12 High Paying Careers That Are Fun (UK): What Makes Them Enjoyable and How to Get In
Twelve well-paid UK careers people genuinely enjoy, from pilot and penetration tester to VFX artist and offshore wind technician, with pay, the honest downside of each and how to get in.
By Tony Musso on
High paying careers that are fun do exist, but "fun" means different things to different people. For some it's flying a plane or working at sea. For others it's solving a puzzle nobody else can crack, or seeing something you made on a cinema screen. The jobs below pay well in the UK and give people a concrete reason to enjoy them: variety, creativity, being outdoors, travel or hard problems to solve.
Every job also has a downside, and we've been honest about it. A career that sounds exciting can still involve night shifts, months away from home or a long, expensive training route. Pay figures are from TonyKnows career data and show starting, experienced and senior ranges.
12 high paying careers that are fun, at a glance
| Career | Starting pay | Experienced pay | Senior pay | Why people enjoy it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pilot | £24,000 to £40,000 (first officer) | £60,000 to £100,000 | £120,000 to £200,000 (captain) | Flying, travel, a view no office has |
| Air traffic controller | £37,000 (trainee) | £50,000 to £75,000 | £100,000 to £130,000+ | Intense, live problem solving |
| Penetration tester | £30,000 to £45,000 | £50,000 to £80,000 | £85,000 to £130,000+ | Paid to break into systems, legally |
| Game developer | £24,000 to £35,000 | £40,000 to £65,000 | £70,000 to £110,000+ | Building things people play for fun |
| VFX artist | £28,000 to £40,000 | £45,000 to £70,000 | £80,000 to £130,000 | Creative work on films and TV |
| Art director | £40,000 to £55,000 | £60,000 to £85,000 | £90,000 to £140,000+ | Shaping the look of whole campaigns |
| Offshore wind technician | £35,000 to £45,000 | £50,000 to £65,000 | £75,000 to £100,000+ | Outdoors, at sea, at height |
| Rope access technician | £30,000 to £38,000 | £42,000 to £55,000 | £60,000 to £85,000+ | Abseiling for a living, varied sites |
| Merchant navy officer | £30,000 to £40,000 (cadet to third officer) | £45,000 to £60,000 | £70,000 to £100,000+ | Travel and long blocks of time off |
| Live events producer | £26,000 to £36,000 | £42,000 to £65,000 | £75,000 to £120,000 | Every event is different |
| Vet | £32,000 to £40,000 | £45,000 to £65,000 | £70,000 to £120,000+ | Working with animals and their owners |
| Digital forensics investigator | £35,000 to £42,000 | £45,000 to £60,000 | £65,000 to £90,000 | Detective work on devices and data |
What each fun, well-paid career is really like
1. Pilot
Why it's fun: few jobs change scenery like this one. You're trusted with a complex machine, every flight has its own weather and challenges, and you get to see places on layovers.
The downside: training is long and expensive, and self-funded routes can cost tens of thousands of pounds before you earn anything. Early starts, rosters that change and nights away from home are normal, and you must keep passing medicals and checks throughout your career.
Route in: a commercial pilot licence with ATPL theory, through an integrated or modular course, plus a Class 1 medical from the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Some airlines run cadet schemes that help with costs. Get the medical first, before you spend money on training.
2. Air traffic controller
Why it's fun: it suits people who love a live puzzle. You're juggling aircraft, weather and timing in real time, and the satisfaction of a busy shift handled cleanly is hard to match. You leave the work at work, because it can't come home with you.
The downside: the concentration is intense, it's shift work including nights and weekends, and not everyone who starts training qualifies.
Route in: you don't need a degree. You apply for trainee schemes, mainly through NATS, and pass aptitude tests and assessments before paid training.
3. Penetration tester
Why it's fun: you're paid to think like a hacker and find the gaps in a company's systems before criminals do. Every client is a new puzzle, and the skills never stop developing.
The downside: a lot of the job is writing clear reports for clients, and you have to keep learning to stay current. Some projects are routine checks rather than clever break-ins.
Route in: many people start in IT support or a security operations centre, then take hands-on certifications. Our guide on how to get into cyber security sets out the steps.
4. Game developer
Why it's fun: you build things people play for enjoyment, often in small teams where your ideas show up in the finished game. Coders, designers and artists solve creative problems together every day.
The downside: "crunch" periods before a release can mean long hours, and the industry has had waves of redundancies. Pay at the start is lower than in other software roles.
Route in: a games or computer science degree helps, but a portfolio of small finished games matters more. Game jams are a good way to build one.
5. VFX artist
Why it's fun: you help make explosions, creatures and whole worlds for films, TV and adverts, then see your work on screen. The UK, and London in particular, is a major centre for visual effects.
The downside: work is deadline-driven and often project-based, so contracts can end when a film is delivered. Early roles can be repetitive tasks such as rotoscoping.
Route in: a strong showreel is what gets you hired. Many people study animation or VFX, then start as a junior or runner at a studio.
6. Art director
Why it's fun: you decide how a campaign, magazine, game or brand looks, and lead the designers, photographers and illustrators who bring it to life. The work changes with every brief.
The downside: client feedback can undo weeks of work, and the more senior you get, the more time you spend managing people rather than making things yourself.
Route in: most art directors start as graphic designers or junior creatives in agencies and work up. The creative director career guide shows where the path leads.
7. Offshore wind technician
Why it's fun: it's hands-on work at height, at sea, on huge machines. If you hate sitting at a desk, this is the opposite, and you're working in an industry with plenty of future growth.
