Choosing a career
What job is right for me?
No quiz can tell you for certain. What works is narrowing it down with four things you can check: what you are good at, what you want from work, how you like to work and what you need to earn. Our free career quiz starts from how you like to work; our CV tool starts from what you have already done.
Updated
Two free ways to start
Take the career quiz
A short multiple-choice quiz about what you enjoy and how you like to work. Good if you have no idea where to start.
Start the quizAnalyse your CV
Paste your CV and see the skills you already have and the jobs they lead to. Good if you have been working for a while.
Analyse my CVThe National Careers Service also has a free Discover your skills and careers assessment: 40 multiple-choice questions that take 5 to 10 minutes and give career suggestions to compare.
Four questions to narrow it down
1. What are you good at?
Not what you enjoy yet, but what you do well. What do colleagues ask you to help with? What comes easily to you that others find hard? What could you teach someone? Our transferable skills guide helps you name these in the words employers use.
2. What do you want from work?
Put these in order: security, pay, flexibility, independence, helping people, creativity, status, variety. Then check every option against your top two or three, and be honest about them.
3. How do you like to work?
Alone or in a team? With the public or behind the scenes? Routine or variety? Desk, outdoors or on your feet? If you prefer quiet, focused work, see our guide to jobs for introverts.
4. What do you need to earn?
Work out the minimum you need, then check each job against it. For reference, the UK median for full-time employee jobs was £39,039 in the tax year to April 2025. Our pages on jobs that pay £30k, £40k and £50k list options at each level.
If you like being around people
If you get energy from other people (the classic extrovert), look at jobs built on conversations: selling, recruiting, representing an organisation or running events. Before you accept a sales or recruitment job, ask how targets and commission work.
| Job | Median pay | Usual way in |
|---|---|---|
| Business development manager | £57,625 | Sales executive apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Business sales executive | £37,924 | Sales executive apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Public relations officer | £37,563 | Public relations and communications assistant apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Recruitment consultant | £35,194 | Recruiter apprenticeship, level 3 |
| Events manager | £32,163 | Event assistant apprenticeship, level 3 |
| Estate agent | £30,648 | Junior estate agent apprenticeship, level 2 |
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . Median gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs in the UK, tax year ending 5 April 2025. Figures are for whole SOC 2020 occupation groups and exclude the self-employed.
If you are creative
Creative jobs that pay a steady wage usually mix ideas with a brief, a client and a deadline. Expect to be asked for examples of your work, so start building a portfolio now.
| Job | Median pay | Usual way in |
|---|---|---|
| Web developerONS codes web developers with all programmers and software development professionals, so the pay figure covers that whole group. | £56,914 | Software development technician apprenticeship, level 3 |
| UX designer | £48,629 | Digital user experience (UX) professional (integrated degree) apprenticeship, level 6 |
| Copywriter | £39,459 | Junior advertising creative apprenticeship, level 3 |
| Social media manager | £37,563 | Digital community manager apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Marketing executive | £33,412 | Multi-channel marketer apprenticeship, level 3 |
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . Median gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs in the UK, tax year ending 5 April 2025. Figures are for whole SOC 2020 occupation groups and exclude the self-employed.
If you are analytical
If you like finding patterns, checking detail and working problems through, look at jobs built on data, systems or rules. Many have apprenticeships, and several pay well above the UK median.
| Job | Median pay | Usual way in |
|---|---|---|
| Cyber security analyst | £54,647 | Cyber security technologist (2021) apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Business analyst | £53,295 | Business analyst apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Accountant | £50,062 | Professional accounting technician apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Software tester | £47,118 | Software tester apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Intelligence analyst | £41,128 | Intelligence analyst apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Data analyst | £38,572 | Data technician apprenticeship, level 3 |
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . Median gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs in the UK, tax year ending 5 April 2025. Figures are for whole SOC 2020 occupation groups and exclude the self-employed.
If you like helping people
Caring and support jobs range from roles with a level 2 apprenticeship to regulated professions that need a degree and registration. Pay varies widely, so check the figure before you commit to training.
| Job | Median pay | Usual way in |
|---|---|---|
| Paramedic | £53,818 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Paramedic (level 6) |
| Social worker | £44,550 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Social worker (integrated degree) (level 6) |
| Occupational therapist | £44,040 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Occupational therapist (level 6) |
| Youth worker | £32,654 | Youth support worker apprenticeship, level 3 |
| Careers adviser | £32,418 | Employability practitioner apprenticeship, level 4 |
| Counsellor | £31,124 | See the National Careers Service profile |
| Healthcare assistant | £29,084 | Healthcare support worker apprenticeship, level 2 |
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . Median gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs in the UK, tax year ending 5 April 2025. Figures are for whole SOC 2020 occupation groups and exclude the self-employed.
If you have a degree
A degree opens the professions that require one, and some accept a degree in any subject. The Solicitors Regulation Authority, for example, says the degree for the SQE route can be in any subject or an equivalent level 6 qualification (SRA). These are examples where a degree or degree apprenticeship is the usual way in.
| Job | Median pay | Usual way in |
|---|---|---|
| Solicitor | £56,977 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Solicitor (level 7) |
| Data scientist | £53,342 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Data scientist (integrated degree) (level 6) |
| Quantity surveyor | £52,537 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Construction quantity surveyor (degree) (level 6) |
| Secondary school teacher | £47,632 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Teacher - Postgraduate (level 6) |
| Nurse | £42,300 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Registered nurse degree (NMC 2018) (level 6) |
| Town planner | £36,457 | Usually a degree. Apprenticeship: Chartered town planner (degree) (level 7) |
Source: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a, published . Median gross annual pay for full-time employee jobs in the UK, tax year ending 5 April 2025. Figures are for whole SOC 2020 occupation groups and exclude the self-employed.
Note: Apprenticeships from Skills England; entry routes from ONS SOC 2020 and National Careers Service job profiles. Checked 28 September 2026. Which jobs appear under each heading is our judgement, and “usually a degree” is our reading of the published entry routes. Medians cover everyone in the job, not starting salaries.
What a quiz cannot tell you
- What a normal day is like. Talk to two or three people who do the job before you spend money on training.
- What employers near you pay. ONS medians are for the whole UK. Check live vacancies in your area.
- Whether you will enjoy it. Try it in a small way first: a short course, a project, a day of shadowing or some volunteering.
When you have a shortlist, our guide to changing careers step by step covers pay, training and funding.
Common questions
How do I know what job is right for me?
Narrow it down with four checks: what you are good at, what you want from work, how you like to work and what you need to earn. Then test the shortlist by talking to people who do the jobs and trying the work in a small way before you commit to training.
Is there a free career test in the UK?
Yes. Our career quiz is free with no account. The National Careers Service also has a free Discover your skills and careers assessment with 40 multiple-choice questions that takes 5 to 10 minutes.
What jobs suit extroverts?
Jobs built on conversations, such as recruitment, sales, public relations and events. The ONS full-time median for recruitment consultants' occupation group was £35,194 in 2025 (ONS ASHE 2025).
What jobs suit creative people?
Design, writing, marketing and web development, where you work to a brief. The ONS full-time median for the occupation group that includes UX designers was £48,629 in 2025 (ONS ASHE 2025). Expect employers to ask for examples of your work.
What jobs suit analytical people?
Jobs built on data, systems or rules, such as data analysis, business analysis, accountancy and cyber security. The ONS full-time median for data analysts' occupation group was £38,572 in 2025 (ONS ASHE 2025).