How did you get a well paying job?

[Baileysoncereal]

I see threads on here all the time of people talking about their v high incomes
And I read somewhere that the national average is 38k, which I have to say not a lot of people around me make.

I make 22k a year.
I’m 27 and have bought my own home, I’m good at saving and know I’m very fortunate, especially when lots of people are struggling for work, but I’m hoping to start a family and just struggling to see how I could afford to support one.

I don’t have a degree, but I’m willing to work hard. I look for jobs that say I can develop, can do training and there’s room for progression etc. but when I start that’s not the case (for anyone on my teams, so it’s not just me)

I come from a customer service background and have worked for some big companies (admin roles, but not call centre) and have experience supervising teams too.

But I just can’t seem to make above 22k and every job I see advertised is 17-23k a year.

What can I do to improve my chances?
And how did you become successful in your role, if you came from a similar background to me?

I think you sound really bright, positive and resourceful with ambition and a good attitude and it’s very impressive that you have bought a house at your age/salary.

Could you identify a ‘champion’ at work? Someone who might be able to mentor you and smooth the path to a promotion? I’m a manager although a lot of things aren’t in my power but I would definitely be trying to help a young person who showed initiative and was trying to get on. I have managed it a bit.

I also had some help along the way to get into my current role, a lot of people don’t want extra stress/responsibilities so management can often be on the lookout for people who will step up. Good luck

Years of study and still on a shit pay considering the professional qualifications I have, but I love my job and that means a lot to me as I simply could not do a job I hate just for the money. I am a nurse but thinking of a career change to forensics this year.

@24HoursInPoliceCustody Oooooooohh my dream job (forensics). Do it!!

Did a nursing qual, then a BSc which was sponsored so I worked, then got teaching experience and did a teaching qual, then did an MA, then moved to HE to teach. Now on £50-60k. I've had periods of my like I've had to coast and earn less also due to childcare.

[quote CuppaZa]@24HoursInPoliceCustody Oooooooohh my dream job (forensics). Do it!![/quote]
I'm seriously considering it, or a police investigator seen my ex thinks I would make a good one haha !

Do you have a professional body? It's worth finding out if your company would pay for membership for you as part of your professional development / training (esp if you are a hard worker / valued but not getting any pay rises!) as you can gain relevant qualifications through tag and take it with you. In my industry professional membership has become almost a prerequisite for getting a job as people think if you have it, you're good

I have a degree, professional membership and the only way I managed to climb up the pay scale was to change jobs; eventually my current company was bought out by a corporate and due to restructuring I've found myself in a managerial position that I'd been trying to get for years in smaller companies with no success. As PP said, some of it is being in the right place at the right time.

If you want to stay in your current company, try to find a mentor who is interested in helping you progress, preferably senior management with some influence. Insist on appraisals, be proactive in asking for more responsibility and if they don't support you, be prepared to move!

Specialising was how I did it. I identified a niche in the sector I was working in that I was interested in, and that not many people had the skills or experience to do. I worked at it, did it well and built a professional network. Then I started pushing the salary expectation up whenever I moved jobs. I went from £28k to £72k in about five years. (I work for myself now and earn less than that, but this was a deliberate decision to change how I structured my life for other reasons.)

The downside with specialism was that jobs were more scarce, because I worked in a niche. I'm not what you'd call a T-shaped person. But, when the jobs did come along, they were extremely well paid. And enjoyable, because the niche was one I enjoyed. So ongoing development was never a chore.

You need to have a niche role, then you can command a higher salary. Customer is not a niche role, and most CS jobs don't require any qualifications, meaning anyone can apply for them. The more niche you become, the more people headhunt you, and you can ask for more money. Often, you can ask for more money to just stay where you are if you like it, to stop the head hunters poaching you.

Whether you need qualifications for that depends on the field, but you need experience and to work hard and develop an excellent reputation in order to do this, and that takes time.

Ha- x-posted with nastyblouse

Apply for jobs that you think are above your rank. Go on indeed and see what's available at 24-27k or even higher. Check the skills needed and if you have 50% of them, remodel your CV using the words they use in their advert so your CV gets through their filter system.

This is what men do, apparently, according to some career progression analysts. Women apply for jobs we can already do. Men apply for jobs they want to be able to do. And they get them.

Also, I am always very friendly and polite but indicate that I'd be looking at the top end of the pay scale on offer. Just so they don't go in too low. It makes them value you more.

I don't have a degree or anything higher than GCSE'S. I'm not a high earner but I earn £33k at 28, I move roles frequently for higher salaries. I have had seven jobs, all of varying roles. My first full time 'proper' job was at 20 on £15k, so I feel I have done well.

I have EXTREMELY hard and I'm a naturally good manager.

A degree, I worked hard and long hours and did a shitload of networking when younger, applied for promotions internally and moved cities for different jobs too.

I have got a (good) degree but my salary took off after I requalifed. Hard work plus a strong dose of luck that I find academic pretty easy and I was a sensible teen.

On top of all the advice you've gotten, also please remember 28 is young! The averages you're referencing are across the entire age range. 22k is not a bad salary at all at 28 (assuming not London).

Also, you mention several jobs have promised development but haven't given you that. I know all the advice on here is to move regularly but how long are you actually staying in jobs? Development opportunities don't necessarily come immediately.

I agree with what everyone says that you need to push yourself - apply for more senior jobs but also do some qualifications. What job is it you want to be doing? You have 30-40 years of working life ahead of you.

