To ask what your goal salary is?

[SmokeyApo]

Hi all, just being nosey here

I have been thinking a lot about career progression and asking for a raise lately, and that got me thinking about what my goal salary is. As in, the salary that I would like to earn at the peak of my career (let's say between age 40 and 50).

So I will ask: what would your goal salary be?

I won't share mine for now just because I don't want to influence the answers, but I will happily share it later on.

DH and I are both roughly on £50k each (late 30s) - I could potentially earn up to £100k at my peak if I wanted to take on a LOT of responsibility - but I certainly don't want that at the minute with 2 young DC.

To those of you who asking what people do fo earn mega bucks if you ask my sister I paint faces 😂😂 in reality I do hair and makeup for the tv / movie and model industry.
I love my job but it is very long hours and stressful and you meet some right idiots !
However I love the rush of it and not knowing what will happen week to week.

@Troublewaters2021 ooh interesting, do you meet lots of famous people?

£250. It's looking unlikely.

I am on six figures, mid 30s. Work in investment management (the City). 8am-6pm (am not in a hardcore bit of the business, but I do contribute to investment decisions). Am mid-senior. Most people have a BSc/MSc/PhD from a top global university - but not all.

MarshyIndigo do you mind me asking what sector? I have a plethora of qualifications but still don't feel I'm in the right place /financial position.

At 31 I’ve just taken a slightly different direction in career but there is better earning potential now. I’m quite happy with my current pay - £32k as a trainee but if I do well and want to progress I could go up to around £60/£70k but that would require travel and time away from home periodically... whether I do that or not will very much depend on our family circumstances at the time. Our combined household income is just over £80k and were happy with that for now, if we could get it to around £100k and still have a good work life balance then that’s good for me.

@ZenNudist thanks for replying to my question. My BIL is a partner in a law firm, I always assumed he was on around 80k but now I'm thinking it's probably a lot more than that.
I know there seems to be a huge range with lawyers too, as a friend was a criminal lawyer and always complaining about pay.
This thread is eye opening (and depressing at the same time!)

@marshyindigo

I'm public sector, my boss only manages me (and I'm very easy)

Ah well they all say that

Well, it's what my boss says!

Worked in Pharmaceutical sales, six figure, healthcare, phone, laptop, European travel once a month, company car, travelling constantly around the country, hotel stays once a week, full on!! 2 DC, very fast paced, left it all and an.now working 5 mornings a week in health care and would be reluctant to go back to that way of life now

I agree that 40-50s is not peak salary time for many women, and I hope it isn't for men tbh. DH has been around 60k for several years, with no significant increase from his main job for over ten years and the side jobs fairly stable (academia). I fell out of my career in my early 30s, initially doing a research degree unfunded but ended up with many years of no income while our children were younger.

Now late 40s I'm building up self employment and likely to get 12-13k part time this year. However, it looks like I'm going to get back to my original line of work, just starting to get some unpaid retraining organised, and shelled out to renew registration (ouch). If it works out I'll be around 40k FTE and the payscale looks like 60-70k FTE is achievable over the next ten years. But I don't see myself doing it full time. Best case scenario I might do 3.5 days and continue my current work, which I'd estimate could get up to around 20k. So that 60-70k target might be achievable.

@HeyGirlHeyBoy data protection compliance

@SmokeyApo

Hi all, just being nosey here

I have been thinking a lot about career progression and asking for a raise lately, and that got me thinking about what my goal salary is. As in, the salary that I would like to earn at the peak of my career (let's say between age 40 and 50).

So I will ask: what would your goal salary be?

I won't share mine for now just because I don't want to influence the answers, but I will happily share it later on.

Welcome to the world of stealth boasting. (Only on Mumsnet).

43 here, earnt £160k including sale commissions. Covid has accelerated business better than ever. I could feasibly earn £180k. My take home is about £3k a month because I put a huge amount away in savings, pensions and tax is very high. Dh would like £250k as stretch goal. Hoping to retire at 50 as don't want this kind of pressure. I'm on anti anxiety tablets alot.

Looking to get into crypto or pharma industry next.

I’m 44 and on £42k but only started thinking about career progression in recent years - I intend to end up in the £60k bracket.

I'm a teacher. Anywhere in the £40k mark would be ultimate goal. I've been teaching for 10 years and slowly moving. Only 3 to go all being well.

Mind 40s, on £75k plus decent package, but as a single parent in London, and not getting any child support from ex, it doesn’t go far enough for things like a nice house, a spare bedroom, expensive holidays etc. I’d like to earn at least £120k but would need to change companies to make the jump, and i like where I am. It’s hard to know what to do! Realistically if I stay where I am I’m going to hit £100k in a few years then just bump along with minor increases.

I genuinely don't know what our combined income is now, so I've never had a goal. We have a few income streams - I have maintenance from xh plus my full time job and a business. Dp has a full time job and a separate business. Altogether it's well into six figures but I'm not sure how far.

I do know I feel to be at the peak of my working life - in that I really couldn't do any more hours or work harder than I currently do. I'm also studying which might help my main salary in that I'll be as professionally qualified as it's possible to be in my sector.

We feel financially comfortable right now but I'm trying to line things up for an easier life in a few years and hopefully take early retirement at 55 or so.

In terms of lifestyle and disposable income I’m probably worse off than many here on lower incomes though. Until this job I never had a pension plan, so I have sod all in my pension (scary at 45) and need to start paying in. To have enough to retire on the equivalent of a minimum wage job or maybe a bit more at 60 (health issues mean I will be lucky to make it to 65 before I have to stop working), I need to start topping up my pension significantly each year. Mortgage + bills (no car) = £2,500pcm. Me and DD can live on £500pcm and will be from the end of this year. It’s nothing to some, a lot more than we used to have when I relied on benefits when she was at nursery, but means we’ll never live lavishly! I’d thought about putting the money into her secondary education instead and going privately, but the news about my health has rather stopped all those plans, as I now know I won’t be working till 68/70 as expected.

Well I'm just happy to not lose my home and actually be able to work at all due to long term ill health but then being a nurse means iv never really had my eye on the prize. I have many qualifications and talents but can't use them because of anxiety and depression. I'd give anything to be well so really not interested in money.

And that mortgage is for a tiny place that would cost a lot less anywhere else but London!

Probably not as much we earn now, which is about £85k joint. It was quite a bit more until recently but DH has taken a wage cut so that he doesn't have to be away from home so much.

We've a tiny mortgage, no debt and a relatively inexpensive lifestyle - we struggled a great deal financially for the first ten years and never in a million years have thought we would have an income anywhere near this. I know there are plenty who feel anything less than £150k is a mere pittance but our income is a fortune to us and I feel very, very fortunate.

I'd be happy with £35k

I work for the NHS and will be starting on £39,000. Ideally £50-55K would be ideal but I think realistically I’ll top out at £45K and stay there. I’m concentrating on getting rid of my mortgage by 40 instead.