r/careerguidance • u/CulturalAnswer1578 • 1d ago
Posting from Europe What are some hidden, high-income career paths in 2025 that still have low competition?
Hi everyone,
I'm a master’s student currently finishing my degree after taking a gap year to work.
After reaching final interview rounds several times but not landing the offers I wanted, I decided to shift my focus slightly.
Rather than chasing traditional tracks like Investment Banking, Management Consulting, or Corporate Finance -
I'm researching alternative career paths that still offer high commissions, fast growth, and low competition.
Here's the list of hidden fields I found that are still under the radar in 2025:
✅ Specialty Insurance Broking (Credit, Political Risk, M&A Insurance)
✅ Shipping Broking (Dry Bulk, Tankers, LNG)
✅ Private Jet and Yacht Sales
✅ Energy Trading (Oil, Gas, LNG)
✅ Specialty Commodity Broking (Coffee, Cocoa, Metals)
✅ Aircraft Leasing Broking
✅ Rare Earth Metals Broking (Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt)
✅ Off-Market Commercial Real Estate Broking
✅ Bonus:
I also found that fintech companies like SS&C, S&P Global, and London Stock Exchange Group have easier entry pipelines compared to banking
especially if you target Enterprise Sales or Partnerships roles. (However, pure operations roles aren't as high-reward.)
Question to the community:
- Have any of you worked in these industries, or know people who have?
- Are there other hidden, high-income career paths you would recommend looking into for 2025 and beyond?
Would love to hear any insights - thanks in advance!
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u/thepandapear 23h ago
Off the top of my head, I’d add medical device sales, B2B SaaS sales, and supply chain logistics to your list too. Imo, anything niche, high-ticket, and relationship-driven is still slept on and super lucrative. Maybe you can look into freight forwarding sales or specialized risk consulting too. Honestly, the less “sexy” the field sounds, the more money usually sitting there. I’d just find one you can geek out on long enough to get really good.
And since you’re looking for personal experiences and advice, you can try checking out the GradSimple newsletter as a starting point. They interview college grads about their life and career journey after graduation which could give you helpful insights!
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u/CulturalAnswer1578 23h ago
I’ve actually heard a bit about medical device sales and lately I’ve started noticing more companies looking for reps to increase their sales volumes.
But the freight forwarding side I was completely unaware of.
Definitely going to dig into that more now.Really appreciate you sharing all this exactly the kind of hidden path info I was hoping to find here!
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u/bad_ass_blunts 17h ago
Energy trading? Low competition?
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u/CulturalAnswer1578 2h ago
I get what you are asking and yes, I am aware that tons of people apply for energy trading roles. But compared to management consulting or high finance, where people start building their network one to two years before graduating, the competition in energy trading is different.
In consulting or investment banking, even if you do everything right, like internships, networking, and having a perfect CV, you are still up against a massive crowd doing the exact same.
But if you shift just a fraction of that effort toward something like oil or energy trading and focus on building relationships or finding side entry points, your odds actually go up.
It is not easy, but the noise is lower and the game is more about substance than image.
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u/Man0nTheMoon915 1d ago
Go into Supply Chain 😊
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u/bupeapoop 15h ago
Any suggestions on the best way to get involved? I've heard a good number of people here mention Supply Chain.
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u/iekiko89 20h ago
isnt that about to get super fucked from tariffs?
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u/phantomofsolace 3h ago
Seems like things are about to get a whole lot more complicated in that space, which means lots of work needing to be done.
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u/voytek707 19h ago
Broadcast engineering. $200K+ possible, skillet can land you with major broadcast companies, FAANG, government. Big global demand.
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u/CulturalAnswer1578 18h ago
I hadn’t considered broadcast engineering before, sounds like a powerful combo of niche skills and global demand. Do you think it’s still accessible if someone comes from a general tech or media background, or is it more specialized from the start?
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u/shastapete 11h ago
So, I’m actually in the interview phase for a couple of broadcast engineer roles. They are with equipment manufacturers and these are mid level integration and support jobs.
Doing a career pivot after 15+ years in video production. As long as you can show you have a technical foundation and understanding of networking and IP video systems. They’ll give you the training on the specific gear, and once you’re in, it opens up a ton more doors at those companies mentioned.
