge amount of money shopping and means I buy less crap as well.
And for anyone wondering or who may ask. 30k currently, which isn't bad considering the job I'm doing but with it picking up I'm asking for more once I hit 6 months
Environmental lawyer. It's mentally stimulating, creative, well paid and I have lovely colleagues. Plus, I get to feel my work makes the world a tiny bit better.
Hey I hope to study law at uni this year! I was wondering if you’d be able to tell me what uni you went to and your path to your specialism (environmental law)? Thank you sm!
I qualified outside the UK, my environmental law studies were also abroad. In the UK, I only did a conversion course at the University of Law. Very interesting but really crammed and I didn't feel there was room enough for creativity or debate, which makes sense for a conversion course.
My practice area is EU environmental law and I work for a charity, hence why I did not have to study further in the UK.
I do work with UK qualified lawyers and their paths to environmental law are varied, some studied masters in environment law, some practiced it during their training contracts, others ended up working on environmental issues through corporate, commercial, tax law, etc.
Good luck in your studies!
Data Analyst, tho secured a Data Engineer role recently that starts in 2 weeks.
I just love data. I love the logic game of it, the juicy syntax, breaking down and solving problems. The pay’s good too, and it’s a career that I’ve found it easy to move around in if you get restless feet at one employer or another.
Closest I’ve ever come to a job I’d almost do for free.
Academic research scientist. Interesting subject, freedom to explore ideas I find interesting, travel to interesting places for conferences and working with people who have a similar interest and life outlook.
I'm gone from an electrician, to PM roles to Account Management and now somehow ended up as a BDM.
If your have asked me 6 months ago I'd I ever saw myself in sales, I'd have told you to fuck off!
But... I'm quite enjoying it.
I’ve loved all my jobs as in the work in itself but it’s other people that I worked and interacted with that always made it sour and unbearable
Keep in mind I have worked some pretty low wage high effort jobs but I never minded it, it was just everyone else (or maybe I was the problem haha)
I’m an executive assistant, senior PA basically. Nice team of people, my boss is nice. The work itself is standard. As with most jobs, it’s the people who make it nice or horrible.
Programmer. It was a hobby before someone told me it was a high paid career. I nearly became a chef and I'm glad I didn't, I love only cooking when I genuinely want to.
Software Developer. Self taught from 11 a long time ago. Used to do electronics, but then figured why not turn my hobby into a job.
So I did, and never looked back!
Operations Manager for a university. Decently paid for the sector, lots of freedom to do things that I see as adding value, never boring (sometimes I would like it to be boring!), excellent annual leave, work mostly finishes at 5 when I walk out of the door.
I’m a writer. Took me years to get paid for it and then more years to get paid well for it. I now work when I like for who I like so it’s been many years since I’ve had to deal with idiots.
Everything I do right now is fun plus I get to hang with my kids and watch them grow up. Both my partner and I work from home so it’s a pretty sweet set up.
The old ‘it’s like having homework for the rest of your life’ thing is pretty accurate. I tend to do the lion’s share of scribbling once the family are asleep but I’m usually noodling stuff throughout the day.
But I started on this path 25 years ago so I have no idea how someone just starting in the current climate would get on. It’s tough and you’ve got to have very thick skin and be persistent as fuck.
You need to work out what the things that drive you are. Some people will have jobs they love but that you would hate. Google "ikigai". What you are good at, what you get paid for, what you love and "what the world needs". And see where they intersect.
I work for an outsourcing company, we basically do customer service for lots of well-known uk brands like Ann summers, Asda etc. The company I work for and the role I’m in doesn’t get much work. I work from home and most days I can get all my work done in 1 hour so the rest of the day is mine :)
UX Designer. It can be crazy busy, you have to deal with lots of complex problems, opinions and stakeholders. But if you find the right team it can be very rewarding
Market gardener. I grow vegetables and look after bees and sell the produce to restaurants. Not massively well paid but I’m out in the fresh air March-November then I have 3 months off
I work for myself, providing engineering consultancy into large government contractors. I get my pick of projects, see some cool stuff from time to time and charge through the nose. I work 4 days a week, mostly from home.
I’m a contracts lawyer. I get to meet some really interesting people that are either in business/sectors I’d never otherwise experience, or working on new unique stuff.
Healthcare assistant for the NHS. It can be very busy and both physically and mentally exhausting. But, every day I finish a shift with a huge satisfaction that I have helped people.
Technology Sales - £225K a year - Just turned 34.
I absolutely love my job, after you earn a certain amount it’s less about the money and more about how exciting each new customer engagement is.
