To feel depressed that I’ve never and probably will never earn the National Average wage?

[Summerandgin]

As title.

I saw that the national average wage in the UK is £28,000. I have never and probably will never earn £28,000. The highest I’ve earnt is £25,000.

I can understand in London and surrounding areas for this to be an achievable wage, but it is a depressing thought that where I am in the country, I would say the average would be about 21-22k and only really professionals earn the national average +.

AIBU to be depressed about this? And to wonder what sort of job I’d have to do to earn that? I am fairly well educated with good GCSE’s , A-Levels and a Degree but my degree is worthless and I bitterly regret doing the subject I did (in fact I regret doing a degree at all) All I’ve ever ended up doing after graduating are essentially mid level admin roles.

Do YOU earn the national average? And if so, where abouts in the country are you?

Well the reason why you will never earn it is your defeatist attitude. You could do a GDL for example and work as a lawyer or a paralegal. You could start your own business. You could go back to university and study a degree that actually helps you get a job. You could join the armed forces and work your way up (if you are young enough). You could even work your way up management in retail-some employers pay extremely well for this. £28k really isn't that much, there are a lot of different jobs out there that pay more. Other people can do it. You could too if you tried.

I earn just over 28k a year. I trained for 4 years at Uni earning a good degree in an in demand subject. I've now in my fourth year of teaching. If I were to find another career in my subject degree, I'm confident I could be earning a lot more.
Mind you if you were to work out my hourly rate based on the actual hours I do, during my first year of teaching, I earned less than the living wage.
Also, even if you don't have the means or ability to gain further/higher education, it doesn't mean you can't earn more. DH left school 10 years ago with a handful of decent GCSEs and worked damn hard up the career ladder. It was his work and also skills gained during volunteering for charity that got him his current job earning 30k a year. He also has no student debt and didn't have to waste 4 years a Uni not that I'm jealous.

Most people earn less than the average wage

I am a freelancer and last year I earned less than a third of your yearly wage OP - which is the most I've earned since I started freelancing. If I earned what you do in a year I would be doing a happy dance around my living room.

And just for context when I worked as an employee of a company - as a art director for a magazine publishing company - the most I was ever on was 20k a year.

I am crap at making money!!! Good job I'm low maintenance really.

I think it's generally quite rare that someone's circumstances (within the UK at least) are so incredibly limiting that they can't progress if they were truly, truly driven to.
It's partly luck but it's mostly being motivated enough to keep dragging yourself through the shit, keep getting up until you succeed.

I think it's unusual that one person would be limited permanently unless they have health problems or long term caring responsibility. But I do think that a lot of people can go a phase or phases where their life is beyond their control and no matter how hard they try, they don't have any power to change it. But if you spot a chance, and are in a position to grab it, it can change your life.

I have good qualifications - A-levels, a 2:1 degree from a Russell Group university. I make £7.25 per hour working in fast food.

In my case, my earning potential was knackered by three episodes of bipolar disorder, each of which resulted in being on sickness benefits for a couple of years each. I've been essentially cured (asymptomatic) for nearly a decade now, but gaps on my CV plus all the minimum wage service sector jobs I've taken because I couldn't find anything else has severely damaged my ability to find work.

Even without a permanent health problem, your career can be affected, badly, by periods of ill-health. Employers don't like to see gaps in your working history, plus you can end up pigeonholed, as I seem to have been, by the jobs you take because nothing else is on offer.

QWERTYGertie

Can you not explain gaps in your CV as travelling, or attempting to set up your own business or something?

I have two degrees (a BA and a BSC) as well as a couple of specialist post grad qualifications and I take home £20k. I could earn more but I choose to work term time only. There is no opportunity for progression in my current role. I used to earn over £30k working for the NHS but I was bloody miserable and the money wasn't worth the stress. Now I have a job that I love, very low stress and a good work/life balance.

DH left school with no qualifications, didn't go to uni, is "self taught" in his chosen field but started at the bottom in a really successful company and has worked his way up the ladder earning £45k. If he stays with the same company this is likely to increase over the next few years. But to be honest if he wasn't happy and enjoying his job I would support him taking a pay cut to do something he really wanted to do and we'd manage somehow.

The average GLOBAL wage is around 11000 pounds. So you're massively ahead of the game on the global stage op.

I'd celebrate if I were you!

I don’t understand how you can’t progress? After uni my first job paid £13k. I have progressed and work in similar job to my first (not a graduate role, more managing/support) and I earn much more than the National average now.

Lost - I would love a term time only job!!

Just for the sake of clarity, the 27,000 odd figure is a median annual salary for full time workers. Hence it’s not “dragged up” by millionaires at the top end.

The median figure for all workers is a lot lower because of the part-time workers.

Read most of this thread and am heartened to see many talking about the money as a means to an end and work/life balance having a real meaning.

Earning a ton of money working for a complete arse of a boss and not seeing your family whilst being under real pressure is no fun, even if you get to fly round the world and stay in swanky hotels when someone else is paying. Not so good when you are having meetings on a Sunday somewhere and a colleague is being an arse across the table to score points. Doing what you love whilst getting a fraction of the pay is something to envy at that point.

I am lucky. I get to do what I love, get well paid and get a benefits package on top with meaningful pension contributions. It's the experiences I got from the shitty roles that enabled me to get here today. Wish I could say it was planned though....

*Cherrycokewinning

I don’t get that- so you’re happy to take home less in your own pocket each month, deliberately avoiding earning more so you don’t pay a higher rate of tax on the extra? You do realise tax is progressive in this country don’t you? *

Yes, im happy to earn upto the upper earnings limit but choose not to work for half pay in the 40% tax bracket. I have a low maintenance lifestyle so dont need to earn more. I also have other income streams some of which comes via tax free vehicles.

RaspberryCheese -
Yes, im happy to earn upto the upper earnings limit but choose not to work for half pay in the 40% tax bracket.

if your employed you pay 32% TAX/NI up to £45k, or 42% tax/NI on income over £45k - its not that big a difference really - 10% extra. I don't understand why you wouldn't earn more if you could do so easily

Tax free vehicles? 🤔 not usually in the slightest bit obtainable got a low earner
I still don’t think you’ve understood the progressive tax part.

PP who say 25k is a good wage and OP should be grateful are missing the point. It is good to aim higher. Retrain yourself in the right industry OP. I work in software, a fresh grad in my company earns around 17k up north, but if you are good it is very easy to shoot up to 45k+ level. It is a good wage for up north. And with software there are so many resources out there so literally anyone can better themselves.