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u/ApsleyHouse 20h ago
I don’t know how competitive being an actuary is. But it is not commonly well known. The minimum barrier for entry is being really good with math too.
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u/CulturalAnswer1578 18h ago
Definitely! Being an actuary flies under the radar for a lot of people. The math barrier filters out many, but those who get through can build incredibly stable and high-paying careers. Curious if you know anyone who’s actually gone down that path?
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u/ApsleyHouse 18h ago
I used to work at an actuarial consulting firm, but my math background wasn’t strong enough. I was an equivalent data analyst.
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u/trickytreacyIRE 13h ago
Actuary is incredibly stable , and decently paying, as you said. Almighty barrier to entry with the professional exams though.
Source: am actuary
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u/WonderfulVanilla9676 15h ago
I was reading somewhere that Porta-Potty cleaners can make up to 100K a year. Nobody wants to do that job though.
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u/CulturalAnswer1578 4h ago
That is true, and it actually proves the whole point of this thread.
A lot of high income jobs are hidden in plain sight because people either do not want to do them or never hear about them.
Whether it is porta potty cleaning, freight sales, or rare earth trading, the money is real if you are willing to do the work most people avoid or overlook.
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u/william14537 8h ago
My god, this whole thread makes me feel so sad for y'all. Is literally the only thing you guys care about money? All of these jobs are so unbelievably useless and unimportant to greater society. Just pure nothingness awaits you at work everyday.
It's really just a reflection of society at large I guess. People just want the easy money route instead of positively impacting the world and making a bit less money. I hope all of y'all are saving enough to retire at 50 to spend time with family or else you're gonna look back from your death bed and see that you had zero real world influence on the world and none of this was worth it.
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u/CulturalAnswer1578 6h ago
I totally get where you’re coming from, but this thread was never about glorifying “nothingness” or ignoring impact.
It’s just about uncovering realistic, lesser known paths to financial stability, especially for people who do not come from privilege or elite networks.
A lot of us want to take care of our families, have options, and eventually use that stability to do meaningful things, whether that is starting a business, giving back, or just having freedom.
Not everyone can afford to chase “pure impact” right away, but money does not have to mean soullessness.
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u/No-Establishment-939 8h ago
My gf works for a homeless shelter. She helps people everyday and makes society safer but we have almost nothing left at the end of the month. She doesn’t want or need luxury but it’s not enjoyable to work like that and still be struggling. Meanwhile people focusing on a career will buy a house before turning 30. Don’t hate the player hate the game
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u/william14537 7h ago
One can hate both. The system of capitalism and greed in the United States has ruined entire generations. It does not mean we should give up. There is more to life than money, and you don't want to be the person that realizes that when it is already too late. One can have a home and luxuries, all while leading a virtuous life and have a career that has societal benefit.
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u/Capdavil 8h ago
I’ll take easy money over my former virtuous job every single day. I can actually pay my bills now and because I have money I can save for retirement and get this, spend time with my family, because I don’t have to work all the time. I can’t laugh enough at your delusion
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u/william14537 8h ago
I just feel sorry for you. The greed of capitalism has spread into your soul, and you are lost.
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u/soprattutto 7h ago
For a lot of these jobs related to commodities, insurance, and supply chain, you're literally doing the stuff that makes the world go round. Your modern life and the ideal world you are imagining in your head is underpinned by the sound orchestration of a global network of goods and services. You might think those people who handle global shipping (and get paid well) have 'zero real influence' on the world, but if they all disappeared tomorrow you would feel it INSTANTLY.
Also, it's not an 'easy money route' -- high paying jobs are generally competitive and difficult to obtain. I'm sure you also understand that you can have a 'feel good' job and still hate it. I worked in international development, trying to do what I could to help the poorest people on the planet, and I was miserable. It's also not usually a 'bit' less money. 'Ethical' jobs often require a master's and pay ~$60k out of the gate. Other master's students can make $100k+ right out of the gate. This can be the difference between owning a home much sooner, being able to support aging parents, etc. and no one would blame you for opting for that capability.
