For those on 6 (or almost 6 ) figure salaries - how old are you, what do you do, and how did you get into it?

[savebuckbeak]

Just the above. Curiosity is all!

I’m one of the posters who said luck and I stand by it.

I was lucky to be born into a family where I was able to be educated. I was lucky that, when I lost one of my first jobs, my family was able to support me for a few months so that I could take time to find a job in my skills area, and not getting stuck in a situation where I was stuck in the minimum wage job I could find just to keep a roof over my head.

I’m luck that I took a shot on a company that entirely paid off. My job is well paid, has a fantastic pension scheme, benefits etc that save me roughly 20% of my salary compared to what I’d have to pay out of pocket for what it covers.

I’m lucky that I don’t have a disability, or was widowed young with no life assurance policy, or had a child with a disability who needed dedicated care not compatible with a career.

I do work very hard. I work long hours managing a large team and lots of complex projects that are often m valued well into the hundreds of millions. I’m completely dedicated to my job and often end up on calls on my days off etc., but so do plenty of people who work for low pay.

I certainly don’t work harder than someone who’s caring for the elderly or disabled and may spend their day dealing with a lot of physical activity, and bodily fluids, or someone who spends their day unblocking sewers.

I’m very, very lucky.

(Incidentally, and while this isn’t about the men, my husband would say the same about his career- luck was definitely a big factor for him).

43, actuary with leadership responsibilities. 3 years of hardcore professional exams whilst working in my early 20s. Pretty much just worked and studied for that time. Built my career post qualification by taking on different roles at work to broaden network and skill set. Two DC, took short mat leaves (8 weeks, despite being entitled to full pay for longer), stayed full time (DH dropped to 3 days per week). Took on voluntary roles when youngest DC started sleeping through the night to broaden my CV and take on bigger roles at work.

The rewards for being a senior woman in a STEM area are great as demand far outstrips supply. I think it’s crucial we talk to young women about the kind of careers which attract larger salaries.

I’m just keen to hear more from these 6 figure solicitors, I wanted to move from my role to a solicitor in the same field (forensic/mental health) and after the training I was looking to be about £25k a year worse off!!

I'm 45 and have just got to Director level in the past year. Jump went from 66k to £110k. Got a 1st at uni, worked really hard in just one career path and not switched around companies too much. Got very lucky last year with the role as a trial position and got made permanent. Manage about 13 people with big targets, love it most of the time but hard to switch off.

A few times people say they got into an industry before it got big/ well-known which helped them earn big bucks….what would be something like that now??

38 now, total comp just under £100k. Work in ops projects for a Fortune 500, Director corporate grade but am actually individual contributor with excellent work/life balance.

I arrived in the UK 12 years ago with £800 savings and one suitcase - clueless about life and work in the UK, and a Eastern European accent.
My first job was a survival job at a pub. Three months later I managed to move to a hotel receptionist role, and then put myself forward to develop the newly conference offered services. Ten months later managed to secure a global (junior) sales role in the global HQ of that hotel brand.

Ever since I job hopped functions and industries every few years, but always in EMEA/Global headquarters.
I completed courses and a postgraduate diploma, always had something on the go until DC. Now on mat leave expecting my second, but keep my eyes peeled for my next jump.

TL;DR unrewarded loyalty doesn’t pay off - keep upskilling yourself and job hop.

Love this thread bar the negativity, it is so inspiring to see how well you are all doing! You should be very proud of yourselves! This has just motivated me to actually work smarter. Currently working as a project manager in public health but wanting to move onto private/ tech/IT projects as earning potential looks great. Due to be on mat leave next year, as a single mum love how one of the pp said they changed careers every mat leave they took. This gives me hope 💐

It’s nothing to do with being jealous 😂 I earn a perfectly ample salary myself. It’s just SO cringe when women are obsessed with boasting about their husbands earn. Why not boast about your own achievements instead? Women have completely different challenges climbing the career ladder and I’m sure their experiences are far more relevant to the OP.

I agree.

@CelluliteAndSparkles What you've said is so true. I have worked hard and believe I have always done an exceptional job in my jobs. Mostly it hasn't been HARD for me because I was born into a well off family, went to excellent schools and had a very supportive family. This let me take risks and meant that my life has largely been free from true financial stress. I am smart, but everything about my background let me take that to it's fullest extent.

Plenty of smart people aren't able to get to where I am because they weren't lucky to be born into a wealthy family with the time and money to support me. It doesn't discount that I have done well, but equally it feels disingenuous to make a huge deal out of the fact that I've achieved a high salary and relative wealth. It feels like it would more be a failure if I HADN'T achieved this. This has nothing to do with my being a woman and everything to do with my family's socioeconomic background, which is a strong predictor of future education and wealth.

Fookin hell Xenia! That's amazing! I am I awe!

Thanks.
Narwhale, in a sense it was in my first post - that I picked when I was about 18 business law, not other areas which have always been badly paid. So may be you could move into a different area of law which is better paid?

Someone above asked about scarcity of people and people with rare skills and working in areas no one wants to do either because the hours are awful or it is not messing around int he arts with oceans of other women who want to do that. If you are the only person in the Uk with detailed knowledge of sourcing of rare earth minerals in China or a very specialists area of law or medicine or the best tennis player then someone is likely to earn more. It is similar at the moment - there has been a shortage of lawyers in some areas during the pandemic - most than I can remember even since the 1970s actually although I doubt it will last long.