Finally, people on Mumsnet lie about the salaries they're on 😀

I agree with a PP that qualifications are something that will allow you to jump a rung or two and command a higher salary.

Not in my experience

I was academic at school, got good grades, went to a good University and did a degree that would be in demand once I'd graduated (Economics), got a graduate role in a well-know company with a professional qualification and changed jobs fairly regularly. Asked for pay rises/increases in responsibility when I felt they were deserved, and when they weren't.

Qualifications all help, but the over-riding element will be knowing your worth - what is the market rate for someone with your experience and qualifications? Make sure you ask for it, and be able to evidence why you deserve it. Be willing to walk if you have to. Be open to other jobs, contact recruitment consultants. Be active on Linked In. Be interested in your career and your job.

My advice is to create a name for yourself by taking on things that you know you will shine at and that other people don't fancy much. I started on £12k in a call centre aged 22. I volunteer for tricky clients as I am good at creating relationships. When the project ends I move onto the next job, either in the same company or a new one. My last job was just over £100k but it was a step too far for me and I now earn £75k, again running a very difficult contract but more manageable than the last one. Sometimes I've been outside of my comfort zone but I have quickly caught up.

My career is facilities management which is very accessible without lots of qualifications

Fascinating thread

I’m reading this thread with interest. After 22 years of part time work only due to raising children, one with special needs, I now find myself with time to spend on my career. I have a degree, managed community development projects before dcs and have since worked in various support worker roles. I love supporting those with severe needs and/or isolation and integrating them into the community. I have carved the best role I can at my current workplace (1:1 support work only, manage my own work and chose hours, liaise with psychologists and behavioural specialists to get best results I can.) My problem is two fold; nowhere else to go within my organisation as very limited professional development (I have explored all possible routes) and secondly, I am paid but a few pence above nmw per hour.
I have sent speculative emails and C.V to local employers that I would like to work for ( salaries around 24k, which would work for me) but I am 50 years old and it seems to be much harder to get to interview stage that it was years ago. Should I look at post grad courses ( and then be an even older job hunter) or carry on applying for jobs in my local area?
I do live in an area of low wages. Could this be in the problem or is it me?! I am chomping at the bit to work full time in a fulfilling career but do want more than nmw and a workplace that is challenging and stimulating. Please tell me this is not unreasonable!!

I went to uni but nothing stuck, I tried three different degree courses but ended up leaving with nothing but debt.

I messed around in temping jobs for my early twenties and finally got a perm role around 24 on 18k. I was there for a couple of years then applied for a role in a public org for 24k. Somehow, I got it and then again in a few years, I moved to a new charity sector role - moving into website management where my previous role had been in the publications teams managing a photo library. The new role moved me up to 28k. Again a few years later I went into another, slightly more senior web role and moved up to 32k.

I was stuck on 32k for a while because of pay freezes, and then I had three children within 6 years, which really paused my earning potential. I was now about 38 and been specialising in digital marketing for a good few years, plus freelancing to help supplement finances AND learning/ experience potential. I got a role at a tech start up at 50k. Got made redundant last year because of Covid and am now at another tech start up for 60k. I’m in London and whilst it’s not MEGA mega bucks, I am extremely proud of my salary. I’ve worked hard for it and hustled constantly.

From my experience, moving roles - whether companies or within company - is the way to keep inching up your salary. Keep pushing for roles that you think you could do and would enjoy. Where you hit a certain barrier in terms of ceiling of salary, do whatever training or extra curricular you need to do to get the experience to get into the next salary bracket.

I was telling my dad yesterday that my current CEO plans to sell the company in five years. It’s very common in start ups to do that and usually the existing employees get paid off. He was worried in five years I’d be out of a job but given my history of jumping around, it’s really no big deal to me. Sometimes I think I have job commitment issues as I’ve not stayed anywhere longer than 3 years

I haggled my last job up from an advertised 25 to 29 plus bonus that took it to about 33-35.
Know your worth!
In my male orientated industry men get promoted women have to change companies for more money and promotion. It’s an odd one.

I just applied for any jobs that came up in my company, volunteered for any projects and by default gained a network within a large organisation. I never turned anything down, and even when back from Mat leave I immediately applied for an internal job, I never coasted while my kids were small or went part time. I had a great support network at home so could travel and socialise with work regularly. I kept taking the opportunities as they came or made opportunities. I'm now on 60k and I've only got 5 gcse's.

I came to read any advice. I'm a similar age to you, married and own my house. I have a bachelor's degree and masters degree. I've worked full time alongside my degrees and earned good grades. I have tons of experience, having worked since a teen, and gained as much extra experience as possible in my industry during my master's through my uni. I wish I'd have done the same during my bachelors as I might be further along in my career.
Every job I've had has been a salary increase, but nowhere near that average salary! I honestly don't know how people earn that much. I think my working class background means I have no idea how to get there.

Definitely more qualifications. I put myself through online studies for a degree, I also speak a different language as mother tongue and that defintiely gives extra as several of my colleagues get a higher salary than only English speaker (it's relevant for our business though).

A friend did a PHD and now Open University with three children, you need a bomb proof relationship and system at home to do this but it meant she is a high earner and partner in a law firm before she was 40.

Work for a large company so when you work hard there are always opportunities to progress into different areas

Get a degree, both my DS’s first proper jobs were 25 and 27k and they are early 20’s.