If you make 100k+, what do you do?

[fedupofbeingbroke]

I'm just curious. I have two degrees, one being a masters, studied hard, worked hard and still don't make that much money (having DC set me back but was unlikely to have made more than 60k ever). If you make 100k+, what job do you have? How did you make your wealth?

No problem - it sounds like a really tough experience and I’m sorry you won’t through that.

I dare say there are GC roles that could be done at home, especially in smaller companies. I work for a MNC where if I boil it down my primary role is board and investor relations. I need to be present.

have you thought about corporate compliance? I think CCOs often have less Board pressure and the role is interesting and varied and lends itself well to those with an experience in criminal law.

Probably the same amount of offensive it is to go onto a thread and claim that you can only have a happy home and happy kids and a career that pays very well if you have someone who doesn’t work at home taking on all the home responsibilities.

I work in biotech and earn 100K. DH is a programmer and earns 300+

Thanks, that’s brilliant and very helpful as I have a similar opportunity with a platform we have developed in house that I think could be monetised.

Husband earns that doing what? Putting in random full stops into numbers? What???

Yes agreed. Are you implying that I've said that? Because I haven't said that anywhere. I've said that's my circumstances and some others' on this thread too it seems.

The OP has not specified that they were seeking a female perspective. This site is not only for mums, it also is not only for women's experiences or even women's voices. Some people on this thread have implied all of these things and projected on to this thread and onto the OP how they would like the question answered and now proclaiming offense at something that wasn't even said.

I've had enough of this. Got to get back to my skivvy duties now anyway.

Actually don't make quite that much. But senior in HR.

So now for some sweeping generalisations...

To make £100k+, you generally have to (not all the the below are essential...)

• Have a reasonable first degree; and

• Have a reasonable Masters degree or professional qualification in your field, often gained whilst working full time; and

• Be reasonably good at your job, and quite good at surviving/negotiating organisational politics; and

• Work in, or at least be aware of, sectors, industries and organisations where these sorts of salaries are available; and

• Stay in jobs long enough to see projects etc. through; and yet

• Have made a good couple of strategic job moves in your career to accelerate up the salary scale faster than if you'd stayed put; and

• Be happy to have a LOT of responsibility for some or all of the following: people, spend, revenue, quality; and

• Work enough to deliver significant outcomes, so probably 0.8 WTE at least (which is probably working 5 days in 4 but we won't go into that); and

• Have enough flexibility in your life to work crazy hours or do business travel, at least occasionally; and

• Be happy to be the person that takes the call when shit hits the fan somewhere in your organisation; and

• Love your subject matter enough to have stuck with it long enough to have acquired deep experience and expertise in it; and

• To have clung on to your career somehow during child-bearing and rearing years if you have children; and

• To have avoided/survived the worst of the psychopathic colleagues/managers that there are out there; and

• To have had some sort of emotional/practical/financial support available to you at various points in your life to enable all of the above

Anyway... does that answer your question?!

I’d agree with all of this.

Pick a quantifiable metric, influence it positively, take ownership of & track your results, and leverage those as you move from project to project and job to job.

Very astute. Well said.

alwaysdecorating definitely sounds like you are not a million miles away! You'll definitely get there with those skills!

I have friends who work in sales and earn this and much more. They have degrees but only bog-standard unrelated subjects, not even massively bright, just know how to sell and do it well.

I'd agree with that @OhHolyMoly.

One of the key ways I have found to be able to earn more is not being afraid to move roles to new organisations at the right times.

There are very few people who will go from £20k to £200k in the same company, unless they are employed there for decades and go from the bottom right to the top.

My two largest pay increases were £42k (51% of salary at the time), and £30k plus bonus (21% plus of salary at the time).

Thinking about the jobs involved they weren't that much different, but in different sectors, so I focussed on emphasising transferable skills and provided examples of things I'd done which could happen in their workplace. I also did a shedload of research on the companies and their goals, values etc, then spewed them all out at the (multi-stage) interviews.

I would never have followed the career trajectory I have taken, if I had stayed at the same company I worked at immediately after graduating.

Totally agree with @OhHolyMoly too. I'd add being willing to learn and getting a sponsor not just mentors. Understanding politics and how they work, putting in the hours and knowing your strengths. I moved countries several times and for a few crucial years put in spectacular hours. Understand the progression and prospects for what you do and ideally what will get you to the place you want to be and what that is.