"AdoraBell · Today 16:15

@Xenia My DD wants to be a lawyer but couldn’t get onto a Law course, A-levels fiasco in 2020.

Would you mind if I ask for any advice you could give for her please? You can pm me if that would be better."

Bigger law firms do want to see A level grades and all taken at the same sitting even if you have a first at university but smaller law firms will not be so bothered and also only 50% of lawyers do law at university so hopefully your daughter can find some other options. If she did start university in 2020 with not so good A levels and doing a different course she will have done 2 years of that by now so ideally would have appliced during her non law degree for vacation schemes and work experience and in year 3 of her non law degree be applying for law firm training contracts - the deadlines are all on the law firm websites.

Roughly 120k including performance bonuses. In my early 50s and work in advertising.
I was born working class, but had good state schooling. Both my parents worked hard and progressed upwards. Still, I had to pay the bulk of my university education via a loan.So
when I graduated I had two jobs to pay off the debt which took five years, lived incredibly modestly for the first ten years while I worked on my own career, also did OU to up my qualifications as I ended up in a career I did not intend to and still could not afford a deposit for a home so my first home was when I got married.
I’ve been made redundant twice and don’t take anything for granted. I have also been very lucky to have worked in companies that championed development.
I love what I do but work “flexibly” (I’m the flexible not the job) for 10-16 hours a day and some weekends around being a single parent with very little support from the other parent either financially or otherwise.

I’m 42 and a self employed Business Coach teaching a specific industry niche. Earned 150K last year and the year before. I’ve got a Masters Degree in an unrelated area, but have always been exceptionally business minded. I invested over 50K in other business coaches to help build my knowledge of marketing, sales, tech integration, copywriting etc but the ROI has been well worth it. I’m neurodiverse and in someways it’s helped, other ways not. DH very supportive and hands-on and I couldn’t have done it otherwise. I work around 50-60 hours a week but I’m starting to outsource more and automating parts of the business to buy back my life. Having a high tolerance for risk is the one quality that has defined and accelerated my career. I previous worked in management for a Local Authority.

I'm 36 now and earn just under £100k excluding bonus. Went to a very bog standard comp but did well at GCSE and A levels. Went on and got a BA in History and joined a Big 4 firm after uni.

Moved from Big 4 to a much smaller organisation as was totally burned out. Did 2 5 years there and learned loads as basically acted as the FD's shadow and got involved in everything.

Joined a large US corporate and worked my way up to Senior Manager. Would say that the main reason I have done well is that I step outside my comfort zone, I'm good at getting people aligned on projects and am very solution focused.

I have just moved to a role outside of Finance as a result of volunteering for a secondment which has led to another opportunity. I have struggled hugely with imposter syndrome, particularly when returning from work and working PT (I do 4 days per week) but I have decided now that I am going to OWN it and be a role model for others in my organisation who want to balance their careers and their other responsibilities be it children, caring for elderly parents etc.

44, HE Professional Services. Got into it by accident/chance. Work-life balance can be ok but I have firm boundaries and refuse to do lots of the networking with councils and so on. I also haven’t tried to create a “national profile”. This means I’m probably earning less than I could but at the moment don’t see it as worth it.

Should have said, I have excellent A levels and a psychology degree from a RG but have avoided postgraduate qualifications. There’s a bit of a “feed the beast” mentality at my level with many people doing MBA/Ed.D

My husband is early 30s and works in the music touring industry (big music tours) as a production manager and earns approx 150k pa. He also runs another business music related that turns over approx 100k a year. He has no qualifications but is incredibly hard working, driven and well respected in his job. He also has the pleasure of absolutely loving his work.

@Allthatsjazzy

what does her look for in new hires?

Fascinating to hear what you all earn (and husbands - yes I'm interested. My own career has gone okish but three children later and I'm not earning what I could have been. Self employed and my FTE is a little of £70,000.

In 40s and a surgeon, with NHS and private practice. Income 200k last year with more left in ltd company due to tax reasons. I do work hard, it is physically and mentally demanding!

I was never on a 6 figure salary but:
Got qualifications and worked hard. Applied for jobs anywhere so willing to move at own expense. After DC very supportive DH who was house husband for a while then worked PT. I kept applying for promotion/better paid jobs which led to geographical move with young DC (very stressful). Finally ended up in relatively highly paid public sector role. Paid extra into pension to minimise higher rate tax. There were many tough times, and I am still not sure if it was all worth it. But now a fairly well off retiree, able to support adult DC financially when necessary.

What do you earn? What is your experience? How have you faired in your career

why are you sharing your make relatives experiences rather than your own? It’s a thread about how people have managed ti reach a large salary. Not a thread asking about peoples relatives experiences!

it’s not 1959 - you are a person In Your own right. You aren’t your husband or your father. You can’t claim their successes.

I was also very lucky.
I was lucky to be born academic, in a family which very much supported studying.

I got a first in a STEM subject and later did an MBA. I picked an industry and stayed in it, working my way up. Was on 100k at about 40.
I then jumped to a slightly different industry and got 7-figure stock options, which have now 3/4 vested.

My sisters earn more than me - one is a judge and one is senior in pharma.

@colachive would you mind if I PM’d you? I do something very similar (in the tech industry too!) and I’m earning nowhere near that amount 😅

Would love to hear about your career journey and how you’ve got to where you are now!

Work in media, as a content producer. I started at about 30 after drifting about, now mid 40s.

I moved around quite a lot and went into business winning rather than making which is often better for bonuses.

Make about 110 all in

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