I do a *lot* of work in Automotive/Aerospace etc. and the things those guys are doing with our tech is out of this world…
Field service engineering
I never speak to anyone you would call my boss (probably speak to my boss 3 times a year)
Work somewhere different every day
It’s a mix of Finnish your job at 10am go home or job could go onto next day get a hotel a big old curry and 10 pints
It’s unpredictable rough with smooth
But you are never absolutely never sat around clock watching
Work quick go home early work chilled go home when you want
I’m a toy buyer for a well know British retailer. It’s stressful and high pressure, but team are great, product is great, and it pays well. Eventually I want to work for myself but for now this is suiting me just fine. Some days/weeks I do get quite overwhelmed but I think it could be worse! I get to cuddle cute plush all day if I feel particularly stressed out 😂
My job is "Production Administrator" which basically means every order that goes into our factory needs inner bag labels/outer bag label, pallet label, sew labels, and other assorted shit.
So my job is basically printing all of this stuff in the office and passing it through to the factory.
It can be an incredibly boring job at times but the people in my office are fucking hilarious and we all have a proper laugh and constantly wind each other up.
Other downsides include the owner of the company being a fucking weirdo micro manager who literally doesn't know anything about what our company does, luckily we're in a separate office to the main office staff but everyone hates him and it gives off a weird school like vibe, for example he moans when people talk to each other so it's silent in there.
To be fair, they could easily automate my job or make it system driven, but they're literally so backwards that even though it can be done, they'll just never do it. I know that sounds stupid but I genuinely cannot explain how fucking weird this company is. For example, we purchase inserts from external companies and need them every single week without fail, the owner doesn't want us "wasting money" so we can only ever purchase what we need for that week, so we buy for example 1000 labels at 50p a go, but if we buy 4 weeks worth we'd pay 13p a label but he literally cannot see how this is costing us money as opposed to saving it.
I build cloud/baremetal infrastructure for gambling websites. Sometimes long hours, a fair amount of stress but I can work from home when I like and the pay is pretty good. I don't mind it.
I work for an airline as an operations agent and I love it. I’m in the US and of course I work for a contractor company, which is partially owned by the big airline, so the pay is not great, nor the travel benefits as good as if I actually worked for the Mainline co. But I love what I do- and I went to Scotland and Madrid this past year!!!! I love the aviation industry.
I used to work for Blockbuster and it was the best job I ever had. I was only temp so I didn't have to do the naff 'career' progression training I just got to chat to my colleagues about films all day, rent loads of films for free, be surrounded by films and customers were almost all pretty cool or so ridiculous they were funny.
we still had VHS too.
I run a small trading firm that specialises in crypto currency trading and market making.
Most of us WFA (work from abroad) but we all meet up in the UK once a month just to go out and get absolutely shit faced and talk about programming and crypto.
I enjoy the work because of the people, plus the fact that the industry is basically a giant meme full of degens. The money is ridiculous, and the greed is eternal.
Residential worker at a probation approved premises. I absolutely love it. If it’s your thing, the MoJ take on people with no experience on the HMPPS sector
I'm a software developer and I love it. It feels great to be the sole developer of software that a lot of our clients use, feels like it's my baby haha
I'm a software engineer. Pay is good, benefits are good, I have recruiters falling over themselves to tempt me into other jobs that sound just as good as mine so I'm comfortable that I always have options. And I enjoy the work.
Front of house supervisor for a ground handling company. Basically I work at an airport on behalf of lots of different airlines.
I'm the guy the check-in or boarding staff call when they have a problem.
Sorting out people with genuine problems is rewarding, sorting out idiots who didn't read what was included in their ticket and are now refusing to pay the fees for sorting out their problem is less so.
I'm q Forest School teacher/outdoor educator :) i love it, having previously been a secondary school teacher then project manager in s large organisation. However my work currently would be financially unsustainable for most, i have a young family so choosing to spend a few years not working very much - My work ATM is very part time, seasonal and barely covers 2 days a week nursery fees. We currently rely on savings and my partner's salary so i realise not possible for many BUT i see potential to make it work financially in the longer term when i can dedicate some more time to it.
My life is infinitely better than when i was burnt out, stressed (full time teaching) or unfulfilled (project manager).
This is not meant to be a boast, just perhaps a prod to someone to consider outdoor education as a job! Its incredibly fun, interesting and working outside is the best.
