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.

@Sekanoro

God I knew this would trigger a few 🙄 this is why I never actually post on mums net

Except that you do.

It depends on how your were brought up too.

I went to a grammar school. Everyone I'm still in touch with have fabulous careers. They stayed for a levels, went to uni. Most are doctors, lots of GPS and consultants, barristers.

For me, it was never even in my head to carry on with study post 16. What didn't help was that I was badly bullied all the way though school so I had no self confidence or self esteem.

But no one even spoke to me about staying for a levels. Not one teacher mentioned it. I felt like I was just something they wanted rid of ASAP.
My dad (my mum died when I was a child) never mentioned it. I did say about going to college but my dad just said what was the point, why didn't I get a job at a supermarket.

So I just worked shitty temp jobs in admin until I got married.

I did go back to college when I was 31. But because I didn't get a C in my maths GCSE (I got A-C in all others, I've just always been so shit at maths it was an E grade), I could only do a level
2 Btec. I did health and social care, within a week the tutors were saying i was wasting my own time and I should clearly do level 3 or do an access to university course instead but they wouldn't take me on anything higher than a level 2 without maths.

Long story short, I'm 41 now and have re taken maths gcse 4 times and never got that c, I've taken functional skills maths three times abs can't pass it. Countless maths courses (a lot of people who run these assume you need adult literacy too and speak to you like you are stupid, but I got A grades in English GCSE), one to one tutoring which I had to stop after a year as we just couldn't afford it anymore. There's no learning difficulties - I just can't do maths and I can't progress to study anything else without it so I stagnated.

I just do care work as I can fit shifts around my children.

What an interesting thread! 😂🙃

DH and I earn just over £120k combined (with benefits/bonus on top). My salary has dropped as I went down to 4 days a week to enjoy the kids more. If I stayed 5 days we would be about £135k combined.

I don't have a salary goal. Now that we are done having kids I'm hoping to focus on my career more and see my salary rise, and at the same time we will eventually have less childcare costs (currently £1300 a month).

Instead of salary goals, I guess we're focused more on lifestyle goals - more free time, more activities and experiences for the kids, more savings for a rainy day and to invest for the future.

We feel comfortable and extremely lucky - but London life with kids doesn't come cheap.

Parental and peer expectations are critical. I spent the weekend talking to my dad about it, as he had parents who didn't encourage him in a single thing and forced him to leave school at 14 and get a job. While his elder golden child brother was encouraged to do anything and kept at school to 18... I keep telling Dad that he learnt the lesson despite them - and then encouraged me 100% when I was at school and uni. He never got the chance though and still (at 89) bitterly regrets it.

The encouraged brother went to a college not uni, none of his children went anywhere, none of his grandkids did... in fact he used to tease me unkindly about being a perpetual student and never getting a proper job. And (worst of all) he ended up a primary school headteacher. How could he not see the value of education? So sad, so many missed chances.

HeySiri Is it possible you have dyscalculia? You wouldn't write yourself off if you thought you had dyslexia... but could it be why you can't get your head round figures?

I always wanted to break the £30k barrier. I'm not overly ambitious, just want enough to pay my bills, feed and clothe my babies. I'm on almost £27k now but in going PT after this maternity leave so guess I won't break £30k for years until both kids are in school and I go back to FT, I'm 39 this year.

@WombatChocolate I think that is an excellent post and very true. I wish I had this kind of advice when I was younger. The trouble is I didn't care back then, so would I have actually listened, who knows.

People's 20s are a hard period to navigate. On the one hand it is your only time in your life where you are likely to be free of responsibility, no children no family no mortgage. There is a pressure to enjoy life, to travel to have fun.
I did two big travelling trips in my 20s and it was a fantastic experience, some of the best experiences of my life.
I also worked in a job that offered an amazing social life and perks. My 20s were wild and fun. But the trade off of was that my career was bottom on the list of my priorities and I missed a pivotal decade for establishing myself on the right career path before having children.

When the time comes to advise my own kids, despite the points raised in this thread, I think I will still advise them to do something they really love. I think even if it doesn't reap huge financial rewards, doing a job you love is reward enough and people generally are more successful when they enjoy what they do.
What I don't want to see my kids do is end up doing a middle of the road, safety blanket job that 'pays well' but has no glittering career prospects and they're not passionate about, as that is the worst of both worlds in my opinion (and is what I do!)

@Heronatemygoldfish no I don't. I have looked into it, I have absolutely none of the signs of it. A few years ago I asked on here and was pointed in all the right directions. I'm just shit at maths, always have been right from word go. Could never learn anything as a small child. I had tutors all the way through primary who were at a loss with me, I can remember anything about history, I was excellent at science - it's just maths I can't do. In one ear and out the other.

Also, I used to do all the accounts for my ex h small business, I'm a wizz on sage and excel - but ask me a basic question on a maths paper and my mind is blank.

Single parent, earn £68k @ 40.
Think I can probably achieve about £75/80k by 50 without going to C-Suite which I dont fancy. I average a 50hr wk over 4 days so do make sacrifices to earn at that level, but own my own home & once I have paid off debts from Ex DP will be comfortable hopefully

Heysiri how bizarre. But sounds like you've found a way round it!

@Heronatemygoldfish just a shame that I can't progress without the qualification. So many things I would love to study. Care work isn't for me but I do it because there isn't much choice.