Thanks all, very interesting discussion!

Agree with everything PPs have added.

Upon reflection, I should probably also add a general 'drive' to get to those higher-paying roles; whether motivated financially, competitively, career-wise or whatever.

For most people, it's a long climb... a long game. There are quite a lot of sacrifices along the way... chief among them delayed gratification of all sorts. And luck too... lots of different types of luck of course but lucky to be able to somehow spot an opportunity, and have the means to follow it, whatever the outcome.

And you know what? Staying in these sorts of roles has its challenges too... The need to stay relevant, justify your own cost, continue to be content with the trade-offs (family time, headspace, caring responsibilities, self-care) the professional loneliness at times and the grind of the (largely) mental work can be a tough gig. Nothing is guaranteed... your boss could leave tomorrow, or the company you work for could be sold, and your perhaps fairly-stable work-life could be completely upended.

That's not to complain... At the end of the day, you're probably not living payday-to-payday at this level.

But in thinking about OP's question... jobs paying this sort of salary usually have significant downsides too.

For myself at the moment, I'm 'senior enough' to scratch the professional itch, to have a reasonable income, but also to leave some time and headspace for most of life outside of work... notably my significant caring responsibilities.

Yep. Every single time there is a thread about women's careers.

All pre-tax, I'm self employed.

I earn around £10-13k per month working privately part time as a psychologist when I am working. I work around 46 weeks per year, so months I don't work I earn nothing from this.

I have two rental properties earning around £4k per month total, but tax changes and interest rates in recent years means I don't bring much home from that. I'm thinking of selling.

I have a turned one other rental property into an airbnb and that makes around £8-10k per month.

I live in London, so life is very expensive. I wrote on a piece of paper in 2021 within 18 months to 2 years I want to be bringing in £200k so I don't ever find myself wondering how I'll survive if my partner leaves me (we went through an awful patch).

The other day I just thought 'm going to make a new goal of £350k per year in 18 months and I have an idea how to do it.

I also have a business idea and if that works out the sky is. the limit.

\I'm just sorry it took me to 40 to stop thinking about being employed and concentrate on self employment, It's !00% better.

Interesting @strawberriesaretomatoes !

I spent many years working as a self-employed consultant through my own limited company.

The sky is indeed the limit… but then so is your time, headspace and health.

I think self-employment is an interesting discussion in itself… however some people will never venture there due to lack of confidence, entrepreneurialism, risk appetite, lack of capital, willingness to To all the stuff also involved with running a business.

I think your approach of diverse revenue streams with a professional string to your bow as an insurance policy is a great mix, but one that many people could never achieve or even plan for. Kudos to you!

Thanks - I must say, I have fantastic support from my family. As a result I gift them quite a bit of what I earn and I employ them in roles I can't do but they have the skill for. So when I make these plans, I have everyone in mind.

Until 2021 I was working in an NHS role on £52k per year pro rota. I just couldn't have survived that way if my partner had pulled out financially, which many do in touch times. I never want to even face that insecurity again.

We women truly carry the world on our shoulders. We do. We're the backbone.

@OhHolyMoly

Why not start that self-employment discussion?

if there is one thing I miss from NHS working, it is that kind of team chat.

I'd be on that thread in a flash. I might see if there are any already, actually.

Exactly. As a lone parent who has a decent salary, this whole narrative is laughable. What useless husbands these women must have if - even as men, without the sexism penalty or any of the penaties for becoming mothers - they need someone to "facilitate" them to possibly manage a career. 🫣🤣

The biggest pay increase I ever got was going from permanent to contracting in the same type of jobs. Of course there are downsides: no holiday pay, costs associated with professional indemnity, accounting, etc. But the opportunity to work for different companies, with different technologies, and using different processes, vastly expanded my experience. It then gave me the confidence to see that I could extend my range of skills, and to go to different places. All of this makes me a better engineer, and allows me to charge a higher hourly rate.

Like I can't join the convo because I'm not a high enough earner even though I've been by DHs side throughout his entire career

My DH is an engineer and I've been by his side but no I wouldn't join a convo discussing structural fatigue of composite materials.

I am an in-house lawyer. Current job demanding but very family friendly and flexible culture. Have also worked in industries where this was very much not the case.

@PegasusReturns - Thank you for sharing, what an interesting story. Could you please share more about building the tech company as it is also the direction I am interested in. Thank you so much.