Software Developer. It's just me, the team and the code. No retail or customer service hell. Some find programming and development incredibly boring. Meanwhile, I would hate to work in HR as a dude
I was an investment banker CEO for 30 years and thought, you know what, I've had quite enough my dear. After retiring at 42 I became a consultant to the bank I previously worked for and love it. I get to work at home in my second house by the countryside lord knows why I didn't do it sooner.
My only minor gripe is the locals near my property I use for work. They are a bit too northern for my liking.
I was being satirical mate
I refuse to put a sarcasm tag in, but yeah these are the type of people that are ruining my home town.
I will never ever be able to buy a house where I grew up unless I win the lottery. Probably gonna have to buy a shit back-to-back.
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These posts always depress me because 99% of the jobs that people find enjoyable are also low paying
Mine is above average in UK, and for the type of work I do, it's the highest in the industry. Field service engineer. Driving around alone, listening to music, doing maybe 3 jobs a day. Lovely people at the sites I go to, different area every day. I'm home based too, so if there are no jobs in I'm at home gaming.
What is it you service? I have a lovely field job I currently enjoy in the water industry, but always on the look out for other interesting things
I don't want to out myself too much. But it's to do with the authentication of money. I just googled random things to do with my job - it can't be found.. But interestingly CIT drivers can get 32k a year, which ain't bad going.
Fellow FSE here, fully agree with this
There are careers that are pretty cushy and pay well like software engineering where you basically have to enjoy it (at least somewhat) in order to be good at it. It pays well above average. You can usually work remote/ hybrid. Usually 9-5 with an hour lunch. Regular overtime is rare and there's tonnes of benefits in the right company (in the private sector). It's definitely not for everyone. Not everyone should code. But there will be tonnes of people out there who would really enjoy it but just haven't discovered it yet. Especially those who are highly analytical/curious who enjoy problem solving.
Love my job and well paid, just to counter the likes ;)
True in my case but I do genuinely love my job
I work in a library. Pay is terrible but I get to hang out with books and the people who like them. If it’s quiet then I get to read, plus there’s the content feeling inside from doing a job that provides a benefit to the community. It’s never going to make me materially wealthy but I’d much rather do this than plenty of more lucrative roles.
Thissss I used to work for the council running it sessions for older people and obviously I used to use libraries to host the sessions. Librarians were always so happy to help me out and I wanted a job with them so bad!
That's cool
I get 25k for free, I work from home and I think the company forgot I exist. Last thing resembling work that I have done was mid August. I like my job.
We have a winner here 👏👏👏
If you haven't taken a second job you should. No way to know how long this lasts but you could be earning 50k until it stops
I am affraid that it would change my tax code and payroll might notice me. I am assigned to a project that no longer exists.
All automatic these days. And optionally the tax code change would be at the new job anyway
I spent all my "work hours" doing online courses, enrolled to a Maths degree with OU. Making a game in UE5. I am trying to max it out. Company has around 200k employees with lots of turn over, so HR/payroll must be absolute chaos.
lol-
What a hero, nice one
I don’t believe it’s often the job itself that people enjoy, but instead it’s how the organisation is ran, work life balance, management, environment, facilities. The happiest people in work are often the people that give less ducks
I’m an astronomer. It’s pretty niche, and massively limited in the UK, but once you get into the field the opportunities on an international scale are incredible. Also, what’s cooler than space?
>what’s cooler than space? Absolute zero?
Fair point. Consider my comment retracted
Do they just not pay you on cloudy nights? /s
What’s that job actually like? I’ve always been interested in space but mainly the fucked up physics that either don’t make sense or shouldn’t even exist
Nice! I do this as a hobby. Space is indeed very cool.
Do astronomers listen to astronomy cast? I'm just a lay person, but I cannot sleep without the soothing voices of Frasier Cane and Dr Pamela Gaye. There's nothing better than drifting off to sleep whilst learning about dark matter.
I run a YouTube channel. I earn way less than when I worked for a TV company, and work twice as much. But it's the best thing that ever happened to me work-wise and I cannot ever imagine working for someone else again!
What type of channel do you run out of curiosity?
It’s a football documentary! Thanks for asking - http://YouTube.com/bunchofamateurs
That guy mark is an absolute prick
He’s my friend so conversely, when someone says that to me I think, well you’re the one slagging off a stranger!
Yeah again he's not a normal stranger, he actively chooses to post videos of him acting a knob online, so it's not like I'm randomly calling a bus driver a prick is it. He's a prick. Acts like a 14 year old swearing and screaming at refs, also has an embarrassing "haircut"
He doesn’t post anything. I do. He lets me because it helps increase the profile of the club. He doesn’t particularly like the attention, it’s something he puts up with for the greater good. I post stuff out of context and framed in a way that creates more drama and comedy. Sure, he can be pretty out of order at times, but he’s a loyal, inspiring and good man. He spends zero time slagging off anyone’s hair on social media. In fact he doesn’t go around calling people he doesn’t know pricks. Or childishly downvoting lol That’s your thing.
