No age limit applies to changing careers. What a change costs depends on how much of your experience the new job counts. In The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey, median base pay doubles in the first 10 years and 80% of pay growth is done by Year 15, so the later a change starts you again from the bottom, the more pay is at stake.
How much does pay grow with experience?
Fast at first, then slowly. These are median base salaries across the whole survey.
| Years of experience | Median base pay |
|---|---|
| 0 to 1 years | $78K |
| 5 to 7 years | $130K |
| 10 to 15 years | $165K |
| After 15 years | $185K |
Median base pay by years of experience, from The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey. Base pay only, without bonus.
A change in your first 10 years lands inside the steep part of that curve. After 15 years, most of the growth in your current field has already happened, which is why a move that keeps your experience relevant matters more later on.
Which industries pay more?
| Industry | Median base | Work 45+ hours |
|---|---|---|
| Investment Banking | $175K | 66% |
| Finance | $150K | 23% |
| Tech | $150K | 20% |
| Law | $147K | 47% |
| Corporate | $145K | 18% |
| Government | $136K | 6% |
| Health and Not-For-Profit | $130K | 14% |
| Professional Services | $121K | 21% |
Median base pay and the share who work 45+ hours a week, by industry, from The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey.
At the same years of experience, Not-For-Profit pay sits about 15% below the rest of the survey, from an $8K gap in the first 5 years to $27K after 10. Office roles in Resources earn about 10% more than the same roles elsewhere, and engineers about 30% more.
What does moving from consulting to in-house look like?
At the Big 4, median base pay runs from $66K as a graduate to $209K as a director, and most staff reach manager 5 to 7 years in, on a median of $120K. Big 4 staff are paid about $25K less than their peers early in their careers and overtake those peers after 10 years. 63% of Big 4 staff have no bonus scheme at all.
For lawyers, in-house roles and top-tier firms pay about the same base on average. The hours differ. 15% of in-house lawyers work 50 or more hours a week, against 28% at top-tier firms, and 50% can switch off after work, against 25%.
The survey counts Legal, Finance, HR, IT and Risk as support roles. Support roles keep pace with front office pay for 10 years, then fall about 10% behind. After 20 years the median is $205K in front office and $185K in support roles.
For more, read how much Big 4 consultants earn and how much corporate lawyers earn in Australia.
How do you work out what a change would cost you?
- Find the median for the job you want, at the level you would enter, in AusCorp Vault.
- Compare it with your current base salary. Survey medians leave out bonus and super.
- Ask the hiring manager what level the role sits at and how many of your years they will count.
- Check whether the new employer pays a bonus, and how much of it people receive.
If you are negotiating the offer, our guide to negotiating a salary offer covers base, super and bonus. For how pay grows from there, read how much your salary should increase each year.
What did TAC readers tell us?
We asked our community whether changing careers cost them pay, and what moving from consulting to an in-house role was like.
Many said their pay held or came back. A common tip for consulting to in-house was to expect a step down in level.
Yep, shook off the golden FIFO handcuffs to get an investment advisor gig. Negotiated the same salary.
Salary down, career better, life better
In no way liner.
Pay was the same but bonus went from a gift card to a 5 digit figure.
Be ready to go a step down to move internal. Eg: AD or Director level, move to manager managing small team 3-5, Manager level move to Senior IC role
This is general information. Figures are survey medians and your own pay will depend on the job, employer and level.
Sources
- The Aussie Corporate 2026 Salary Survey (median base pay by years of experience, 80% of growth by Year 15, median base and hours by industry, Not-For-Profit and Resources, Big 4 levels and bonus schemes, in-house against top-tier law, support roles against front office)
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