Are you dreaming of a future career, looking to progress in your business sector, or considering changing your career path? If you answered yes to any of these three questions, career advice by industry would be invaluable.
Your career may be well planned yet take an unexpected turn or present you with a difficult choice. Our career advice will help you make the right decisions based on relevant insights in any of these scenarios.
So, find your existing or potential industry below and begin a path of discovery that will help you make the best career choice for you.
Accounting Career Advice
Accounting is a fantastic career choice if you can see yourself handling important financial documents and helping organisations increase profit and reduce expenditure. Roles can be demanding at busy times, such as the end-of-month or end-of-financial-year.
Some jobs are accessible with education or training limited to GCSEs, A levels, or diplomas in bookkeeping, accounting, or financial studies. Senior positions often require qualifications such as accountancy, business studies, or finance degrees.
View our comprehensive Accounting Career Advice.
Agriculture Career Advice
The agriculture business sector is highly varied, with opportunities to work in farming, landscaping, planting, breeding, soil biology, animal training, and scientific research. Skills, education, and work experience vary significantly by role, so exploring our career advice further will be highly advantageous.
Read our in-depth Agriculture Career Advice.
Armed Forces Career Advice
Armed forces careers offer exciting prospects for training and working in the UK or abroad. Combat is only one possible career path, and you could work in food preparation, peacekeeping, intelligence, nursing, or vehicle maintenance.
You will need five or more GCSEs to join the Royal Marines or RAF, with army apprenticeships developing your practical skills within a trade. You will also need to commit to a 44-week pre-commissioning course and at least 3.5-years of service.
View our comprehensive Armed Forces Career Advice.
Arts Career Advice
A career in the arts may mean working in music, TV, museums, or galleries. Creative and administrative jobs exist, and A levels, a foundation diploma, or fine arts degree will put you in an ideal position for job hunting. Our advice covers various roles such as actors, photographers, curators, and many more.
Read our in-depth Arts Career Advice.
Automotive Career Advice
Automotive careers include working in vehicle maintenance, engineering, design, manufacturing, and sales. Exciting opportunities exist on these career paths that might see you testing vehicle systems, replacing broken parts, selling vehicles to customers, or scheduling maintenance.
View our comprehensive Automotive Career Advice.
Banking and Insurance Career Advice
With a mix of customer service, sales, and advice-based roles, banking and insurance careers often see you working on the high street or communicating over the phone.
Holding the proper credentials will help you start your career and speed up your progression. A Level 2 or 3 Certificate in Providing Financial Service may be required, with GCSEs through to a degree in finance, law, or accounting necessary for others.
Read our in-depth Banking and Insurance Career Advice.
Charity Career Advice
Charity careers allow you to give back to the community with jobs arranging events, organising volunteers, collecting donations, administering the business, or conducting research. Qualifications that will help you secure a charity job include GCSEs, A levels, and Level 4 or 5 diplomas in Business Management.
View our comprehensive Charity Career Advice.
Construction Career Advice
A construction career might see you enter a hands-on trade or project management, architecture, or surveying profession. Your work may be associated with building houses or infrastructure such as roads. Your career choice affects the relevant qualifications, work experience, or transferable skills, so further reading on your areas of interest is helpful.
Read our in-depth Construction Career Advice.
Customer Services Career Advice
Customer service careers can see you working in almost any industry. Office-based or face-to-face, typical tasks include serving customers, responding to emails, building rapport, updating records, managing a team, and analysing customer data.
Customer services agents find Level 1 or 2 Certificates in Customer Service or Contact Centre Operations helpful. A levels are useful if you intend to enter a management or supervisory position.
View our comprehensive Customer Services Career Advice.
Education Career Advice
Careers in education can be gratifying, working as a teacher or in administration or management. Finding success requires dedication, and you may need qualifications such as a Bachelor of Arts with QTS, Bachelor of Educations, or Bachelor of Science with QTS.
Read our in-depth Education Career Advice.
Engineering Career Advice
Design, production, maintenance, and testing roles all fall within the scope of engineering careers. You might work in a factory, office, or in the field, depending on the role. Many diplomas, A levels, and degrees are available to help you learn the necessary skills and build your mechanical, rail, or aeronautical engineering knowledge.
View our comprehensive Engineering Career Advice.
Environmental Career Advice
Environmental scientist, consultant, and health officer roles put you in a position to tackle pollution, safety, and human health issues. You could find yourself assisting other professions with advice on planning, construction, policies, or engineering. An understanding or education in biology, geology, or chemistry will help you start your career.
Read our in-depth Environmental Career Advice.
Facilities Management Career Advice
Facilities management careers might see you focus on security, ground or building maintenance, cleaning, safety, efficiency, or communications. Crucial skills that indicate you will find a facilities management career fulfilling include an ability to work under pressure, build relationships, make decisions, and work to deadlines.
View our comprehensive Facilities Management Career Advice.
Finance Career Advice
Finance careers exist in banking and financial institutions as well as broadly within most companies. Relevant qualifications to start a finance career include diplomas in bookkeeping, accounting, and financial studies. If you feel you are skilled in making financial projections, monitoring investments, executing financial tasks, and reporting to senior managers, this is a career path to explore.
Read our in-depth Finance Career Advice.
Healthcare Career Advice
Our healthcare career advice highlights many qualifications that can help you start your career or advance to the next level and take on greater responsibilities, help others, or achieve financial success. The private and public sectors offer opportunities to work with people in their homes, hospitals, or within a laboratory.
View our comprehensive Healthcare Career Advice.