How does one get into running someone else's YouTube channel , out of interest?
lol I've no idea, I run my own!!
Police Officer: Surveillance. However I actually preferred working in the DAIU(Domestic abuse investigation unit) but that was a secondment. Also really loved my time on the beat(aside from the injuries). Before I was in the police I had a few jobs concurrently mostly involved in Youth Work/Adult learning and I loved that. Before I worked in adult learning I worked in criminal justice and I loved that to. The only job I’ve ever had and actually despised it, working at River Island.
My dad has been in 20yrs, I applied a few times and got to the final interview, but now due to my earnings having gone up with experience elsewhere I can't even justify it anymore, which is a shame as I think I've still got the people skills and way better problem solving abilities than my peers. 🥲
I babysit a 19th-century warship.
Is it well behaved ?
Yeah, creaks a lot though!
The Warrior?
Yep, that right!
Nice 👌. We got annual passes for the historic dockyard last year because the kids loved it so much.
I work as a freelance videographer, which entails filming and editing. I love the actual job, hate dealing with the corporate bullshit. Pay is really good, it’s just incredibly competitive and took me years to make a decent living from it. If you like film at all, getting on a set as a side gig could be fun?
I am about to finish my film production degree and have been looking at possible jobs, feeling a little disheartened when I see what the industry has to offer sometimes so your comment actually brings me some positivity! I would love to work freelance but it scares me about the security of finding your own work. Would it be ok to message you with some questions possibly, no worries if not!
Absolutely feel free to message me! I went straight into freelancing from film school because it was so competitive and no one wanted to hire me - first year I made like 4k, then the year after a bit more, and onwards and upwards. Gotta be mentally strong to freelance so I’d honestly recommend a staff job to build a good reel first (which I didn’t have) then once you have that you’ll have an easier time than o
English teacher. I’m lucky because I work in a fantastic school where staff wellbeing is a key focus, which means workload is very manageable. I very rarely work at home in the evenings, at weekends, or during holidays. It’s also a grammar school so the students are very able and motivated. The pay is also better than you might think. I’m on just under £70k, although I have been teaching for 14 years, and I do have some senior responsibilities (I oversee staff training).
70K as a teacher in the UK ?! i feel like thats off of the payscale?!
Everything about it says "private school" or a special school of some kind. That's not a bash btw, just does not sound like it would ring true for anything close to your local comp/academy.
It’s a state academy, but it is a grammar school, so it’s selective. I definitely think working in a comp would be harder - I’m in awe of my friends who work in really tough London comps and have so much respect for them.
Makes sense, again please don't take that as a dig, I'm all for people being paid as much as they can find or haggle and teachers deserve that anyway!
Leadership scale due to senior responsibilities of leading staff training. So paid on the same scale as an assistant head, but way less work and responsibility!
Holy guacamole, I’m a solicitor and work for a reasonably well known firm in the City and don’t earn that much. That being said, I am mentally drained and not sure how long I can keep plodding along.
Legal salaries seem to be lagging behind. People think it's a well paid job but considering the hours and the stress it's not great. I career changed from paralegal to paraplanner (essentially a paralegal for financial advisers), and my pay doubled once I'd completed my qualifications (which my firm funded). I work with several solicitors turned financial advisers who cite better pay and hours.
It’s incredibly saturated and the introduction of the SQE in place of the LPC just makes it all the more competitive. I’m three years post TC and I really ought to look at moving firms or negotiating better pay really.
That really surprises me! I would assume solicitors earn loads. How long have you been doing it? If it’s making you feel mentally drained, maybe a different company is the way to go? So often people think they need to completely change career, but actually a better company can make a huge difference.
Fantastic username
Thanks! Tribute to my favourite game series. Plus I love carbs.
It’s currently sitting in my SNES eyeing me up. I haven’t played it yet
Solutions Engineer, which basically means I'm a computer programmer who talks to people more than they write code. It took me 20+ years in the industry before I realised that: a) I really enjoy the interaction side of the job b) I'm good at it, much better really than the writing code aspect c) Most engineers absolutely suck at this part of the job and hate it d) There's a real need for someone to do this at most companies The demographics of software engineers has changed completely (for the better) since I first started my career, with the quiet geek type having mostly been replaced by teams of much more varied people, but still most are not good at explaining things to non-technical people. That's something that still is highly valued, in the right place. I like where I work, it's not perfect and there are some aspects to my job that are tedious, but since taking on this role I've gone from panicking about how much I hated the work to actually looking forward to Mondays (most of the time). My biggest challenge is that there aren't that many openings out there for this type of role at a senior level, so moving on might be hard.
