To be nosy? (Shameless post)

[StandingLikeATRex]

I'm a long time a lurker and a recent poster.

Myself and DH are young (late 20's) (trainee) professionals. We are still at the very early stage of our careers, (think work experience, cups of tea, applying for placements) he is retraining and I've been working up.
We've been chatting about buying our first home together and how much we can afford, we've realised this is not very much. It's disheartening to know that I may never be able to afford the type of home/life that I want.
We aren't from traditionally professional families (working class) and don't know too many wealthy people.
So....I'm curious to know what sorts of careers people go into (it doesn't have to be you) how long does it take to get to a comfortable salary, what do wealthy people do? And how do they become wealthy? (Haha please don't send me those earn £,000,000's at home links)

Shall I retrain as my job has a ceiling and I will never earn 6 figures, what should I do, what would give me the best chances?

I've also been asked by a family friend to give advice on university courses that lead to good jobs. none. and that got me thinking more about this.

Don't wipe the floor with me please

[GingerbreadCake]

Also OP don't let people rubbish you for wanting to earn money. There's no shame in that! If you want a six figure salary you need to choose a profession that can offer that and go for it.

I'm early 30s and earn around 60k a year which feels like loads to me to be honest. If I continue to progress I could be promoted and end up earning more in the region of 100k but there's a lot of extra stress which comes with that.

[ImissGrannyW]

I have a few uber-rich friends. It's all inherited.

I only know two "proper" working class people who earned really decent money. One rose through the ranks to (very) senior manager in a LA and the other trained in law and works for one of the big 4 banks in the city. In both cases, the hours they were expected to put in and the pressure put on them seriously impacted on their home lives.

Money's nice, but it doesn't make the world go round.

If you want to earn serious dosh, I think Canary Wharf (or similar) is what you need, but you'll have to sell your soul, so do check in with yourself that it's worth it before you do so.

The lawyer has had a baby and maternity has now finished, and the hours she has to work breaks her heart. Even though her house is gorgeous (complete with swimming pool).

The senior manager took early retirement and now has a little job. Struggles to pay the bills, but is soooo much happier.

If you're going to do it, do it young!

[NoMudNoLotus]

It takes a loooonnnng time to earn decent pay.

Its through sheer hard work, time & experience I'm afraid.

[ComtesseDeSpair]

I think you have to start with being open minded and recognise that there are all sorts of jobs which nobody ever dreams of doing as a child or bases their GCSE subject selections on but which offer good career progression and decent salaries if you have the passion, drive and commitment. It's not all familiar titles like "Accountant", "Solicitor" and "Banker" that you need to actively retrain for or get a degree in. If you're still doing work experience and making-the-tea roles in your late twenties, I'd question whether it would be wise anyway for you to retrain in any field which requires similar of newbies, unless you want to still be doing the same in your mid-thirties.

I earn slightly above £70K and I work in a corporate management role in the housing sector. It's not what the little girl Comtesse thought she'd ever be doing, but I enjoy it (would continue even if I won the lottery!) and if I keep moving along the trajectory and into senior management in larger organisations I could probably double my salary within the next ten years. I started on £18K when I graduated and I'm 30 now. Pretty respectable all in.

But the ambition for a big, beautiful home is entirely dependent on where you want to hang your hat. Mine is in rural Scotland and so affordable that it's actually my second home. I could earn several times what I do and have a partner likewise and still not be able to anywhere near afford that exact same house in London or the South East.

[StandingLikeATRex]

To be honest at the time my degree was my passion, I didn't really want to do anything else, pity I've never had a chance to practice it properly. I think it still is my passion.

the healthcare thing came from 24 hours in a and e (daydreaming again)

[SheDoneAlreadyDoneHadHerses]

Standing I'm at the receiving end of £73.10 a week. £16.5K seems like a veritable fortune!!

It makes you realise what's important to you. I'm looking forward to a job where I can do well and go home without worry.

[NoMudNoLotus]

Be prepared that healthcare is emotionally & physically exhausting , whichever area - & this will only get worse.

[Yarboosucks]

Climbing the career ladder takes hard work, lots of it, skills, intelligence and determination. You can't daydream into it.

TBH (brutally) H, you sound a bit immature and whimsical.

[dodobookends]

Perhaps a lot of it is down to luck as well as qualifications, a good job and being in the right place at the right time.