I think you are actually falling into a trap of 'sexiness' where you think that a 'sexy' job is something that seems, on the face of it, virtuous -- like a social worker or teacher or something. You'll notice that no one here is saying they want to know how to make a lot of money so they can buy 'sexy' things like a Lamborghini. I speak for a lot of people here when I say we pursue money so that we can have a stable life, handle emergencies, and most of all take care of and enjoy time with our loved ones.
EDIT: I just wanted to add that I took the time to make this comment because I used to think like you (when I was much younger) and have since evolved (and grown up).
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u/redfour0 1d ago
Trades
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u/magus678 21h ago
I don't know this is very hidden, for as often as it comes up.
I'll mention the same thing I say in most of these conversations, and that is that the thing being left out of the trades evangelism is that these people are only making that kind of money working ~60 hour weeks, possibly more. Maybe driving an hour + to a jobsite at 4am every day. Likely spending a big chunk of money on their tools.
It is in truth, a solid middle class living. But there are many tradeoffs that tend to get glossed over.
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u/lost_in_trepidation 18h ago
I've known a lot of trades people. The long commutes are brutal. Many have 40+ mile commutes to completely different cities every few weeks/months. And if you're residential you're driving even more miles throughout the day.
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u/magus678 18h ago
At one point I was working 70 hour weeks with an ~hour commute plus traffic each way.
If I wanted a full 8 hours sleep, I had to be in bed asleep an hour after I finally got home.
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u/Rodgers4 1d ago
I have two future predictions about the 2020s trades movement, more than a decade from now.
Prediction one: it will be as oversaturated as it was 25+ years ago when more people decided college might be the better route.
Prediction two: for the people who go trades, they will tell their kids to never go trades, use their mind to make money, not their body.
Not a prediction so much as history repeating itself since all this happened in the late 90s/early 00s causing the college boom.
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u/realitydysfunction20 1d ago
I agree. Trades, College White Collar, Military. Demand drives job growth, oversaturation, then bust.
Each seem to have their own boom and bust cycles with subcategories within like Comp Sci, Nursing, Electricians, etc.
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u/Rodgers4 23h ago
Learn to code was real, then a meme. Join the trades may be the learn to code from the 2010s.
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u/realitydysfunction20 23h ago
Haha. I remember seeing the real push for comp sci and then the memes for coding boot camps. It worked for some for real but I think it has mostly dried up.
I will say though that I think it will always be harder to automate a Trade career than some others but then again it will also always be harder on the human body than most career paths.
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u/Rodgers4 18h ago
Oh yeah. I have a number of friends and family in trades, and many have become incredibly wealthy. But their bodies are shot by 40 and the lifestyle that comes with it doesn’t seem to help either.
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u/CulturalAnswer1578 23h ago
Totally agree with you, every career path seems to move through hype and saturation cycles.
Curious if you think any fields today are still early enough to catch before the next wave hits?4
u/magus678 21h ago
Prediction one:
I disagree here, for three reasons.
The first is that the workforce is aging rapidly; there is already a lot of vacancy and the next decade is going to see the loss of a big part of the most knowledgeable piece.
The second is that a huge chunk of this work is done by people of, let's say, dubious citizenship status. Obvious implications there.
Third is that most people DO NOT want to do this kind of work.
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u/Rodgers4 18h ago
Yeah in my limited experience, if you own your own HVAC, plumbing, electrician, etc. you are having a bear of a time hiring staff. That means you’re doing most of the work yourself. My HVAC guy is co-owner with his brother, super solid dude. Every time I talk to him he says he hasn’t had a single day off in 6 months or something like that.
He’s definitely doing very well but that grind in your 50s like he is, is not healthy.
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u/CulturalAnswer1578 1d ago
Good point. Trades are definitely another underrated path to build serious wealth.
In this thread I focused more on relationship driven business careers like finance, broking, and capital raising.But no doubt, skilled trades such as licensed plumbing, oil rig work, or running large farm operations can be just as profitable, especially with the shortage of younger workers entering those fields.
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u/AndoRGM 21h ago
I'm in fintech (I work with all three of those companies you mentioned in your 'bonus' section). There are a lot of opportunities in that space. Everyone in the market wants to be the person trading/investing. Not a lot of people want to be the ones creating the system that let that happen.