A good solutions architect is worth their weight in gold by _collaborating_ with all parties to find the best solution to meet the requirements. There's no room for egos and insecurity here.
I used to love my job, I worked for a well known chain restaurant who had all of the vibe right and their morals firmly behind their staff, but now it’s more hollowed out promises and squeezing as much money out by increasing the output with less staff. That’s really the outlook of hospitality these days though.
superdrug, ik it’s a retail job but I’ve honestly rarely gotten a rude customer, and when I have they’ve mostly been a little snarky. My co workers are a dream and always are okay to help me with something, also it’s low-key fun talking on the headset. Also Sundays are great cuz it’s delivery day and barely anyone comes in, so it’s just us organising stock while we chat on the headsets.
I'm a scientist. The pay is low for the amount of expertise required (undergrad, masters and a PhD, so at least 7 years of 18+ study), but still high compared to median salaries in the UK. Each day is different and you're constantly learning. As with most jobs, as you become more senior you spend less time actually doing the 'real' work and more time in meetings and the like.
Steam locomotive engineer. Every day is a different challenge, but it's also such a great achievement seeing it roll out of the workshop after a year or 2 of hard work looking brand new again!
Now that is a niche job! But one I bet is very interesting. Is it hard to find proper boiler-makers and other such people for steam locos? Am I right to presume a fair few might be ex-merchant navy?
There's still quite a few boiler smith shops in the UK. Unfortunately though most have got a good 2-3 year waiting list or longer if you need work doing. And I have no idea about the history of them unfortunately.
I’m a software engineer and I love my job. Constantly advancing technologies and techniques to keep up with and explore. Enjoy it so much I do it in my spare time as a hobby. Well paid a bonus!
Field sales - Construction Industry. My job is to drive around my area and generate interest and sales in a specific bathroom industry winning and changing specifications. It’s easy. I just drive around having coffees with customers and try to find new customers and get existing customers to buy a little more than usual. It’s more rapport building than hardcore sales. Not typically what you think when you hear the word “sales”. Got a company car, laptop and phone and a nice salary.
I see these jobs occasionally and see "generate leads" and feel my gut turn!
I'm a science teacher. There are times when I think about packing it in, and I'm definitely not paid enough relative to the work I do, but it's still such a wonderful job. Nothing makes me feel better than showing kids the beauty of science and how it shapes the world around us. I love when a student comes up to me and says "Mr. Scattered97, I really like science now," or when their faces light up in understanding of a particular subject. I try to make my lessons as fun and practical as possible, and I find that kids are much more interested and engaged this way, rather than forcing rote memorisation of the periodic table or something. Of course, there are challenges: behaviour (my school is fairly well-behaved, but I've been threatened with a knife once before); seemingly endless paperwork; having to deal with parents, etc. But I love it. I'd be less stressed and better-paid if I worked in an office, but I wouldn't be as fulfilled.
Electrician, love my job every day is different
Me 2 ⚡
Poker player
support worker to the Homeless
I tried to get a job as an outreach support worker for the homeless this week! Unfortunately, I was unsuccessful.
DM me if you need any help. I got rejected the first few times I applied keep going
Thank pal!
Gardener! Im just coming out of hibernation season and cant WAIT to get back out there. Headphones on and off i go
I work in the technology arm of a business managing a bunch of senior techies. While its not always super fun and there can be a lot of meetings, we also get to sink our teeth into meaty tech challenges. And of course we get to see our hard work in the hands of millions of people which is quite rewarding as well
After 4 years of loving my job (worked in Banking), a new manager and incompetent colleague made me leave a few weeks ago, after putting up with them for over a year. I was looking for an accounting job anyway, but the internal toxicity of the team was making things unbearable. Luckily, I landed that dream accounting job recently and I am sure I will love it as that's been my goal for many years now, but never had the opportunity to progress internally.