The only people I know who live that sort of lifestyle have done well due to having inherited large sums/property from family, and were able to invest that capital in property at the right time. They are now in their early-mid fifties and have worked hard, but wouldn't be where they are without inheritance.

[GingerbreadCake]

OP that's good advice from Comtesse

All my contemporaries who have made something of themselves chose a profession, got a job and stuck to it. The others who are still floating around in late twenties early thirties kept changing courses, going traveling, quitting jobs because they didn't enjoy it etc etc. It's all about priorities. Some people want security ad to earn money- they stick in and work hard regardless because the job progression and security is important to them. Others always think the "grass is greener" and keep switching all the time, can't settle to anything, won't trudge through difficult days for greater end reward and sometimes don't give their all to their job.

This is not me saying work is everything or the most important thing because it isn't of course, but we are the sum of our own priorities.

Your comment about wanting to be a healthcare professional because of a TV show jumped out at me. If you want any chance of making decent money choose a career with progression possibility now that you won't need to spend serious time and ££££ just training for and stick to it even if you don't love work every day.

There is quite a lot of hard graft and sacrifice involved in earning good money.

[Thissameearth]

I also agree. lawyer here and actually I have never made the tea (except for myself and office roomies ) and by late twenties (3 or so years ago) was earning just under £50k so unfortunately from my background I think it sounds like by this stage if the job's not progressed then it won't... What is your degree in and what do you currently do? Maybe others can help point you in direction once they know that? My DH earns almost double mine...but works many more hours and stress levels higher so relevant factors.

[QueenLizIII]

So you did a law degree, wanted to be a solicitor but cant get a training contract? So you've done something else?

How are you late 20s and still making teas and doing photocopying?

I am sorry to say most solicitors dont earn 6 figures either.....dont make me laugh.

Did you even look into paralegal work? Or did you just give up easily on that too? Do you have the LPC?

[Thissameearth]

NB we're not in London, relevant to salary level as you're up north too OP. Interesting hearing others, yeah I guess I never think about it but it has been hard work and sticking with it etc rather than I love my job all the times etc. I volunteered (and worked in unrelated jobs) whilst studying at uni, then stayed late, took work home at weekends etc in first few jobs. I think I work less hard now overall than I did at uni/in 20s.

[Kuriusoranj]

My husband and I both work in IT. We work for the same employer, hence the repeated use of 'we'. He's management and has been on 100k+ for 3-4 years now. I'm on the mummy track (revolting but accurate phrase and yes I am a little bitter that our children cost me but not him) , took a couple of maternity leaves and worked part time for a couple of years, but even so I will probably break 100k next year.

We work hard and long hours in a very pressured environment but we're conscious of our work life balance and I can think of dozens of people who work harder and earn much less.

Specifically, we work on ERP software - business to business - in non-technical roles although we both started as product experts. To comfort you OP, I fannied around after uni and did bitza jobs until I was about 28 so I understand the false starts! I've been lucky and in the right place at the right time and developed niche expertise which makes me valuable to my current employer (and pretty difficult for anyone else to employ, which is a pain as I'm trying to find another job now).

If you really want to make money, professional sales to business is what I'd go for. High risk, no security and it's not a job I'd like. However, your quarterly bonus being enough for a house deposit might be compensation. It will take you a while to learn the ropes, but it doesn't matter what degree you do for sales, in my experience.

[StandingLikeATRex]

I'm not immature Yarboo just a bit fed up I would probably never say this stuff to anybody in RL
I'm not good socially apart from a close group of friends and wouldn't be able to ask acquaintances candid questions like this!

I'm not even a dreamer in RL usually. I have never told anybody about the country pile or anything apart from DH.
I'm just curious.

ginger
Ok the cups of tea was an exaggeration I have worked part time since college and full time since grad. I am relatively comfortable, and am fairly good at my current job. I have been promoted and take advantage of training and will apply again should the opportunity arise but a big salary is near impossible/I don't see how I would ever achieve it here. He was more non-professional and now retraining from scratch.

Thank you to all the supportive posts and suggestions

[StandingLikeATRex]

Queen it wasn't Law

[powershowerforanhour]

I only know one person (slightly) who I know makes over £100,000. She is from the UK but is a corporate lawyer in the Middle East. She works hard and doesn't particularly love expat life there but plans to save up and buy the big country house with acres back home in a few years.

