Earning £60k aged 23.

[sandycracks]

If someone told you that their child was 23 and already earning £60k, would you believe them?

So it turns out that I was the only graduate in London that didn't earn this...

😂😂😂

My nephew (25) earned £50k at 23, living in a rural low-average salary part of UK. (Engineering apprentice at 16, training on job, promoted every year.)

£60k - yes I can believe it.

There seems to be a popular narrative that all under-30s are minimum wage graduates living in their parent's spare bedroom unable to afford their own avocados and Starbucks coffees, never mind rent. It's bullshit.

Parents bring their adult children round on the grad scheme visit??? WTAF???

As for the rest of it, the big four tech companies are Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet and Amazon. Apple and Microsoft certainly don’t pay massive grad salaries but instead reward graduates with high levels of security and a clear progression path. Alphabet and AWS do pay this kind of money to new grads (or at least close to it) and of course smaller companies and startups (particularly in fintech) pay even more.

No

Yes

Not common. Solicitors and Accountants at big firms would, but maybe not yet? Some jobs yes, but not many.

Of course. Or do you have reason to believe they are an habitual liar? And if so why?

It totally is! But you’ll still get parents on here full of guilt at the prospect of charging them like £60 a quid a week towards their keep

So anyway, I see we've lost the OP again. OP has wound 'em up and let 'em go, literally. Yes, I do have friends who say stuff like this. I suppose they're proud but it's definitely bragging. I've got one friend whose adult children are amazing "High flyers" but not all of them are actually decent people so I just sort of smile and nod. I think she thinks it's some sort of reflection on what a great parent she is, but I think it reflects how much she values cash over everything and how she passed those values on to her children. Definitely a case of you do you.

Wonder if OP will come back and explain?

If they worked in mcdonalds then no I wouldn't believe it.

If they worked in IT then yes I would believe it.

But you didn't say what their job was...

My DD and her friends are graduates (with Masters' degrees in some cases) in their late twenties, working in the charity sector and are just about scraping by on minimum wage. They've chosen a different path and though they might (not sure they have the right instincts!) be capable of earning big money in another sector, it wouldn't suit their personalities. Much to my DH's disgust, he was hoping to be a kept parent in his old age

I doubt they will be back.

Yes, that's the kind of salary my son will be on at that age if he passes professional exams and hits his targets by that age. He's just starting at a blue chip international firm later this month on a £30k starting salary, and it's expected to be doubled over the next two years. Mind you, it's a highly skilled professional role, requiring a first degree in Maths, so pretty specialist and with very high entry requirements. I'd not expect someone to be earning that if they've just got an average degree in a Mickey Mouse subject.

Well, yes, quite a lot of Mumsnetters DO actually live in London. What is your point? Does the opinion of a London-based Mumsnetter not count? Do we have to declare where we live now to express an opinion?

Oh - and just to inform you - most 23 year olds in London do not earn £60k. Fucking obviously.

I'm sure there are many early 20 somethings earning £60k and above all over the country. It may not be the norm but it is not THAT unlikely!

The more interesting aspect of this OP is why the OP thinks someone might be lying? Or, just, why the OP started the thread at all.

It's possible but rare. Whether I'd believe them depends on what the child actually does for a living, if it's likely in their industry and whether my friend has form for exaggeration like some comments on here. Majority of UK adults do not earn 60k a year but on MN we're all millionaires and size 8uk on a fat day.

Doing what?

Yes. I am sure some of my children's friends are. Private school, vert good exam results, very good university, graduate at 21 and they are all now 24. Even if they do post grad law to age 22 trainee salaries are not too far short of 60k and on qualification at 24 it is over £100k for the best newly qualified solicitors in London. It is very very competitive and most people fail to get that but some do. They have a friend who is an accountant at a top firm. Another is a quant. Another is in financial services. Two are in cyber stuff, one in marketing, all in London.

And I am in London, I don't know any under 30 who earns 60k a year. They're all around 30k.

It's also quite remarkable that their DMs all appear to be here waiting to confirm that £60k+ is the normal salary expectation for early career graduates.

Depends who told me. My friends wouldn’t lie about it so I’d believe them, although they don’t generally discuss their children’s salary as it’s not their place to. I know what a couple of their children earn because they’ve asked for advice from my partner in the same industry.

I can’t really imagine anyone I wasn’t close to telling me what they’re kids earn. That would be really odd and if they’re the sort of person that talks about their children’s salary with people they don’t know well, they may be the sort of person that is full of shit I suppose.

Does it matter anyway.

Yes. Know a 17 year old who was earning 40k
Get in the right industry and there's lots of money flying around, especially in contracting work too

Was contacted today about a role that's £300 per day and know various people at my work on £650 per day

Yes. It's a starting salary in the City or magic circle law firm. Excluding bonus.

I'd believe it too. I knew a girl of 22 starting on 68k fresh out of uni as a trainee and that was 15 years ago, but i think they wanted her blood, sweat and tears for it.

London is a red-herring and it's quite a dated view to think that London is where the high salaries. A lot of London jobs are media, civil service, not for profit, arts. Engineering and manufacturing in midlands, science & tech in Cambridge, data & digital sector in M4 corridor - all these will outpay London salaries.