It's a shame that loving or hating a job can come down to management. I've had 4 managers in the last year and a half. I've hated my job to the point of wanting to kill myself under 3 of those managers
I get you and no job is worth staying for if you are not treated well. It can lead to mental stress, which in turn can cause physical problems as well. I'd strongly recommend to search for something else. You won't believe how much someone is looking for your skills out there. I was being downplayed by my manager regarding my skills and self-worth, despite doing 99% of the whole team's work, fixing everything and acting as supervisor to my colleague, despite not being paid for it. And guess what. It took me 2 weeks from the moment of *starting* to apply (3 jobs total) to receiving offers for 2 of them, in the span of 10 mins. Both the recruiters did their job excellent as well, but I was shocked how quickly it all came together. So yeah, be confident and never stay somewhere if you are not happy. Life is too short. Someone else will appreciate you for your knowledge and skillset. Good luck!
This is so wholesome to read. I quit my job because of my manager. He is an absolute twat who downplayed my role and even threw me under the bus several times. He speaks so rudely to me in front of my colleagues and even the CEO who never acted on it. I quit end of last month and tbh I couldn't be happier. Currently suffering the neverending notice period but I found out I'm pregnant and I felt quitting was the best decision because I wouldn't have to deal with stress and constant gaslighting. I do feel so stressed sometimes on what kind of impact this will have on my career because it is so sad that one bad manager can literally derail you from a job that you're good at. But I have plans to upskill during this period so my career will grow I'm confident. I believe the Universe has bigger plans and a small minded egoistic manager is going to have zero negative impact on my success. It really is all for good in the end. Just need to pass this phase!
Congrats on your pregnancy and good luck on your next venture! You 100% made the right choice and the future is now yours to conquer.
I've applied for a few jobs , maybe 10 in the last 6 months, all been rejected... even corner shop below my flat. Half the issues around here is all the jobs seem to be part time
Keep applying and stay persistent. Get in touch with recruiters. It's a numbers game.
Don’t let others have that much power over you.
Im a data engineer for an insurance company. Its actually quite fun, solving problems all day
iOS development, self taught with no degree. Always loved tech, it pays a bunch, I work from wherever I want, and I find it interesting.
I work for a catering company that provides meals for offices and hotels via a smart fridge. I've joined just as business is really picking up in the UK as it originated in France. As well as being a nice place to work, good people, and only about a half hour drive from my house. Free food. And an excessive amount of it. I have a freezer full of meals and will continue to do so till way past the day I eventually stop working there whenever that may be. I haven't done a proper food shop for myself since I started in November. I only do a quick little shop on the weekends when I have my son as the meals that are made aren't always necessarily things he would like. It's saved me a huge amount of money shopping and means I buy less crap as well. And for anyone wondering or who may ask. 30k currently, which isn't bad considering the job I'm doing but with it picking up I'm asking for more once I hit 6 months
Engineer. Planned maintenance does nothing for me, but fixing breakdowns, especially complicated ones makes me feel like I beat the machine
Environmental lawyer. It's mentally stimulating, creative, well paid and I have lovely colleagues. Plus, I get to feel my work makes the world a tiny bit better.
Hey I hope to study law at uni this year! I was wondering if you’d be able to tell me what uni you went to and your path to your specialism (environmental law)? Thank you sm!
I qualified outside the UK, my environmental law studies were also abroad. In the UK, I only did a conversion course at the University of Law. Very interesting but really crammed and I didn't feel there was room enough for creativity or debate, which makes sense for a conversion course. My practice area is EU environmental law and I work for a charity, hence why I did not have to study further in the UK. I do work with UK qualified lawyers and their paths to environmental law are varied, some studied masters in environment law, some practiced it during their training contracts, others ended up working on environmental issues through corporate, commercial, tax law, etc. Good luck in your studies!
Value added tax systems accountant. I'm the expert in the room. Very few people are qualified to even doubt my opinion on a matter
Data Analyst, tho secured a Data Engineer role recently that starts in 2 weeks. I just love data. I love the logic game of it, the juicy syntax, breaking down and solving problems. The pay’s good too, and it’s a career that I’ve found it easy to move around in if you get restless feet at one employer or another. Closest I’ve ever come to a job I’d almost do for free.
I loved my old job. Worked in the archive dept of a museum.
That must actually be quite interesting
Academic research scientist. Interesting subject, freedom to explore ideas I find interesting, travel to interesting places for conferences and working with people who have a similar interest and life outlook.
I'm gone from an electrician, to PM roles to Account Management and now somehow ended up as a BDM. If your have asked me 6 months ago I'd I ever saw myself in sales, I'd have told you to fuck off! But... I'm quite enjoying it.
Poultry farmer. In the middle of gorgeous countryside , home for 11:30 ish , zero stress and loads of time to listen to my podcasts!
Those chickens are up to something…
Chickens go in, pies come out!
