If you're not committed to a future in academia, it will be your early years of work experience that will influence where you head later. Eg: into "managerial" roles after a few years, or opening a flower shop, instead. Some find their goals in life change once the rubber hits the road.
The fields are changing so rapidly, yesterday's "state of the art" is today's "legacy burden".
You won't know if you can row until you actually put your oar in the water.
You may find you don't really like rowing, and prefer coxing instead.
Suggest asking on the SE "workplace" community, hoping some HR or recruiter-type can give you their advice for the UK requirements, and what you can expect (with your achievements so far) in the coming years.