The downside: weather rules your day, the work is physical, seasickness is a real issue for some people, and rotations mean time away from home.
Route in: an electrical or mechanical background helps, plus Global Wind Organisation (GWO) safety training. Some operators and manufacturers run apprenticeships.
8. Rope access technician
Why it's fun: you abseil down buildings, bridges, wind turbines and offshore platforms to inspect, repair or clean them. Sites change constantly and the views are unbeatable.
The downside: work often comes in contracts, so income can be uneven, and it's tiring outdoor work in all weathers.
Route in: a short IRATA Level 1 course gets you started. Pay rises as you log hours and move up to Levels 2 and 3, especially if you add a trade such as welding or inspection.
9. Merchant navy officer
Why it's fun: you travel the world as part of your job, take real responsibility early, and long periods on board are usually balanced by long periods of leave.
The downside: months away from family and friends, limited internet at times, and life on board isn't for everyone.
Route in: sponsored cadetships pay your training and give you an allowance while you study for your first certificate of competency. Our merchant navy salary guide covers pay by rank.
10. Live events producer
Why it's fun: festivals, concerts, launches and conferences each bring a new venue, team and set of problems. If you like a buzz and seeing a plan come together on the night, it's hard to beat.
The downside: evenings and weekends are normal, the work can be seasonal, and many producers are freelance.
Route in: most people start as runners, production assistants or event staff and work up through contacts. Experience counts for more than qualifications.
11. Vet
Why it's fun: you work with animals, use science every day, and no two consultations are the same. Farm, equine and exotic work add even more variety.
The downside: the degree takes five or six years, out-of-hours shifts are common, and the emotional load of difficult cases and euthanasia is real. Read our vet salary guide for how pay grows.
Route in: a veterinary degree from a university approved by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, then registration with the RCVS.
12. Digital forensics investigator
Why it's fun: it's detective work with technology. You recover deleted files, trace what happened on a device and help build evidence for police or businesses.
The downside: in police work, you may have to view distressing material, and evidence must be handled to strict standards that leave no room for shortcuts.
Route in: a degree in computer forensics or cyber security helps, and police forces and private firms both hire. See the digital forensics salary guide for more detail.
Is "fun" the right thing to look for?
Fun is personal, and it fades if the parts of a job you dislike take over. A pilot who hates being away from home won't enjoy flying for long. A game developer who dislikes deadlines will find crunch miserable, however much they love games.
A more reliable test is to ask what you enjoy doing, not which job sounds exciting:
- Variety: do you get bored doing the same thing every day? Look at events, rope access and vet work.
- Creativity: do you want to make things people see? Look at VFX, art direction and game development.
- Outdoors and physical work: do you hate sitting still? Look at offshore wind, rope access and the merchant navy.
- Problem solving: do you love a puzzle? Look at penetration testing, air traffic control and digital forensics.
- Travel: do you want to see the world as part of the job? Look at pilot and merchant navy roles.
Then check the downsides honestly. Ask yourself whether you'd still want the job on a wet Tuesday in February. If the answer is yes, it's probably a good fit. If you'd rather keep your evenings free, our list of low-stress careers that pay well for fewer hours may suit you better, and you can compare pay across hundreds of roles on our UK salaries by career page.
Find the fun career that suits you Career Compass matches your interests, strengths and priorities to real UK careers, and explains why each one fits.
How to test a career before you commit
The cheapest way to find out whether a job is fun for you is to try a small piece of it.
- Talk to someone who does it. Ask what they enjoy most, what they'd change and what a normal week looks like.
- Do a taster. Take a trial flying lesson, enter a game jam, volunteer at a festival or shadow a vet for a day.
- Read real job adverts. They show the hours, travel and qualifications employers actually want.
- Check the cost and length of training. Some of these careers take a short course, others take five years or more. Our can I afford to retrain tool helps you work out what you can manage.
If you're considering a switch from your current job rather than starting out, our career change hub brings the planning together in one place.
Frequently asked questions
What is a fun job that pays well in the UK?
Jobs people commonly enjoy that also pay well include pilot, air traffic controller, penetration tester, game developer, VFX artist, art director, offshore wind technician, rope access technician, merchant navy officer, live events producer, vet and digital forensics investigator. Which one is fun for you depends on whether you enjoy variety, creativity, outdoor work, travel or problem solving.
Which fun careers pay the most?
Of the careers in this list, pilot and air traffic controller have the highest senior pay in TonyKnows career data, at up to £200,000 for an airline captain and £100,000 to £130,000 or more for an experienced controller. Art director and penetration tester can also pay over £100,000 at senior level.
Are there fun, well-paid jobs that don't need a degree?
Yes. Air traffic controller, rope access technician, offshore wind technician, live events producer and merchant navy officer can all be started without a degree. Pilot training doesn't require a degree either, although it is expensive.
How do I find a career I will actually enjoy?
Start with what you enjoy doing, such as making things, solving puzzles, working outdoors or meeting new people, then look at careers built around that. Test the job before you commit by talking to people who do it and trying a short taster. The Career Compass assessment can suggest careers that fit your interests and priorities.
Do fun jobs have downsides?
Always. Pilots and merchant navy officers spend time away from home, game developers can face long hours before a release, and vets carry a real emotional load. Check whether you could live with the downside before you start training.
Related reading
If you are weighing up options, our guide to choosing a career test explains what a good one tells you and what it cannot.