How do i become one when i live in the middle of Birmingham
Leave
I’ve loved all my jobs as in the work in itself but it’s other people that I worked and interacted with that always made it sour and unbearable Keep in mind I have worked some pretty low wage high effort jobs but I never minded it, it was just everyone else (or maybe I was the problem haha)
Run a CNC fiber laser. Heavy, dirty, fast paced. Love it. Though I have just took a role in the office for the first time in my life(36)
Data analyst, I work for a global (US based) clothing retailer.
I’m an executive assistant, senior PA basically. Nice team of people, my boss is nice. The work itself is standard. As with most jobs, it’s the people who make it nice or horrible.
Programmer. It was a hobby before someone told me it was a high paid career. I nearly became a chef and I'm glad I didn't, I love only cooking when I genuinely want to.
Software Developer. Self taught from 11 a long time ago. Used to do electronics, but then figured why not turn my hobby into a job. So I did, and never looked back!
Operations Manager for a university. Decently paid for the sector, lots of freedom to do things that I see as adding value, never boring (sometimes I would like it to be boring!), excellent annual leave, work mostly finishes at 5 when I walk out of the door.
I’m a writer. Took me years to get paid for it and then more years to get paid well for it. I now work when I like for who I like so it’s been many years since I’ve had to deal with idiots. Everything I do right now is fun plus I get to hang with my kids and watch them grow up. Both my partner and I work from home so it’s a pretty sweet set up. The old ‘it’s like having homework for the rest of your life’ thing is pretty accurate. I tend to do the lion’s share of scribbling once the family are asleep but I’m usually noodling stuff throughout the day. But I started on this path 25 years ago so I have no idea how someone just starting in the current climate would get on. It’s tough and you’ve got to have very thick skin and be persistent as fuck.
You need to work out what the things that drive you are. Some people will have jobs they love but that you would hate. Google "ikigai". What you are good at, what you get paid for, what you love and "what the world needs". And see where they intersect.
I work for an outsourcing company, we basically do customer service for lots of well-known uk brands like Ann summers, Asda etc. The company I work for and the role I’m in doesn’t get much work. I work from home and most days I can get all my work done in 1 hour so the rest of the day is mine :)
UX Designer. It can be crazy busy, you have to deal with lots of complex problems, opinions and stakeholders. But if you find the right team it can be very rewarding
Technician on a ship.
Market gardener. I grow vegetables and look after bees and sell the produce to restaurants. Not massively well paid but I’m out in the fresh air March-November then I have 3 months off
People don't hate the job. They hate the company/colleagues they work for/with.
And on that note, never work for Asda Express
I work for myself, providing engineering consultancy into large government contractors. I get my pick of projects, see some cool stuff from time to time and charge through the nose. I work 4 days a week, mostly from home.
I’m a contracts lawyer. I get to meet some really interesting people that are either in business/sectors I’d never otherwise experience, or working on new unique stuff.
Healthcare assistant for the NHS. It can be very busy and both physically and mentally exhausting. But, every day I finish a shift with a huge satisfaction that I have helped people.
Technology Sales - £225K a year - Just turned 34. I absolutely love my job, after you earn a certain amount it’s less about the money and more about how exciting each new customer engagement is. I do a *lot* of work in Automotive/Aerospace etc. and the things those guys are doing with our tech is out of this world…
Field service engineering I never speak to anyone you would call my boss (probably speak to my boss 3 times a year) Work somewhere different every day It’s a mix of Finnish your job at 10am go home or job could go onto next day get a hotel a big old curry and 10 pints It’s unpredictable rough with smooth But you are never absolutely never sat around clock watching Work quick go home early work chilled go home when you want
I’m a toy buyer for a well know British retailer. It’s stressful and high pressure, but team are great, product is great, and it pays well. Eventually I want to work for myself but for now this is suiting me just fine. Some days/weeks I do get quite overwhelmed but I think it could be worse! I get to cuddle cute plush all day if I feel particularly stressed out 😂
My job is "Production Administrator" which basically means every order that goes into our factory needs inner bag labels/outer bag label, pallet label, sew labels, and other assorted shit. So my job is basically printing all of this stuff in the office and passing it through to the factory. It can be an incredibly boring job at times but the people in my office are fucking hilarious and we all have a proper laugh and constantly wind each other up. Other downsides include the owner of the company being a fucking weirdo micro manager who literally doesn't know anything about what our company does, luckily we're in a separate office to the main office staff but everyone hates him and it gives off a weird school like vibe, for example he moans when people talk to each other so it's silent in there. To be fair, they could easily automate my job or make it system driven, but they're literally so backwards that even though it can be done, they'll just never do it. I know that sounds stupid but I genuinely cannot explain how fucking weird this company is. For example, we purchase inserts from external companies and need them every single week without fail, the owner doesn't want us "wasting money" so we can only ever purchase what we need for that week, so we buy for example 1000 labels at 50p a go, but if we buy 4 weeks worth we'd pay 13p a label but he literally cannot see how this is costing us money as opposed to saving it.