Hospitality and Leisure Career Advice
Hospitality and leisure jobs comprise a mix of front of house and back-office roles. You might work as a housekeeper, receptionist, chef, manager, or sports coach. Our career advice looks at various positions, including baker, lifeguard, wedding planner, event planner, and bartender.
Read our in-depth Hospitality and Leisure Career Advice.
Human Resources (HR) Career Advice
HR positions exist in most companies, and you can advance your career internally or with an HR agency. You can remain a generalist or focus on employment law, payroll, training, or professional development. Specific qualifications are required before starting your career, while others can be earned while on the job.
View our comprehensive Human Resources (HR) Career Advice.
Information Technology (IT) Career Advice
IT job opportunities are plentiful as the world and business continue to become digitised. Career paths may see you work in cybersecurity, IT sales, or software and hardware development. Our career advice highlights advantageous qualifications and the many roles within the information technology business sector.
Read our in-depth Information Technology (IT) Career Advice.
Leadership Career Advice
Leadership careers can be jump-started with a degree and junior management position or after many years of work experience. You can further your education and attract exciting job offers by studying for certificates in the Principles of Business Start-Up, Business Essentials, or Creating a Business Start-Up.
View our comprehensive Leadership Career Advice.
Legal Career Advice
Legal careers can take you in many directions focusing on commercial, private, or government law. Roles to explore include legal secretary, barrister, and lawyer. You may need a law degree or a certificate in Law and Practice to advance your career.
Read our in-depth Legal Career Advice.
Manufacturing Career Advice
Manufacturing is a career you can embark on straight from school or following graduation, depending on where you see yourself working within the industry. Tasks within manufacturing include inspecting equipment, managing people, complying with health and safety regulations, or running production equipment.
View our comprehensive Manufacturing Career Advice.
Marketing Career Advice
Most companies require local or central marketing teams, presenting opportunities to work in media, mobile, or public relations. You should expect to work in an office and a fast-paced environment developing and evaluating marketing campaigns, developing budgets, identifying potential clients, and organising events.
Roles vary and include marketing manager, copywriter, analyst, art director, and graphic designer.
Read our in-depth Marketing Career Advice.
Media Career Advice
Careers in media involve working in TV, publishing, radio, or digital design. The sector has positions for people with different skills, including writing, media sales, and technical production. Qualifications that will help you advance your career include Level 3 Diplomas in Creative & Digital Media and Digital Marketing. A journalism degree is typically required to work in the news.
View our comprehensive Media Career Advice.
Office Administration Career Advice
Office administration careers let you work in companies of any size, providing administrative support. Organisational skills are crucial, and your daily activities might include answering the phone, filing paperwork, managing schedules, purchasing office supplies, and bookkeeping. A GCSE in maths and English will help you secure your first job.
Read our in-depth Office Administration Career Advice.
Personal Care Career Advice
If you are passionate about helping people, a career in personal care will be rewarding. You can work with adults or children through local authorities or private organisations. Qualifications that will help your find work include the Level 1 Certificate in Health and Social Care, T level for Healthcare Support, and Level 2 Diploma in Care.
View our comprehensive Personal Care Career Advice.
Professional Services Career Advice
Professional services careers cover roles in finance, banking, accounting, and consultation. Accountants, project managers, and solicitors fit in this bracket, and our career advice covers what to expect from each role and the necessary qualifications to begin your career.
Read our in-depth Professional Services Career Advice.
Public Sector Career Advice
Public sector work can be rewarding and fulfilling. Working for local or central government, you could start a career in social care, emergency services, or as a bailiff. Your position may see you referring people to specialist services, preparing reports, providing crisis intervention, or helping people in the community.
View our comprehensive Public Sector Career Advice.
Retail Career Advice
If you like meeting people and have a knack for identifying needs and recommending solutions, then a retail sales role could be for you. Not all positions require direct interactions with the public, with careers as a merchandiser or stock controllers overlapping into this sector. Many managers have advanced their careers by working their way up from the bottom, so qualifications aren’t everything in retail.
Read our in-depth Retail Career Advice.
Sales Career Advice
Sales jobs are found in almost all industries and typically focus on selling products or services to personal or business customers. Experience and industry knowledge will help you build a successful career. If you intend to work in sales, you should enjoy challenges such as hitting sales goals, building networks, finding new customers, and nurturing relationships to create value.
View our comprehensive Sales Career Advice.
Science Career Advice
A career in science might include research, development, or sales. Exciting opportunities exist in clinical research, laboratory work, and forensics. Physics, biology, and chemistry qualifications will be helpful, and a degree-level education is required for most positions.
Read our in-depth Science Career Advice.
Social Care Career Advice
Social care roles include social workers and counsellors. Duties may include providing personal care, coordinating services, conducting assessments, and referring clients to medical professionals. You can find job vacancies with local authorities, residential care organisations, and the Probation Service.
View our comprehensive Social Care Career Advice.
Telecommunications Career Advice
You can start a career in telecommunications in various ways depending on whether you want to work in sales, marketing, design, or maintenance. Technical jobs typically begin with a Level 3 Diploma in Professional Competence for IT and Telecoms Professionals, with other courses including Communications Cabling, ICT Systems, and T Level for Telecoms Field Operatives.
Telecommunications Career Advice.
Transportation and Logistics Career Advice
The transportation and logistics sector presents career opportunities to work as a transport planner, delivery driver, warehouse manager, and more. You might want to explore careers in traffic management, stock management, planning, recruitment, marketing, or IT. Driving roles often require passing the Passenger Carrying Vehicle Driver Training, while other positions require A levels or a degree in business studies, town planning, or geography.
Read our in-depth Transportation and Logistics Career Advice.
If you are ready to start work in your chosen career, make a job search and find your next role.
