If you earn £80k or more, what do you do?

[wheresmymojo]

Following on from another thread.

Partly because I'm nosey and partly because I'd love a career change but I'm the breadwinner so would still need to earn £££ to keep our current lifestyle.

I think we may decide in time to dial the lifestyle down so I don't have to work in a job I hate but for now debt means that's impossible.

So what do those on here who are high earners (£80k+) do?

Verily1 how do you know what your boss's boss's boss is earning?

It’s in the public domain.

I think it’s bizarre that private companies are allowed to keep pay scales secret- it’s one of the biggest barriers to equal pay and is banned in other countries.

I see.

DH took less of a hit going on to PAYE himself than if he went permanent as he's a part-qualified actuary. His skills and knowledge seem to count for more than exams as a contractor.

Finance Director. £200k plus lots of shares in the private company I work for

Wow, some of these comments are so bitter and weird.

I earn well in excess of 80k. For the most part, I enjoy my job. I leave home at 7.45am, get in my car, drop DS1 at nursery and am at my desk for 8.30.

I leave work at 4ish and am home by 4.30. It's rare that I look at my emails or take work phone calls after that. I have a lot of responsibility at work and am held accountable for a lot of things, but I wouldn't call it particularly stressful. No one will die if I do a bad job. And if I got hit by a bus tomorrow, the world would continue turning.

And yes, I have a nanny who looks after DC2. But I would need childcare whether I was earning 25k a year or 250k a year.

To the poster who said it was 'mostly luck'. No, not really. I worked hard at school and at university. I networked, I interned, I did work experience. And I moved abroad, to a country where I knew no one. FWIW, my mum is a teacher and my father is a car mechanic, so it wasn't nepotism either that got into my industry.

I made a lot of money (HR/engineering ish). Loved my job, loved the responsibility and pressure, found it mentally stimulating. Got there through sheer luck mostly. I absolutely didn't find being able to retire at 46 stressful 😁

I interned, I did work experience

What industry do you work in? A lot of people aren’t able to be financially supported so they can “intern”. I know I had to start earning money straight away to afford rent. Can’t you see that’s a form of privilege in of itself?

Loved my job, loved the responsibility and pressure, found it mentally stimulating. Got there through sheer luck mostly. I absolutely didn't find being able to retire at 46 stressful 😁

If you loved your job why did you leave at 46 years old? That makes no sense? I wouldn’t leave my job even if I won the lottery.

about those believing shere hard work and qualifications was what got them to high salary/status as that is very dismissive of those without high salaries that have great qualifications and also work extremely hard.

There is a lot of luck involved; that does not take away from anyone's competency (just highlights tunnel-vision)

Yes, definitely, childcare is needed to work ft, regardless of salary, unfortunately, ability to pay for essential childcare IS dependent upon salary, therefore many women cannot work,because they cannot pay. Many are fully qualified and amazing hard-working nurses, carers, and ad infinitum...

about those believing shere hard work and qualifications was what got them to high salary/status as that is very dismissive of those without high salaries that have great qualifications and also work extremely hard.

I think you need to decouple hard work and qualifications.

I agree that how hard someone works is largely independent of the salary they earn. (There are plenty of people earning low salaries who work incredibly hard).

But there is a link between qualifications and high salaries. There are very few people in the U.K. who have the professional qualifications I have (

To the poster who said it was 'mostly luck'. No, not really. I worked hard at school and at university. I networked, I interned, I did work experience. And I moved abroad, to a country where I knew no one. FWIW, my mum is a teacher and my father is a car mechanic, so it wasn't nepotism either that got into my industry

Well, it is, because plenty of people do all those things and still earn less than the average wage. Working hard does not equal success.

To the poster who said mostly luck, not for me.

Had to graft and take a lot of risks to set up my business.

Also I believe you create your own 'luck'. The more you put yourself out there the more opportunities come.

What’s that old saying? The harder I work, the luckier I get?

I said mostly luck about myself, not anyone else. Of course it wasn't all down to luck. I'm not the brightest or the best but I'm single-minded, driven, focused, astute and have other qualities that served me well.