[Lorelei76]

OP I wish id made more money and I completely get how you feel
However you do need to make decisions that are very specific to your skill set so it's hard for anyone here to give advice
If you're late 20s and still doing things like you say, I wouldn't spend more on retraining but look at your cv and how you can make more

You mention following a passion, if I'd done that I wouldn't have been able to buy a flat because my passions and hobbies don't pay well, many people find that with music or art etc

Long story short in my case, I took on very long hours stressful jobs with good pay and worked two jobs for several years

Then I put a big deposit down on a flat - still with savings left - but took a step down because I hated the level of work I was at and I could manage the mortgage on the lower salary because of the size of the deposit...

I don't really spend much at all and I always do stuff like switch bank accounts when they're offering cash incentives

Save carefully and regularly, many people have homes full of stuff they don't even remember buying

I'm not rich but part of my scrimping and saving is I hope to retire early

As for getting really rich, from where you are I'm not sure...over the years I've realised that the sacrifice and strain to health I'd need to make more would t be worth it to me

Good standard of living means different things to different people
I think I've been bloody lucky but I've also been down to earth....I know too many dreamers in debt frankly!

[QueenLizIII]

You must have had a law qualification to look at applying for TCs though. GDL or whatever they call it now.

[Out2pasture]

hubby was good at maths; engineers earn more than teachers....took engineering....looked at the various fields of engineering took mechanical as at the time it paid more. he counselled our trio to indeed look at income when considering educational choices.
now i'm not sure if $100K is considered 6 figures but he did (prior to retirement) easily earn that. worked in off the beaten path industrial locations (not places people would vacation to).
our youngest is an instrumentation technician and earns with ot $100K. again an industrial job in an unpleasant location.

[Heychickadee]

I work in healthcare. I wanted to do nursing when I was in school but life got in the way and that plan went on hold while I got myself together. I discovered the ODP course and decided that was for me (critical care was definitely my interest, like you I got into 24 hours in a&e etc.) and did that at the age of 21. I've been doing this about 4-5 years now and got myself on the agency. I make about 50k a year. (I do work my ass off...)

[StandingLikeATRex]

Basically these are my unedited thoughts. I go to work every day, and work hard at my job. I realise I may sound whimsical and a fantasist I'm honestly not, I'm just thinking out loud and replying to some of the questions.
Also I'm trying hard not to out myself in case somebody does know me.

A pp said forget the wage, what do you WANT to do, this is obviously very different to what I actually do and I said so. But on second thoughts it's probably a case of 'grass is greener' because of the way I'm feeling right now.

Just read through each and every post here thank you every single one for sharing your thoughts, it is so interesting to read, and so nerve racking being on the other side!

So many people have talked about the time and effort and giving up the personal life, is that the difference and where the line is? Maybe I have not put the blood, sweat and tears into my career and settled, which could be the issue.
I do feel like I work really hard though so could it be a change of mindset? My default mindset is that it is impossible for me to achieve the big money where I am and it's overwhelming to see people speaking as if it can be done no matter who/where you are. All really interesting things to think about.

[StandingLikeATRex]

Queen read training contract as 'graduate job with a professional qualifications and training I.e. Graduate trainee job'

[pollyglot]

DD works for the son of our milkman. He did a commerce degree and was in the right place/right time. No family money, just ability, hard work and luck, and now making an absolute fortune as CEO of a big company. Not good for marriages, however - he's on his own and finds developing relationships difficult. It's made him cynical and he seems not to be a happy man. DD has a First from a prestigious uni and post-grad quals, but lacks confidence in herself. Jobs in her field dried up just as she graduated during the credit crunch. I guess self-belief is what it's all about in the long run.

[BoomBoomsCousin]

If you aren't in a profession you love and are unlikely to get in a profession you love, you may as well go after money. But it's important to realise there is no magic way to make that happen. Careers that pay a lot of money generally have some big hurdles to get over. Either a great education, hard hours or other physical requirements, lottery style luck, or the right connections. Sometimes all of these!

Realistically, from a working class background with a mediocre education and (from what you say) it sounds like less than stellar interpersonal skills form a business perspective, you haven't yet made an unsually successful career that likely. But that doesn't mean you can't improve on your possibilities. Staying in a career with a ceiling below what you'd like is probably not a great idea, but retraining could set you back if it means taking a significant pay cut. Can you move sideways into a different career? Retrain at night? Start a consultancy?

At the same time, while a million+ country pile may be unlikely, a 250k place could be quite possible in a few year if you have average careers and are prudent with money. It isn't all about what you have coming in.