To wonder how you get that amazing career

[Mrswhiskerson]

There are a lot of people on here earning fifty k plus and I really admire them, a high flying career is what I have always wanted. i'M currently working as a clerical officer banking money filling in invoices on oracle etc and I am wondering what the next step is I want to have worked my
way into a really good well paidjob by the time ds is five , he is six months now. I would mostly like advice on what qualifications are best to take and what are the well paid jobs like? Is it having loads of money but no time ?

This thread is making me tired.

I need a lie down before I work one of my two days tommorow

You driven ones are amazing but its just not for me. I am happy if I can cover the bills and get by. We dont have much choice these days so its probably just as well!

I earn (IMO) good money but my ambition was to hike up my earning power enough so I could work a few hours as possible.

Thank God I did because now I cannot work more than I do without it impacting on OH's health.

I would say go for it if you really want it. Me and the other hippies will look on with admiration

@ OU being worthless

I also disagree that you need to do 12 hour days for years on end, in some careers that is necessary, others do have more flexibility than that. I've only worked 12 hour days probably for a couple of sets of three months at a time, I personally can't keep that up over long periods, and now, with the children, I do like to put them to bed/get them up in the morning, so I guess I prioritize that.

As for some perceived incomptatibility between loving children and loving your work, I find none. I do, however, not love housework and so that is the thing that is dropped around here.

I'd just say, accept any opportunities you are given (and try to engineer some of your own), don't be put off just because things are outside your comfort zone.
If you get asked to cover other roles while people are away, accept if at all possible.
If you spot an area where you think things could be improved (e.g. taking out a step in a process to make your current work quicker and more cost-effective) then take positive step to get that change agreed - and make sure you take credit for it.
Snap up any training you are offered - and maybe do your own research about local training so you can raise it with your managers.

Keep a journal of all the 'extra' bits and pieces you do - they may give you a springboard in the future. Especially if they let you tailor your CV more accurately for future roles. Keep copies of an emails etc. that thank you for the job you are doing.

Push for promotions, or even a broader job description. Push your currently employer into recognising the value you bring to the company.

Do all this while you plan your long-term goals - it is all grist to the mill.

For what it's worth, I think the key asset you need is a supportive partner (if you have a partner, I think it's actually easier with none than an unsupportive undermining one). The women I know who have good careers (some not earning £50k, some over) all have husbands who respect their careers and are prepared to prioritize them at times, and pick up the slack around childcare and so on. My husband is my no1 supporter in my work, he utterly believes in my abilities, tells me to go for promotion and so on and is prepared to put his money where his mouth is in terms of picking children up from school or moving if I get a new job. I would do that for him, I hasten to add.

I think an unsupportive undermining partner is the worst, one who sees your job as the 'second' job, sees your job as just a job and not a career, won't help with childcare, and so on. It's almost impossible to succeed in that type of environment and sadly I see men like this quite a lot, who simply don't see their wives as as clever and valuable in the workplace as themselves. I think Xenia has talked about this a lot and the more time goes by, the more I agree.

Here is an idea

If you want to be a solicitor;

Get a clerical job in a law firm-and get them to start training you as a Legal Executive.
You can then follow a work/study route to qualify as a solicitor.
It fits your time frame.
Is an interesting job.
It will be tough and competitive, there will be some long days, but there are a few mums who qualify this way.

link www.ilex.org.uk/study/how_to_be_a_lawyer.aspx

I wouldn't go down the solicitor route (unless you plan to work outside the City). I have worked at a large international law firm in the city for ten years and the hours and level of commitment expected of you is crazy. I earn a very decent salary but work 80-90 plus hours a week plus with the blackberry am constantly expected to be on call for our international clients. I am on maternity leave at the moment and will not be going back as I value time with my son far more than a huge salary. I guess it depends on your financial circumstances and what your priorities are.......

Oh Getorf - I think your post came at the right time...

"-always apply for jobs above yoru current ability level. I have never been able to do a job i have applied for - you need to get out your comfort zone. So I would apply for more senior roles and convince them i could do it at interview. Makes for a stressful life but is the best way to progress."

I am on day 9 of a new job, and am convinced I am in way over my head. I have had the last 2 years off to have babies, and am now back in at the deep end with a 60k job, but am thinking I am a bit of a phoney and someone will notice soon. Am VERY much out of my comfort zone.

Tell me it will be alright? Tis just the getting-back-into-it-and-using-my-brain-again phase after having DCs, right??

Agree with ScottishMummy about getting a professional qualification that enables you to do a specifc career.

I was bumping along doing dead end admin jobs even though I had a degree. Decided I wanted to retrain so drew up a list of careers such as teacher, physio, radiographer, nurse.

I got accepted onto a midwifery degree and a radiographer degree. Left my job, went for the midwifery option. Might not be big bucks but its a fab job, fairly good job security, good career progression, better pay than most jobs round here. Top of Band 6 will be a bit over 30k I think but if I went for promotion to Band 7 or into teaching, management, etc I could go over 40k.

As it is when DD starts secondary school I'm thinking of going to med school.

Boobz, that was me a couple of months ago.
It will get better and you will get used to it.
There is a reason they gave you the job... you can do it.

I was surprised at how my confidence had eroded, it is coming back now, but in fact I was just a bit scared of asking questions.

That's what DH keeps saying - that they knew what my CV was and what experience I had, so they must think I can do it..... I keep sitting in meetings though, and going "hmmmm, not really sure what's going on here, but must look like I know what they are talking about with lots of nods and frantic scribbling of notes".

Crap crap crap.

it takes a while to get used to new systems, procedures etc, I think that's the hardest bit

Apparently most women, an awful lot of the time, are worried about being found out, Boobz....but it's not supposed to be something that men suffer from as much. Chances are you're actually over-qualified!

