Which jobs have the quickest career progression?

If you’re an ambitious person, you’ll want to find a job with excellent career progression. But when it comes to your job search, you’ll notice that not every job has attractive prospects. Some jobs can take many years before any sort of progression starts to take place. But in certain jobs where the skill set is more in-demand, there are better opportunities for you to climb through the ranks.

To help you with your job search, we’ve mapped out 5 jobs with the quickest career progression and their salaries.

5 jobs with quick career progression

1. Healthcare assistant

Industry payscale: £25,000 – £52,500

Healthcare is one of the most understaffed sectors in the UK. With an aging population, it’s never been more important to have quality members of staff in the care industry. From nurses to residential care assistants, people who enjoy looking after others will flourish in this industry.

The best part about starting a career in care is that you don’t need to study or gain a qualification. Most care companies just ask that you’re a friendly, compassionate and reliable person. Once you’ve got your foot in the door, there’s on-the-job training and opportunities for you to move into senior carer and managerial roles. 

2. Sales executive

Industry payscale: £23,000 – £42,500

Sales is one of those exciting industries where the sky’s the limit. As long as you can sell, you’re going to have a fantastic career. Most of the entry-level positions in sales don’t require any studying or formal qualifications either since a standout personality can take you far in sales (although good product knowledge is essential too!).

Although you may start out in a low-level position, if you exceed your quotas on a regular basis and show you have a passion for sales, it won’t be long before you can move into a senior position and manage a sales team of your own, or eventually become a sales Director!

3. Recruitment consultant

Industry payscale: £23,000 – £42,500

Recruitment is a lucrative line of work and one that offers uncapped earning potential and the ability to progress quickly. Recruitment is technically a sales position, and successful recruiters need to be highly motivated self-starters to succeed. Some companies may ask you to be degree-qualified, although most will be open to hiring anybody who has enough drive, determination and interpersonal skills.

4. Software developer

Industry payscale: £42,500 – £67,500

Software developers are becoming increasingly in demand due to the rise of technological innovation. Developers are extremely skilled and many businesses are now requiring the use of a developer as consumers seek more advanced technologies.

To become a developer, some study is required and a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT or similar is usually a prerequisite. However, there are other study routes into this career that don’t require going to university. As you progress through the ranks, you could find yourself becoming a senior developer or even a project lead.

5. Hospitality assistant

Industry payscale: £21,000 – £32,500

Hospitality provides a steady and quick route to progression and is home to a nice variety of vibrant environments from hotels to restaurants to catering events. Although it doesn’t tend to pay as well as jobs in software development and sales, it still provides a clear career progression roadmap. Starting out in hospitality is simple and you don’t need to have formal qualifications, although GCSEs and A Levels will be helpful. 

As long as you’re reliable and work hard, you could move up into a supervisory role before growing into a managerial position quite quickly.

Aim high

Wherever you are in your career move, career progression is an important factor to take into consideration. You want to make sure your job can provide a long-term opportunity for you to grow from strength to strength. There are other factors to consider depending on where you are in your career and who you are. For women, it may be worth researching the best work environments for women and, if you’ve just graduated, looking up the best graduate employers could also be useful!