Drunken, interesting.I was the opposite - head down in my 20s, graduated in law aged 20 (I was a year young at school from age 10). aged 21 had finished post grad law, was married and working full time as a trainee lawyer in London (never had a gap year yet, not even a maternity leave). Age 22 bought house, had first baby, Age 23 qualified as a solicitor moved to a top City law firm working full time with a baby, age 24 had baby no. 2, age 26 in 3rd London law firm had 3rd baby and we had moved from our first house to a slightly bigger second one. It was very very hard work,n ot much sleep for either of us in our 20s. I have never been to places like South Afirca, Australia etc places lost of other middle class people have. I would not trade my life for anything even those hard working 20s with all those babies. Age 28 we owned 2 flats we let out (they were a disaster though as lost us loads of money) and we moved to our next house - detached. 1991 aged 30 wrote my first law book and started developing a bit of a professional reputation, giving talks in the UK and abroad, on Sky news as a lawyer and that kind of thing.

So those 20s were a decade of career progress - it was like digging a massive foundation from which all the good things later flowed.

Went part time after mat leave & before was 28 & only been in the role about a year so still had potential increases in the future. Retail management role so I was only at the bottom of a long ladder. Be happy with 40 which would be full time & the grade above but OH works abroad so won't be happening for a little while as just not practical yet. Career certainly took a hit with having DD but would have been pushing it if id waited a few more years & don't regret it at all.

In my 40s, 40-50k, my husband the same so our goal was around 100k combined. We're at this ATM.

I've never had a salary goal but did have a career goal to become an academic. My assumption was that alongside following my passion I would also end up in a generally middle-class profession and would be able to have a perfectly comfortable life like my parents.

Spent most of my 20s getting all the degrees etc and made it. However, then the austerity came/our salaries were frozen for most of that period. Turns out despite getting my coveted academic position at a top London uni my salary is actually pretty low in comparison to the general standard of living in London.

Not sure whether I should have pursued a different career path knowing what I know now. I was clearly smart enough to have done something else, got degrees from all the top unis, and had/have the work ethic. By now, am also a tad bored of it all so it would be nice to be earning more money. But back then when I was making all the decisions/choices I wasnt to know what was to come.

Finally got through the whole thread! It's very interesting to read the different lifestyles/perspectives.

I grew up in a standard seaside town in Kent and to me, 40k seemed like a ridiculously high salary to me.

In my late 20s now and on 48.5k. I reckon I could get to 90k if I really wanted to, but that would put me at director level and I don't want the responsibility. I'll probably aim for senior in five years or so around 75k then I'll happily stick there.

I guess that isn't really a salary goal I've always had but more one that has arisen from the fact my salary is much higher than I ever thought it would be by my age. I earn more than enough now to cover bills and buy everyday things without having to worry, so anything extra is just a bonus.

My DH is on 27.5k but he's not money or career motivated so it's likely I will always outearn him.

40-80k

Realistic for my career pathway.

@Heysiriyouknob

Are you sure you don’t have dyscalculia? If you “can’t do maths” despite multiple attempts then this could be a possibility? I was the same, multiple attempts but have since discovered I do have dyscalculia. I got my level 2 maths in the end, also you can go far with “just” care work. You can progress to team leader/deputy manager/manager and then progress to bigger homes with salaries up to 80k. My mother did that. You do have to love what you do though in that sector to succeed, or else you’ll remain a carer forever.

My goal is nothing lol I want to retire very soon and not earn anything. (I'm 43) Not likely now. We were well on the way pre covid earning £6-8000 a month from my husbands business and I stopped working for a while. (Not sure on equivalent salary as we use dividends and pay tax via tax returns)

Thanks to covid I am back in work and we take home between us half of what we did pre covid. I am at the top of my pay scale so won't get more unless I take on responsibility which I don't want! I work part time but my FTE is £45,000. I earn half that pro rata. I'm just happy to have made it to the top of the salary scale, it's been tough!

My goal was always £100k (solicitor) but then I went in-house and had maternity leaves. I now work part time on £99,785 but have an annual bonus so well over my early target. My husband earns about £25/30k but works so hard. It has made me adamant that our 3 kids will have private education from 11 though as I do think that makes a difference.

I guess it might depend where you live. I would love a salary of 25 to 30k. I worked really hard to get a first class degree whilst working and full time parent to 3 children. Wages are low here and I have to show experience in my field, thinking about taking a masters to improve my career. Also, wish I had done something more specific

Nice to see that salaries on Mumsnet are like penis sizes: small, medium and liar.

I could earn more money than I do currently, but my package more than makes up for it - 30 + 8 + bday and couple of days at Christmas for holiday, flexi time, car, phone and laptop. Plus matched 5% pension and 1/4rly parties/days out. Worked from home as I pleased pre Covid. If I wanted I know I could go easily get another 10k and realistically 15k - I'm £38,500 now. I don't have a goal wage, as long as I'm happy and continue to live how I like I don't care. For me to leave this job because of everything attached to it I'd want big money, but I'm more than happy where I am. If I got that extra 10k it would it work out to an extra £400ish per month, minus car and everything else so I'd be no better off really.

@DracarysThis

Nice to see that salaries on Mumsnet are like penis sizes: small, medium and liar.

You’ve never seen a large penis?

Poor thing, no wonder you’re bitter.

I'm a "high earner" and have plenty of time to dick around on MN. A high paid job doesn't necessarily equal more hours, just means I work for a company who needs the skill set i have and pays me the going rate for it.