Careers and professions
The real route into a profession, from the body that regulates it.
Entry requirements for a profession are set by regulators and professional bodies, and they differ by country more than any careers article usually admits. What is a three-year degree in one place is a licensing examination in another.
These guides take the requirements from the regulator’s own pages, name the country, link the source, and say what is uncertain. No salary is invented, no timeline is promised, and no one is told a place or a job is assured.
26 guides
October 2, 2026 · 12 min read
Academic career path in the US, UK and Australia, stage by stage
What does an academic career path look like, and how do you become a professor in the US, UK or Australia?
The academic career path from postdoc to professor in the US, UK and Australia: titles, tenure track rules, promotion criteria and official figures.
PostgraduateResearcher
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a lawyer in the US: LSAT, JD, bar exam and MPRE
How do I become a lawyer in the United States?
The US route to becoming a lawyer from official sources: the LSAT, the JD, the bar exam and NextGen, the MPRE, character and fitness, and law office study.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a chartered engineer in the UK, and a PE in the US
How do I become a chartered engineer (CEng) in the UK, or a licensed Professional Engineer in the US?
CEng, IEng and EngTech under UK-SPEC, accredited degrees, apprenticeships, institution fees and the US PE licence, each read at the official body.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to become a data scientist in the UK and the US
How do I become a data scientist, and do I need a degree or a masters?
Degree, masters and apprenticeship routes into data science in the UK and the US, the skills and pay official sources give, and a learning plan of our own.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a doctor in the UK: routes, UCAT and training
How do I become a doctor in the UK?
Every route into UK medicine, the UCAT, the October deadline, the MLA, GMC registration, the Foundation Programme, funding and pay, read at the official sources.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 14 min read
How to become a doctor in the US: MCAT, MD vs DO, USMLE, Match
How do I become a doctor in the United States?
The US route into medicine from the official bodies: pre-med courses, the MCAT, MD or DO, USMLE and COMLEX, the residency Match and a state medical licence.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a lawyer in the UK: solicitor, barrister and SQE
How do I become a lawyer in the UK?
Every route to becoming a solicitor or barrister in the UK, from official sources: the SQE, its 2026 fees, apprenticeships, the Bar, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 14 min read
How to become a nurse in the UK: routes, entry and registration
How do I become a registered nurse in the UK?
The four fields, every route into UK nursing, entry requirements, funding in each nation, NMC registration and starting pay, each read at the official source.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a nurse in the US: routes, NCLEX and licensure
How do I become a registered nurse in the United States?
The US routes into nursing (LPN, ADN, BSN, accelerated BSN), the NCLEX-RN, state licensure and the compact, each read at the NCSBN, AACN, BLS or a state board.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a pharmacist: UK MPharm and US PharmD routes
How do I become a pharmacist in the UK or the US?
The MPharm, foundation training year and GPhC registration assessment in the UK, and the PharmD, NAPLEX and state licence in the US, from official sources.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to become a psychologist in the UK: routes, GBC and HCPC
How do I become a psychologist in the UK?
GBC, conversion courses, the HCPC's protected titles, each doctoral route, Clearing House places, NHS pay, and assistant and PWP roles, read at source.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a psychologist in the US: degrees, EPPP, licensure
How do I become a licensed psychologist in the United States?
PhD or PsyD, APA accreditation, the internship match, the EPPP, state licensure, PSYPACT and school psychology, each read at the body that sets it.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a researcher: the PhD route and what comes after
How do I become a researcher, how long is a PhD, and what happens after it?
How to become a researcher: how long a PhD takes in the UK, US and Netherlands, postdocs, fellowships, lectureships, and what doctoral graduates go on to do.
Secondary schoolPostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a social worker in the UK and the US
How do I become a social worker in the UK or the US?
Every route into social work in England, the bursary, Social Work England registration and the ASYE, then the US path from BSW and MSW to an LCSW, read at source.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a teacher in the UK: QTS, PGCE, routes and funding
How do I become a qualified teacher in the UK?
Every route to QTS in England, entry requirements, bursaries by subject, induction and pay, and the routes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, read at source.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to become a teacher in the US: certification, Praxis and pay
How do I become a certified teacher in the United States?
The US routes to a teaching licence, the Praxis and state tests, alternative certification, reciprocity and teacher pay, read at state and federal bodies.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to become an accountant: ACCA, ACA, CIMA and the US CPA
How do I become a qualified accountant in the UK or the US?
The UK routes (AAT, ACCA, ICAEW's ACA, ICAS, CIMA, apprenticeships) and the US CPA, with exams, experience, fees and timelines read at each official body.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to prepare for a graduate interview: STAR, video, questions
How do I prepare for a graduate interview?
Graduate interview formats, the STAR method, strength-based and video interview tips, assessment centres, PhD interviews and questions to ask, from careers services.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a cover letter: structure, length and a template
How do I write a cover letter for a job, including a graduate job when I have little experience?
How to write a cover letter, from ten university careers services: length, structure, who to address, the job advert, speculative letters, AI and a template.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a graduate CV, with a template and CV vs resume
How do I write a CV for a graduate job?
What goes on a graduate CV, how long it runs and in what order, CV vs resume vs academic CV, ATS and AI rules from careers services, and a template of our own.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write a personal statement: UCAS, college and master's
How do I write a personal statement for UCAS, a US college or a master's programme?
What UCAS, the Common App, Berkeley, Cornell, Oxford and Cambridge ask a personal statement to cover, their limits and AI rules, and a planning template.
Secondary schoolPostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
How to write a scholarship application: Chevening to Fulbright
How do I write a scholarship application, such as a Chevening essay, a Commonwealth application or a Fulbright personal statement?
What Chevening, Commonwealth, Fulbright, Gates Cambridge and Erasmus Mundus ask for, their limits, referees and AI rules, with a planning template.
Secondary schoolPostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
PhD application: how to apply and write the research proposal
How do I apply for a PhD, and what goes in a PhD application and research proposal?
What PhD application pages in the UK, US and Australia ask for and allow, funded studentships or your own project, supervisor emails and interviews.
Secondary schoolPostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
What can I do with a business degree? Jobs, schemes and pay
What can I do with a degree in business or management?
Business management degree jobs, graduate schemes, UK and US graduate outcomes, the professional qualifications that follow, and average pay from official surveys.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
What can I do with a psychology degree? Jobs, salary and routes
What can I do with a degree in psychology?
Psychology degree jobs with and without a Masters, what UK and US graduates go on to do, average pay from official surveys, and the skills the degree gives.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
What can I do with an English degree? Jobs, pay and routes
What can I do with a degree in English?
English degree jobs with and without further study, what UK and US graduates go on to do, pay from official surveys, and the skills an English degree gives.
UndergraduatePostgraduate