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?

I sell people.

DH does. Electrical engineer by trade but he now is managing director of the company he works for. Statues there as an apprentice on £20 a week many moons ago.

Specialized programmer.

I do. £120k. Marketing Director. Global company.

I was earning 6 figures until my job was cut just before Christmas. It feels like I've lost part of my identity by being unemployed. I'm job hunting but the market at my level is dire (and I'm told I'm overqualified when I say I'm willing to take a step down). I don't see it getting any better while Brexit is still unresolved. I know a number of former colleagues in the same boat unfortunately. I'm trying to make the most of my time not working but the worry that I will never work again is starting to get to me. Financially I can only last so long without an income.

I was a Programme Manager in Financial Services. I've worked mainly directly for banks (both in the U.K. and overseas) but I've also worked for one of the big name consultancies. I've done some serious hours in some very stressful roles to get to my level. At one point I was responsible for £70 million annual spend across 40+ countries (and the politics that came with it). Despite the stress and long hours, I actually really enjoy what I do/did. I find it hard/impossible to switch off though. I am single, and to be very frank, I don't think I would have been so successful at my job if I was in a serious relationship. I probably would have divorced myself! My peers have mainly been men - usually with a SAHM doing wifework to enable them. It's a tough lifestyle and you tend to be always "on". It's taken me several months of not working to finally relax. And now I worry that I've lost my "mojo" and might not re-find it if/when I finally start working again.

I do. Senior management in civil service type organisation. My husband earns far far less and looks after the brunt of the home and school stuff. We've one child who's getting to the more independent stage.

In my world part of the gender salary issue at senior levels is because job offers tend to be based on your current salary, exacerbating existing differences.

Ps mind blown by some of the stories of people warning this much for their first job or in their 20s

Argh not warning - earning.

Run a small comms agency that focuses on tech sector. I earn about 80,000 for 3.5 days a week. I could earn more but I have small kids and like the balance.

Love my job and love that I can be around for my kids. That said I worked like a dog with a baby and a toddler to get it off the ground

In my world part of the gender salary issue at senior levels is because job offers tend to be based on your current salary, exacerbating existing differences

Several countries have now made it illegal to ask for current salary during recruitment for this very reason. Will be interesting to see if many others follow suit.

gusto.com/blog/hiring/salary-history-ban-map

My sister does, dentist working in private practise doing mainly cosmetic stuff. She's 27 and works 4 days a week

I do, I'm an IT Consultant, tend to focus more on Service Delivery, but also do Programme management. I'm in the oil and gas industry, so it does pay better than other areas and my daily rate is 4 figures.

To answer a previous poster, I got into IT project management through doing a Masters conversion course in my 20's. We learned a little bit about coding and DB SQL skills, but I've never been particularly technically minded. I moved from managing projects into the managed services area, which does tend to have even fewer woman, but by it's nature I've found it much more flexible and have been able to manage my own time around kids pretty well. Tend to be the occasional call outs in the middle of the night , but that's always manageable from home nowadays.

I love my job, very rarely do more than by 40 hours per week and am pretty autonomous, despite being a contractor. Was headhunted from being a supplier to working directly for my former customer and been with them for 2.5 years, so pretty secure.

I do, I work in international trade development.

@Hithere12

Because not all of us want to waste our lives in a souless corporate job working 60+ hour weeks? Not all of us are that greedy?

I’d rather be happy in my £30k a year job than ruin my life in some high pressured stressful job for what? A nicer car? Who cares.

You just keep telling yourself that story and the rest of us will keep making these higher wages, thanks. 👌

Several posters on this thread and others in the past have said they don’t necessarily need to have stressful hours to make that much. Just because people earn a lot, doesn’t mean they’re running themselves into the ground. It doesn’t mean they’re greedy either. That sounds like a narrative you (the general public) have been fed socially to prevent you from demanding higher and fairer wages. Being poor, scraping by or earning lower wages in general doesn’t make someone more virtuous.

@Hithere12 I don’t work on the corporate treadmill, I said upthread that I work for a charity. I work 9-5, find it interesting and stimulating and don’t feel particularly stressed. I look at the roles my colleagues on £30k do and to be frank, they bore me rigid. The money is lovely, of course it is, but I went for a high paying job because my mind and brain needs to be challenged and I don’t get that in a £30k job in my industry

I’d rather be happy in my £30k a year job than ruin my life in some high pressured stressful job for what?

As I worked my way up in my career, my life was much more stressful when I was on £30k compared to now.

At £30k, I was earning my stripes, trying to prove myself, and constantly going over and above.

At my present level, I’m more confident, say “no” to lots of things, and have little stress.

As an example, I’m working from home today but have a lot of personal errands to do so I’ll literally just be checking my phone for urgent emails and making a few calls until lunchtime, then I’ll consider myself clocked-off for the weekend. I’m paid for my expertise, not my time, so I’m able to do this.

My day today is so much less stressful than that of a retail worker who is likely to be on their feet all day, dealing with the public, and most likely on minimum wage.

At £30k, I was earning my stripes, trying to prove myself, and constantly going over and above.
Totally agree. I know my work well enough to have confidence in what I do. I am judged on what my team delivers, I’m much less hands on than they are, but my experience means that I know how to deliver what I need to do. The beauty of being senior is that quite frankly, I’ve seen most things before, little comes as a surprise to me and as a result I’m pretty pragmatic and unstressed when we come across a challenge or problem.

I do - I’m a solicitor working in the City. It can be very stressful but it’s OK at the moment. Hours are longer than normal but generally not insane.

This is really interesting. I'm a bit stuck im a rut atm, about to go on mat leave with DC2 and was planning on being a sahm after as don't really want to come back to my job. I'm a PA for a bank so make ok money but have done it for 4 years and the only progression other PAs hsve made really are other admin type jobs. I'd love something mentally challenging but option to work PT until the kids are in school.

I kind of feel like i've missed the boat a bit as i can't commit to crazy hours and need to be there for the kids.

@HundredMilesAnHour that’s a really tough situation to be in. I wish you every success finding a new role

I’d rather be happy in my £30k a year job than ruin my life in some high pressured stressful job for what?

I’d rather be happy (I am very happy)
) in my £100K+ job than happy in a £30k job :-)

For what? Choices. Money brings choices, and safety and a secure future. And lots of holidays.

Creative Director - Design Agency

Managing a team of designers, largely 9 - 6, not hugely stressful.

Another marketing director here. Earn 150K. Don't work crazy hours either but it is of course challenging and stressful at times.

It depends what the job is, I’m much happier in a high paid creative role. You’re best off if the role suits you

And I have made the mistake of not quite fitting it - can be a drag then despite the £