Hit - I had some personal tragedies and my heart wasn't in it anymore. I'd made enough money to retire, so I did. Is that ok with you? All make sense now?

What’s that old saying? The harder I work, the luckier I get

Of course Etonians like George Osbourne who was given the biggest job in UK Economics with absolutely no Economics experience, who had a History degree and had worked as a newspaper columnists got there through “hard work”.

Absolutely not correlated that most people in the top positions in society when to a spoon feeding private schools.

Jade218 Absolutely.
Not much about luck for us either.
Hard work - three jobs sometimes. Postgraduate qualifications whilst working full time. Willingness to up and move around country several times. Willing to tolerate husband being away from home several nights a week. Willingness to scrimp and save to invest. Planning and saying yes to opportunities.
Definitely more than hard work - being good at job, very good rather than just working hard and jumping at opportunities rather than doing the same thing over and over. Not making excuses or blaming anyone else (or putting failure down to bad luck but looking at how to learn from failure).

Cherry yes, literally all those things you list. Means some might succeed, by on means all, is all im saying.

Its by no means some kind of perfect formula that will get everyone tye same outcome.

Its great you attribute all that to your own brilliance, but there are also tonnes of other brilliants out there that dont get tue same outcome.

Perhaps you should go into guaranteeing great careers/remuneration because you have the secret that will work for everyone!

Now that’s an idea!

If you look at individuals who don’t have high earnings it’s usually not too difficult to work out where the barrier if - but it takes a really honest and self aware reflection. Only then can you start career progression in many careers.

If you are on less than 30k then I’d ask -
Do you have very good A level results?
Do you have a first or 2:1 from good university in sought after subject?
What did you do in your holidays from sixth form?
What extracurricular achievements do you have?
What were your achievements in your first job and what additional accredited qualifications did you obtain?
Did you just do one job? If so, how did you broaden your skills and cv?
Have you sought promotion frequently? Have you persisted until you get promotion?
Have you continued to gain additional qualifications as you move up the ladder? (Particularly if your A levels and degree aren’t at top of game).
Have you put in the hours and can you show ongoing leadership, innovation and sustained achievement?
Have you been willing to move for promotion or broader experience?

I think too often people assume it’s about luck but when you delve they didn’t look at jobs across the country as all their family is in, say, Devon. They were ‘too busy with their jobs and children to do a masters’ or ‘enjoying their work so stayed where they were for eight years without obvious progression.

Not me, husband is an actuary

Yes, it is an idea, and to give potentials the best chances certainly a level of requirement needs to exist.

However, you do realise that many who earn far more than you have never done most of those things (as pp have made clear)?

Naïve to think otherwise really.

I say this because of my experience working with others to get to a fit for work formula! Or as close as one can, and to assume others dont work as hard or harder and better than you do, and therefore don't deserve is

Software development, 80K+ , Midlands, WFH 1 day a week, 35 days holiday, 40 hour week (unless release imminent or major service issue).

There are glaring incompetencies in many of the top jobholders, and comments are not judgement of personal competency or hard work,just that its not the ultimate panacea its portrayed as by some.

How many of the people who are saying they got to where they are through sheer hard work went to a Private school? Just curious.

I went to a private school for six months and the difference to state schools was absolutely astounding. You were completely spoon fed your education, as opposed to being ignored in the state one.

I’d be on over 80k full time. Clinical research in a pharma company. Manager level but with over 20 years experience. A new manager would be on nearly 70k including car allowance and bonus.

I’d attribute mine to a bit of luck, but I did know which industry I wanted to go into after my degree. I worked my way up through the roles and stayed in that type of department through various companies, because I could see people could go part time after having children. I took my current job over a slightly better paid job because the pension was better and the women I would be working for had small children and they were happy with me starting 4 days a week. Was able to put the time in before reducing hours around school drop off/pick ups. Some of this isn’t luck but knowing what you would or wouldn’t compromise on and choosing the right company. Everyone I work with also loves what they do so it’s not at all soul destroying.

Plus no private school!

DH earns much more in investment banking (London). As his earnings increase, I feel like I need to keep my earning capacity up in case he’s made redundant. Does anyone else ever think this? as so far I’ve only ever met people that think I should give up work if I want to!