What you need is a mentor.

People in your industry and out of your industry that you would like to emulate.

I find people are flattered and very generous with sharing their experience and advice. It can be as simple as a coffee - or as enduring as a long term relationship, where they actually tip you off and recommend you for roles.

I once cold-called the Chief Operating Officer at Barclays Group uk.linkedin.com/pub/colette-delaney-smith/4/306/501. She was a senior person heavily pregnant with her 4th child; I was a junior person heavily pregnant with my second child, and I wanted to know how to become her . It was just coffee, but she was really super supportive, and full of practical friendly advice a million miles away from the 'hard arse' idea you get of what you need to do to succeed in the city.

You kind of need to think of it as climbing a ladder 'left hand, right hand'. The left hand is your 'core skills' or CV points - so you can't shuffle more than a little bit above you current role in one step. The right hand is your 'brand' - or your visibility. People trust people they 'know' - and this is an area which is often tricky and needs extra effort for working mothers.

'Time' is not a huge amount to do with it, but persistence is everything. So, for example, you could qualify as an accountant - a couple of years of fairly mediocre effort, but nearly guaranteed £50K on completion (assuming you're in London).

Boobz - hang on in there, you will be fine.

I always have a panicked 'fuck!' feeling at the start of new jobs, mind you, I quite like that buzz you get when everything is new and stressful.

I think it is normal to have feelings of self doubt, no matter how confident and competent you are. I have often thought, sat there in meetings 'whyt he hell are all these senior people listening to me' and feel like an imposter, however I have worked for some brilliant and tough companaies, they can't all be wrong.

It is far better that you feel stressed and challenged now, than get a job paying 20 ghrand less which you feel perfectly comfortable doing, but which you will be bored witless of in 6 months.

Good luck - you will be fine

Hideous grammar in that last post, apols.

Hard work really doesn't come into it ime.

It's a combination of luck, ambition, and setting yourself goals. Sounds generic, but I know people in my industry who have worked 100 times harder than me but earn a lot less, because they have not put their career aspirations first.

Having children of course is hard work because you will need that extra juggling act and that makes you sometimes less prone to risk taking. But that's part and parcel of being a working parent in whatever career.

Lots of good advice. A supportive partner (as one to many says) helps. We moved towns for my career. He did more than I did at home. He found kept and dealt with childcare. he did the dentist for 17 years with the chidlren, worked the washing machine 200% alone for a few years. Of course did other things at home too. But hte biggest break on female ambition is marrying and tolerating sexist men or having a blinked stepford mentality which says on women in the kitche, only women wash, men can't cook, men will make a mess of changing nappies. Throw all those views out. Never let yourself become pin money totally eclipsed by male earnings. Don't enjoy living off male earnings in return for sex and domestic services. You know you'll hate it.

Actually, I found it easier at the beginning (when dd was little) having no partner. I just concentrated on me, DD, work and study and didn;t have to piss about pandering to a bloke! When I climbed a little way up the gerasy pole I had the time and inclination to have a relationship.

Plus, the fact I had to earn some money because nobody else was going to provide it was a great motivator. That and the fact I was a scumbag teenage single mother and had an axe to grind and had to prove that I wasn't worthless and stupid.

I would give one piece of advice no matter what.
Make sure you enjoy it. I went for career first and family second, DS arrived when I was 40 and had finally got into a senior post and I count myself incredibly lucky to have him.

Yes I do get emailed in the evenings and at weekends. Yes I do pick places to go on holiday with absolutely no mobile reception and yes, it is bleeping hard having two full time jobs of work work and mummy work.

The other piece of advice I would give is purely financial management: get rid of your debts as fast as you can. We paid off the mortgage some 8 years early through overpaying when we could and never having holidays apart from one long weekend a year. And didn't trade up to a larger house than our little semi.
Then you don't need to earn as much to have a bit of disposable income. Course now with DS I have a small house full of clutter which I never have time to tidy up but that's another tale!

Agree about keeping outgoings, especially a mortgage as small as you can. We live in a 3-bed semi which for 3 of us is fine. I have friends with only one DC who earn a third of what me and DH do but have mortgages 4x the size. Scary stuff. I'd rather have a small but adequate house and have the money to do stuff as a family. Not just the bigegr expenditures of holidays, etc but been able to go bowling/cinema/pizza/Alton Towers/something DD wants but doesn't need without worrying about it. If we'd moved to a 4-bed detached we could afford the mortgage but maybe not the other stuff as easily.

Great advice moonbells

Oh GOD yes I agree about keeping your mortgage really low if possible. I said this in a thread yesterday - there was a person there whose mortgage was nearly 50% of her monthly take home pay. Sod that. Mine is a small mortgage so we have lots of disposable income. We could get a buigger mortgage and get a bigger and nicer house but I don't want the financial burden.

Thanks Getorf, and others. I will be fine. Luckily, if I'm not, I'm in a pretty rare situation where I can just leave (or get fired! hopefully not!) and it won't make any difference to our standard of living. So the pressure is on having a new job, in one way, but off in the other.

I'll be fine.

Mine is pretty high (7 figures) but only because I divorced a lower earner. But for that it would be zero. Perhaps that proves that the traditional route to wealth applies to both sexes - a good marriage to a higher earner.

I have good qualifications and a single minded. I have always made a policy that I plan my next move within the first month of getting a new job. That includes making a plan of gaining new skills. All as suggested. Thing is I do believe that certain professions are limiting with respect to potential wages and certain ones lend themsleves to higher ones.
I could never make 500K a year in my line of work, unless I decided to drop my ethics.