If you are fully WFH (or almost) and earn around £50k, what do you do?

[YouCouldUseAFlakeOrTwo]

My job feels like a set of golden handcuffs at the moment - decent-ish salary, lots of WFH, decent-ish pension, plenty of annual leave, nice people - but I am bored to tears and fed up. I've been working in the same area for over 15 years and really, really need a change. However at the same time I feel a bit paralysed because of the above benefits. I know, for example, that I absolutely want to maintain WFH and I need to maintain a similar salary, at least for the next few years.

I have job-searched but I don't really know what I'm looking for, sector-wise. I tend to stick to what I know but obviously that just brings up the same kind of thing I'm doing now, which I want to get away from!

So I'm looking for random inspiration. If you've got a fully or mainly WFH job and earn around £50k, what do you do? What's out there?

Thanks for posting your trajectory, very interesting. I've been a lab scientist for forever. Maybe it's time to move into regulatory...but would the WFH make up for the crushing boredom? 🤔 (I already do a fair bit of regulatory compliance stuff and it is 100% my least favourite part of my job. But if I stick with the lab I'll always have a massive commute...)

So there are so many bootcamps out there now but I went to Makers Academy https://makers.tech/. Nobody can learn to be a software engineer in 12 weeks, what makers teaches you is how to learn, as any engineer will tell you that most days consist of learning new things and figuring out new problems. Makers also helps with job placement, at least they did when I was there. There was a pay cut for me, I was a senior marketing manager when I started retraining so I went from a good salary to about 35k to start. But after that career progression was good, my next job was only 7 months later and I went up to 45k, then a year later I went to 60k and then 2 years later I went to 85k. I could easily get a job at 100k now if I wanted, it just so happens that at that level the taxes are so bad that there isn't much of a difference in take home pay and I'm comfortable where I am atm. I also could have left any of the jobs sooner if I wanted and gotten a pay bump each time, you don't ever have to tell your new company what you earned at your previous company and if you can back up your skills and salary requirements at your tech interview, you will always get it. Prior to becoming an engineer I had to beg people just to get an interview and I was offered a very small percentage of jobs that I interviewed for. After changing to tech and becoming an engineer, I've been offered every job I interviewed for and I get about 20 messages a day on linkedIn from people trying to poach me. It's a very in demand job and if you are good at it, the sky's the limit really.

by age 40-42 my goal is to work as a contractor and take 3-6 month jobs at a time and then take 3-6 months off to do what I want. Based on what most contractors I know earn, I could easily make more than what I'm on now working much less, you obviously just don't have the same security and benefits that you do as a full time worker, I'm ok with that though. I don't have kids but I imagine this would also be attractive to people who do. I plan to use the time traveling and volunteering.

@Lattims83 thanks so much for taking the time to reply so thoroughly, that's really helpful. Sounds like it's worked out really well for you

Not a problem at all! If you have any other questions feel free to PM me. There haven't been many times/things in my life that I can say without a doubt, I made the right decision but this was definitely one of them. Also, I 100% know what it feels like to be stuck in a job you hate, spending all day watching the clock and feeling jealous of those around you who seem to be content and passionate about what they do, so happy to help anybody in the same boat.

@Fraudornot you can do much better in translation as a freelancer than an employee, but the big money is in agency management. Follow Chris Durban and Kevin Hendzel on social media. Feel free to DM me for more info if you like.

@Lattims83 thanks, have sent a PM 😀

@Lattims83 hey just read your post and I am very interested. Do you mind if I DM you?

sure

@Lattims83 I have just seen your post. Would you mind if I DM you too?

Sure

Freelance web content writer.

Do you have a specialist subject? How do you find your clients? I'd love to know more.

I mostly write about B2B and digital marketing topics but I’ve also ventured into relationships and other lifestyle-type niches if clients have approached me and I have a bit of background knowledge and some capacity. I also edit and have a good understanding of SEO.

I got started by creating my own website while I was off my feet after surgery. I bought a training course about building websites for profit and found my first 4 clients via the private Facebook group for the course. I still do regular work for 2 of them. My most lucrative client came via a recruiter on LinkedIn. Lots of freelance writers get started by finding clients on Upwork.

I don’t have masses of clients and could probably do with a few more to spread my risk but my living expenses are pretty low, I have a healthy emergency fund, and I like having the time to work on my own projects too. I’m now trying to dedicate more time to creating content for my own sites and growing those revenue streams so I’m less dependent on client work.

That's so helpful. Thanks very much

NA

(Just to update on data protections news law - my post above - that draft Bill was lost on "wash up" (the election) but Labour has proposed a new one Digital Information and Smart Data Bill including

"The Bill will ensure your data is well protected. We are modernising and strengthening the ICO. It will be transformed into a more modern regulatory structure, with a CEO, board and chair. And it will have new, stronger powers.

This will be accompanied by targeted reforms to some data laws that will
maintain high standards of protection but where there is currently a lack of clarity impeding the safe development and deployment of some new technologies. We will also promote standards for digital identities around privacy, security and inclusion." Background Briefing Notes to the King's Speech