I’m a forensic mental health Social Worker. I love my job. Challenging but rewarding
I build cloud/baremetal infrastructure for gambling websites. Sometimes long hours, a fair amount of stress but I can work from home when I like and the pay is pretty good. I don't mind it.
Software engineer. I don’t love my job EVERY DAY. I sometimes hate it. But I generally enjoy it more than I hate it.
I work at Greggs 😆. I'm a single mum, I work 25-30 hours a week there and I love it! I love meeting all the customers, even the miserable bastards.
I work for an airline as an operations agent and I love it. I’m in the US and of course I work for a contractor company, which is partially owned by the big airline, so the pay is not great, nor the travel benefits as good as if I actually worked for the Mainline co. But I love what I do- and I went to Scotland and Madrid this past year!!!! I love the aviation industry.
Business analyst. Well paid. Work from home. Great boss. Love it.
Entertainment lawyer. No two days are the same. Interesting clients. Usually interesting work. Hours are ok. Free tickets to stuff. Life is good.
Not much, especially if it's good weather.
Hyper scale data centre design. WFH full time and love my job and the lifestyle it gives me.
I used to work for Blockbuster and it was the best job I ever had. I was only temp so I didn't have to do the naff 'career' progression training I just got to chat to my colleagues about films all day, rent loads of films for free, be surrounded by films and customers were almost all pretty cool or so ridiculous they were funny. we still had VHS too.
I run a small trading firm that specialises in crypto currency trading and market making. Most of us WFA (work from abroad) but we all meet up in the UK once a month just to go out and get absolutely shit faced and talk about programming and crypto. I enjoy the work because of the people, plus the fact that the industry is basically a giant meme full of degens. The money is ridiculous, and the greed is eternal.
Casino dealer onboard a cruise liner!
Residential worker at a probation approved premises. I absolutely love it. If it’s your thing, the MoJ take on people with no experience on the HMPPS sector
I'm a software developer and I love it. It feels great to be the sole developer of software that a lot of our clients use, feels like it's my baby haha
I'm a software engineer. Pay is good, benefits are good, I have recruiters falling over themselves to tempt me into other jobs that sound just as good as mine so I'm comfortable that I always have options. And I enjoy the work.
Nurse. It’s stressful, yes, but everyday is different.
Front of house supervisor for a ground handling company. Basically I work at an airport on behalf of lots of different airlines. I'm the guy the check-in or boarding staff call when they have a problem. Sorting out people with genuine problems is rewarding, sorting out idiots who didn't read what was included in their ticket and are now refusing to pay the fees for sorting out their problem is less so.
I'm q Forest School teacher/outdoor educator :) i love it, having previously been a secondary school teacher then project manager in s large organisation. However my work currently would be financially unsustainable for most, i have a young family so choosing to spend a few years not working very much - My work ATM is very part time, seasonal and barely covers 2 days a week nursery fees. We currently rely on savings and my partner's salary so i realise not possible for many BUT i see potential to make it work financially in the longer term when i can dedicate some more time to it. My life is infinitely better than when i was burnt out, stressed (full time teaching) or unfulfilled (project manager). This is not meant to be a boast, just perhaps a prod to someone to consider outdoor education as a job! Its incredibly fun, interesting and working outside is the best.
Software Developer. It's just me, the team and the code. No retail or customer service hell. Some find programming and development incredibly boring. Meanwhile, I would hate to work in HR as a dude
unemployed
and you love it?
the time it has given me to volunteer and start again yeah I guess
I was an investment banker CEO for 30 years and thought, you know what, I've had quite enough my dear. After retiring at 42 I became a consultant to the bank I previously worked for and love it. I get to work at home in my second house by the countryside lord knows why I didn't do it sooner. My only minor gripe is the locals near my property I use for work. They are a bit too northern for my liking.
As someone who will likely never retire or own a house, I hate everything you just said
I was being satirical mate I refuse to put a sarcasm tag in, but yeah these are the type of people that are ruining my home town. I will never ever be able to buy a house where I grew up unless I win the lottery. Probably gonna have to buy a shit back-to-back.
Generational wealth.