What Are the Careers of the Future in the U.K.?

Top 20 careers, sorted by CFI score.

1. Marketing, sales and advertising directors CFI: 100
2. Chief executives and senior officials CFI: 100
3. Information technology directors CFI: 100
4. Financial managers and directors CFI: 100
5. Public relations and communications directors CFI: 99
6. Elected officers and representatives CFI: 99
7. Aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers CFI: 99
8. Electrical engineers CFI: 99
9. Functional managers and directors n.e.c. CFI: 98
10. Programmers and software development professionals CFI: 98
11. Senior police officers CFI: 98
12. Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services CFI: 98
13. Head teachers and principals CFI: 97
14. Specialist medical practitioners CFI: 97
15. Research and development (R&D) managers CFI: 97
16. IT business analysts, architects and systems designers CFI: 97
17. Civil engineers CFI: 96
18. Chartered architectural technologists, planning officers and consultants CFI: 96
19. Barristers and judges CFI: 96
20. Professional/Chartered company secretaries CFI: 96

Note: n.e.c. stands for "not elsewhere classified."

Top 20 careers in which most workers do not have a bachelor's degree, sorted by CFI score.

1. Production and process engineers CFI: 93
2. Health and safety managers and officers CFI: 92
3. Construction project managers and related professionals CFI: 91
4. Residential, day and domiciliary care managers and proprietors CFI: 90
5. Electronics engineers CFI: 89
6. Production managers and directors in construction CFI: 89
7. Production managers and directors in mining and energy CFI: 89
8. Chartered and certified accountants CFI: 88
9. Managers in transport and distribution CFI: 88
10. Business, research and administrative professionals n.e.c. CFI: 87
11. Quality assurance and regulatory professionals CFI: 87
12. Social services managers and directors CFI: 85
13. Police officers (sergeant and below) CFI: 84
14. Brokers CFI: 81
15. Natural and social science professionals n.e.c. CFI: 81
16. Production managers and directors in manufacturing CFI: 81
17. Construction and building trades supervisors CFI: 81
18. Fire service officers (watch manager and below) CFI: 80
19. Property, housing and estate managers CFI: 79
20. Protective service associate professionals n.e.c. CFI: 77

Note: n.e.c. stands for "not elsewhere classified."

Top 20 careers by median personal income from work, sorted by CFI score.

1. Marketing, sales and advertising directors CFI: 100
2. Chief executives and senior officials CFI: 100
3. Information technology directors CFI: 100
4. Financial managers and directors CFI: 100
5. Public relations and communications directors CFI: 99
6. Elected officers and representatives CFI: 99
7. Aircraft pilots and air traffic controllers CFI: 99
8. Electrical engineers CFI: 99
9. Functional managers and directors n.e.c. CFI: 98
10. Senior police officers CFI: 98
11. Senior officers in fire, ambulance, prison and related services CFI: 98
12. Head teachers and principals CFI: 97
13. Specialist medical practitioners CFI: 97
14. IT business analysts, architects and systems designers CFI: 97
15. Rail transport operatives CFI: 95
16. Train and tram drivers CFI: 94
17. IT managers CFI: 91
18. Purchasing managers and directors CFI: 91
19. Other drivers and transport operatives n.e.c. CFI: 90
20. Officers in armed forces CFI: 82

Note: n.e.c. stands for "not elsewhere classified."

Data on expected careers were collected by asking 15-year-olds, "What kind of job do you expect to have when you are about 30 years old?" In the U.K., 41.2% did not name a career. Of those who did name a career, the top 10 most mentioned careers are below.

1. Lawyers
   3.5% of Mentions CFI: 94
2. Medical doctors
   3.5% of Mentions CFI: 88
3. Engineering professionals (excluding electrotechnology)
   2.2% of Mentions CFI: 92
4. Psychologists
   1.7% of Mentions CFI: 74
5. Athletes and sports players
   1.5% of Mentions CFI: 4
6. Teaching professionals
   1.4% of Mentions CFI: 39
7. Nursing professionals
   1.3% of Mentions CFI: 60
8. Biologists, botanists, zoologists and related professionals
   1.2% of Mentions CFI: 58
9. Mechanical engineers
   1.0% of Mentions CFI: 87
10. Veterinarians
    1.0% of Mentions CFI: 93