“I want to change careers… but I can’t afford to.”
If you’ve ever had this thought, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s one of the most common concerns I hear from educators, lecturers, and researchers who are exploring a shift into data, tech, or adjacent roles.
And it’s valid.
You’ve worked hard to get the salary you have now. You’ve built a life around your current salary. You have rent or a mortgage. Maybe children or other care responsibilities. Debt. You get the idea. The simple thought of stepping back financially — even temporarily — can feel terrifying.
This post is here to help you explore your options practically, strategically, and without the fluff.
Let’s get into it!
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Salary Floor
Before you can weigh up whether a career change is viable, you need one thing:
📊 A budget.
This is not a spreadsheet full of guilt or rules — just clarity. Nothing complicated or sophisticated here. All that is needed is your honesty and patience as you list out your expenses.
Ask:
- What are your fixed monthly costs? (housing, bills, insurance, minimum loan repayments)
- What are your flexible essentials? (groceries, childcare, transport)
- What are the non-essentials you could temporarily cut if needed?
- If possible, go back as far as 12 months so that you can average some of those pesky one-off annual costs!
Then ask the big question:
➡️ What is the minimum amount of money you need to bring in each month to cover your life?
This gives you your salary floor — the lowest number you can accept without going into the red or burning through savings. It’s your career-change “non-negotiable.”
💡 Bonus: Use tools like MoneyHelper’s Budget Planner or You Need A Budget to build out your budget. For more resources and information about budgeting, also check out this popular UK Personal Finance site
Step 2: Understand Who Else Carries the Load
If you have a partner, spouse, or shared household finances — get honest about the shared burden.
Can your partner cover a bit more while you make a temporary transition?
Do you need to contribute 100% of the income, or is there some flexibility?
Often, people assume they have to maintain their current salary alone, when a conversation could reveal options like:
- Taking on part-time work while studying
- Staggering your exit to time with savings buildup
- Leaning on shared resources temporarily
Step 3: Why a Pay Cut Might Be Worth It
I won’t sugarcoat it: you may need to take a short-term salary dip to get your foot in the door. Especially if you’re switching into a new field and starting in a junior role.
But here’s the trade-off:
In data and tech, salary progression is usually faster and more flexible than in education or academia. For example, look at this article on the salaries for data analysts around the world, or this report by HR consultancy, Robert Half, on UK tech sector hiring trends in 2025.
You might take a 10–20% cut to start, but within 12–18 months, your earnings could surpass your old salary, especially in roles like:
- Data Analyst
- BI Developer
- Analytics Engineer
- Learning Data Specialist
And beyond the money, you might gain:
- 🧘 Better work-life balance
- 💻 Flexible or remote options
- 🧠 Intellectually satisfying work
- 🚀 Career growth opportunities
My Salary Journey
I’m going to defy cultural norms around talking about salary and be really transparent and honest here. I’m hopeful this will give you an explicit example of what a transition looks like financially.
Earnings in academia
After graduating and completing my PGCE, I was on a teacher’s salary of around £22k, which increased by a couple of grand in the second year after NQT.
When I moved to the University of Oxford to do my PhD, I wasn’t earning, though I did have a stipend from my scholarship. This covered my rent and expenses, but not much more.
I worked teaching gigs throughout the year to supplement my stipend and maintain a similar quality of life to that I had whilst I was teaching Science.
The big change in salary happened once I finished my PhD and was employed as a postdoctoral research assistant at the Department of Engineering Science. In this role, I earned an average of around £35k. I was lucky enough also to be accepted to a paid Research Fellow and Tutor position at Keble College, which, alongside my other teaching roles at the time, added another £13k to my salary — £48k total.
To be honest, this was a good academic salary given my experience and tenure. However, both my main salary and the others were based on fixed-term contracts. There was no security. To add to that, my wife had just recently given birth. This was the trigger for me to leave academia.
My first salary post-academia
My first role outside academia was at Multiverse, where I applied my teaching and mentoring skills to upskill corporate learners in data tools and techniques. It helped that I had experience working with Python as an Engineering researcher, and with communication at different levels.
I took a pay cut of around £4k to take this job. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but it made a difference as I was the sole earner in my young family at the time. There was pressure to make the move work. If I were to do it again, I would definitely have more in savings before transitioning, just to give me more peace of mind.
Surpassing my academic salary
I had a six-month probation period during which I did not see any change to my salary. Somewhere between six and twelve months, though, the compensation structure was changed where the bonus was reduced and base salary was increased. With this change, my base salary surpassed my combined salary in academia.
Salary progression since then
In my second year at Multiverse, my salary increased to £58k. What worked in my favour was communicating the value I was adding to the organisation during my annual review. I can go deeper into this topic in another post.
The bigger salary increase occurred when I moved from Multiverse to dbt Labs, where I currently am. In this role, my salary more than doubled the base salary I earned as a postdoctoral researcher less than 3 years ago.
I feel blessed and lucky to have had this progression, but it’s not all luck. There are things within your control that you can do to help your progression, and that will be a topic for another post.
More than the money
The salary progression has been very nice, don’t get me wrong, but there is one thing I value even more since leaving academia — the flexibility.
I now work remotely and am trusted to manage my calendar so that if I need to take an hour or two out in the middle and make up for it later, I can do just that.
With a young child, this makes such a huge difference. I am able to be there and see her grow up. That time, to me, is more valuable than just the money.
Step 4: Strategies for Reducing Risk During a Transition
If you’re unable to take a pay cut right now, that doesn’t mean you can’t make the move — it just means you need a buffer or a bridge.
As I said above, I wish I had done this, as it would have given me a lot more peace of mind during the transition.
A few options:
- Upskill while working. You don’t need to leave immediately if you’re not ready. Something that can help is spending time learning SQL, Python, Power BI or Tableau on nights/weekends.
- Freelance or consult to test the waters. You might not realise it initially, but perhaps you have a skill that others would value (e.g., simplifying complex topics, spreadsheeting).
- Target adjacent roles where your domain knowledge is valued (e.g., EdTech, L&D, Assessment Analyst). This is what I did.
- Build a 3–6 month emergency fund to reduce pressure when making the leap. This is what I wish I did!
📊 Free Transition Checklist
Transitioning to a new career path is a significant decision that requires careful consideration and planning. Sign up for the mailing list to get a free transition checklist. The checklist provides an overview of the factors to consider, ensuring you are well-prepared for the journey ahead.
Final Thoughts: You can make this work — Let me help you
A career change isn’t just about new skills. It’s about managing risk, emotion, identity, and logistics. It’s hard. But it’s not impossible.
You don’t need to burn it all down.
You don’t need to figure it out alone.
You do need a plan, a salary floor, and a willingness to play the long game.
If you’re ready to explore this path, I’m building content, tools, and support specifically for people like you.
Want More Support?
📬 Sign up for my mailing list to keep up-to-date with my latest posts.
🔗 Follow me on LinkedIn for regular thoughts and encouragement from someone who’s been there and done it.
Interstellar Academy 
Leave a comment