Does it ever feel enough?

With two mat leaves that’s great!

Im coming off my first one so could jump a bit in the years prior.

I work in martech for a large FMCG company

I'd have a read about lifestyle creep.

i really thought all accountants needed to be qualified?

@Pursuinghappy Not necessarily fully qualified.

It's rare that you would see an unqualified FD or CFO, unless they've been in the same role for last 30 years, however lower down the ranks people can and do get jobs that pay at a decent level without being qualified. There are also many different qualifications as well lol

This type of thing on the link asks applicants to be either part or fully qualified and is offering £50-60k. Management Accountant uk.indeed.com/viewjob?from=appshareios&jk=049f14ec0ea78516

Someone who is not qualified but has been working in accounts for a small to medium size company could easily get this sort of job, it wouldn't be that difficult.

@Pursuinghappy I started off as an auditor in a City firm, then moved into industry after almost 8 years. Over my career of circa 20 years since leaving uni, I've mostly worked in property finance, with the odd foray into other sectors.

There are many routes into accounting, some of them you don't even need to be qualified, but you do need to know your stuff in a niche area.

In industry, bog-standard management accountants are on about £50k. For that you don't even need to be qualified. Some accounting roles in property management dealing with services charges pay about £75k, again you don't need to be qualified.

If people don't go the graduate route, and can't afford to take a pay cut to start at Accounts Assistant or Account Payable level, they usually self-study alongside working in another job. This gives them the confidence to talk about accounting knowledgeably, although work experience would still be required.

I have enough.

I earn a little below the higher rate tax threshold, DP earns a bit above (but didn’t notice for 3 years that he'd crossed the threshold, so I think I can safely classify him as 'not money motivated').

The mortgage is paid. The car is pretty new but it replaced one I'd had for 14 years and I expect to keep this one at least as long. We have enough in the bank to not think about it if we want to buy something - but mostly we don't want to. DP likes the odd gadget, and we prefer to travel in comfort, but we don't care about fashion or keeping up with the Joneses.

I've been in the same job for 20 years and keep being asked if I want to apply for promotion. I don't. In fact I plan to stop entirely this year because I don't need it. Not for money, for status, for validation, for meaning - I have enough of all of those.

I generally feel the opposite.
I spend a lot of time with people who are homeless, ex addicts, care leavers etc.
It feels utterly unfair that I should have the privilege of being born into a loving family, with parents who knew how to raise me, no mental or physical health issues, married a good man and be working in a professional job making a decent wage.
It's just a happenstance of birth, why should I have so much when others have so little?

I reached a point where I would have to get a degree level professional qualification to move up to middle management and as I'd been part time since having DS, I wasn't on anyone's priority list for promotion so I decided to stick to the technical side and every time I got a substantial pay rise, I cut my hours.
The financial position stayed much the same but the quality of life was so, so much better.

I think there is luck in earning a lot, in that if you happen to be in a sector that is lucrative and growing you can ride the wave somewhat- if you get in at the right time the rising tide does lift all ships to a certain extent. Timing is a lot to do with building wealth too- most people sitting on a lot of housing wealth didn't 'earn' it.

I had two jobs I applied for on leaving Uni- one private and one public sector one. I really wanted the public sector one but only got offered the private sector one and that turned out to be a path that had lots of opportunities.

You could look at your skills and qualifications and then at higher earning jobs and what you would need to do to get there. But I agree with others in terms of thinking about what makes you really happy and how you get there. I think money is very important in that- saying money is unimportant is something of a luxury belief, financial stress is a killer of joy. But so is comparison and sacrificing time with family and friends to earn more and buy more just because you think you should. Most things are trade offs, sometimes you get lucky (or unlucky) but knowing what you are aiming for helps

I can totally relate. I used to have a lower wage and be really happy with 1 summer holiday a year. Now I earn more and I want several holidays a year and a lot more of the finer things in life. I have a bigger mortgage and bills. I haven't thought that I earn more and therefore can afford more. Its more like I've just got greedy, very, very greedy as I've got older. I continously want bigger and better. If I had the car I have now, when I was on the lower wage then I'd have been quite happy. Now I have the better car, I want bigger and better still.

We get annual pay-rises in January.
I always plan what I'm going to do with it in advance and get it set up for my first pay day of the year.

So for example arrange for increase pension payment or set up a standing payment to a regular saver account.

I found that as long as I never got used to the money to fritter, I never missed it.

It's been the best way to build up my savings.

The modern disease, Chronic Dissatisfaction, this is worth a read

https://www.drdebracampbell.com/understanding-dissatisfaction/#:~:text=Chronic%20Dissatisfaction%20(CD)%20is%20that,it%20can%20show%20up%20sporadically.

I'm a Finance Director @Pursuinghappy. I've run teams which vary from a couple of people to over 100. My current department is about 30 people and organisation turnover is £80m, though revenue at my last company was almost £1bn. I enjoy the management side of it as fundamentally I'm a people person.

I initially got a science degree at uni, then secured a graduate training contract at an audit firm as I saw I'd get paid to study as I enjoy learning theory. Ironically although I earn a lot I never actually went into it for the money, and am not motivated by that, it's just a means to an end.

It's called destination happiness. People think they will be happy when they've done this , or got that, rather than being content with what they have now.

I try hard not to fall into that trap , but sometimes I'm guilty of it too.

I don't need to buy more things and I don't need more holidays than I already have. Yet I want it. Crave it.

One thing that honestly cured me of that craving was watching Sort Your Life Out. People who had bought stuff to where they literally couldn’t move round their homes, really expensive stuff in some cases and half of it ended up on the tip.

Made me realise how much I spend on things that end up gathering dust, that I don’t use and don’t gain enjoyment from beyond the initial thrill of buying it. Utter waste of money that I work hard for and that I could use for holidays and experiences with my kids. I’m trying to be way more mindful of what I buy and why, while systematically getting rid of stuff that is just sitting there.

I think there are two aspects to your post, OP. The first is why achievements and material gains are ultimately unrewarding, because you just keep wanting more- that's the human condition unfortunately and it's known as the hedonic treadmill https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill or hedonic adaptation- if your baseline mental state is one of mild dissatisfaction then that's where you'll always end up as you adapt to having gained the next thing.

Your second paragraph seemed broader than that and more about whether work, family and material goods are things which are capable of being satisfying. I think often long term satisfaction comes from the feeling of being useful at something you think is valuable. So for work to ultimately be satisfying it needs to be something that you feel is actually valuable in its own right, rather than just because it gives you money and/or status. This is why volunteering tends to give people a big boost in happiness and satisfaction- you know you're being useful and you know that it's in the service of something you feel is important in the grander scheme, rather than just your own interests. Trying to satisfy yourself by doing things for yourself works less well in the long term, because you just adapt to it and it becomes your new normal.

(Re family- for me at least this is something that is genuinely satisfying but I think that sense of satisfaction often arrives in the longer term, rather than when you're actually in the weeds grappling with nappies or school runs.)

This helps me. https://wid.world/income-comparator/

I don't think it sounds as if this is about jobs or earning but an innate sense you are not achieving what you need to to feel fulfilled? If you are doing a job where you need to be saving money for a big business, or catching out the little guy in some way or taking funds from something you think is worthwhile you are doing what most people's jobs consist of. Honestly, no one goes to school and thinks they'll become part of a system that doesn't know who they are/care about their interests or talent yet most of us do end up doing this for at least part of our working days. IME Dr/nurses/teachers are an exception and don't often feel this way but they are exasperated that they can't do their job properly because of poor government funding, which is just as bad.

I find that hobbies and activities in nature on the weekend are the things I look forward to the most. If I can't do these I end up home doing housework until the next week starts again; not what I feel is a good use of life. I know I need to spend at least 4hrs on a weekend walking around a new town/using an SUP on a river/discover pub walks with the dog - exploring keeps my brain ticking in a way work can't.

I made a real effort in covid to discover what makes me happy and I decided; family, dog; nature & food. I did a lot of travelling already, which I am glad for now as the world seems to have gone mad for it and prices have shot up as well as places so packed it's not so much fun. I'd suggest these points are similar to most peoples' lists if they made one, so it's about fitting more of them, quality and quantity, into your free time.

I work in finance too lol

In London, which really does make a difference to earning potential, but then again, COL is so much higher. Even ordinary things like M&S sandwiches being a different (higher) price in London!

My job isn't stressful on a day to day basis, until it becomes stressful e.g. I had a key member of staff go off sick unexpectedly for a long period of time. I worked round the clock, including weekends, to make sure our 500 staff got paid on time, otherwise they wouldn't have received any money on payday.

Going up the ladder helps you build up the experience and resilience to deal with those sorts of situations, and not be fazed by it.

My social circle who are all of similar backgrounds and success also thrive on being able to provide our DC with the experiences and opportunities that our parents could only have dreamed of. None of us drives any kind of flashy car, or aspires to material things when we earn more.

Maybe it's my age, or my personality but I've never really been that keen on stuff. In fact clearing out a parents home made me quite determined to limit it in my life.

I don't really like going on holiday - I find it more stressful than being at home. I like walking, reading and my idea of luxuries are a cappuccino and chocolate.

I don't understand why people need new furniture fittings or appliances until the old ones no longer function - likewise clothes/shoes.

I just don't 'want' - other than peace and quiet on occasion and for the weather to be good.

So for me 'enough' is easy to achieve.

I understand completely and feel exactly the same. I own my own home, no kids, a decent job with a salary I never dreamt of earning 10yrs ago, or even 5 yrs ago. Enough cash to not be penny pinching. But it's never enough, it's never good enough.

I don't need to earn more money, I don't need to buy more things and I don't need more holidays than I already have. Yet I want it. Crave it. To the point I am jealous hearing other people 'make it' because I don't feel like I have. I don't know what 'making it' even looks like for me, which makes it very hard to feel like I'm any where near getting there. It's exhausting.