Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what your goal salary is?

601 replies

SmokeyApo · 14/04/2021 14:40

Hi all, just being nosey here Grin

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.

OP posts:
Bourbonic · 14/04/2021 17:11

I don't have a goal salary. I'm not really money motivated. I have a goal of what I want to have saved, invested and bought to support an early retirement instead.

IEat · 14/04/2021 17:11

In my early 30s I got to 37k, too much stress my MH suffered
Now late 40s I’m TTO on 19k fixed hours.
Enough to live on and enough to have days out. I now save. my MH is better

IamnotH · 14/04/2021 17:13

I'm always amazed by these threads. Data shows that the top 5% are mostly men so we must have the entire group of female high earners or a lot of male posters.

Or people who like to artificially inflate their salaries online

Oblomov21 · 14/04/2021 17:15

Blimey. Never had a salary goal. Are you supposed to?
I've worked part time for the last 20 years and intend to continue, do I don't think I count.

VeryLongBeeeeep · 14/04/2021 17:16

I've done the higher rate tax payer thing commuting into London and it almost cost me my mental health. Took several steps back, moved to an area with a lower cost of living and now earn below national average (~£28k) but am happy, healthy, can afford the mortgage on my very modest home, don't have to count every penny for the food shop or worry about an unexpectedly high gas bill, and I can mentally close the door on work every evening.

TableFlowerss · 14/04/2021 17:17

@IamnotH

I'm always amazed by these threads. Data shows that the top 5% are mostly men so we must have the entire group of female high earners or a lot of male posters.

Or people who like to artificially inflate their salaries online

Quite! I think ‘take it with a pinch of salt’ springs to mind....
gwenneh · 14/04/2021 17:17

@IamnotH

I'm always amazed by these threads. Data shows that the top 5% are mostly men so we must have the entire group of female high earners or a lot of male posters.

Or people who like to artificially inflate their salaries online

There are 155 posts on this thread. Of those, only a small fraction could be considered part of that 5%, so that's what, a dozen people? Two dozen?

There are lot more men than women in the top 5% but the number of women isn't THAT small.

Mirrorxx · 14/04/2021 17:23

DH and I live in the northwest and both work in the public sector. He earns about 58k and I earn around 43k, which is plenty to live here. I’d like to earn about 50-60k myself though but I’m only 30 so don’t feel too rushed

picknmix1984 · 14/04/2021 17:25

60k I'm on track for that. It will be the final part of my career. I won't go higher I doubt nor would I want to.

Weepingwillows12 · 14/04/2021 17:26

I dont have a career goal but the next step up is circa 90k plus benefits plus bonus. I dont know if I really want the pressure and stress or happy to stay where i am

CrazyHorse · 14/04/2021 17:27

I don't have one as I've chosen to work part time close to home so am already earning the maximum I can,for the minimum effort. If did, it would be £60K pa.

ImInStealthMode · 14/04/2021 17:27

I'm on £36k now and I'd like to be over 40k by the time I am 40 (2 and a half years away) and over 50k by the time I'm 50.

I feel like getting much higher than that (without being extremely specialised in a particular field) would require a level of responsibility I don't think I want. I've always been more 'work to live' than 'live to work'.

QueenPaw · 14/04/2021 17:28

I don't do a job where that kind of wage is achievable or progression available
Never had over 28k a year and I'm 36. Not really qualified for anything, I have a degree and that's about it Sad

speakout · 14/04/2021 17:29

I think whatever you earn will never feel quite enough.

I disagree.

OH and I are not high earners, but we have more than enough money to live on.
We save a third of what we earn.
I drive a 12 year old Clio, use LIDL cosmetics, and prefer buying second hand clothes.
"Stuff" gives me little pleasure. I enjoy good food and when possible the odd trip abroad- maybe every 2-3 years. Maybe treat myself to a yoga workshop once in a while.
I could upgrade to a brand new car- but for what?

I am very happy with my earnings, allows me to do everything I need to.

JustAnotherOldMan · 14/04/2021 17:30

I always aimed the same as my age, hit it mid 20’s, earned a bit more in my 30s and 40s, have hit a plateau my early 50’s and age is about to pass wage, wanted to retire at 55, but don’t really see that happening now

MindBodyChocolate · 14/04/2021 17:30

I’m currently on £85k and feel like I have one more promotion in me and I’d like that to take me close to £100k. However I really enjoy what I do now so if the promotion meant significantly longer hours or stress, I’d happily drop back down. I’m an in house solicitor.

dementedma · 14/04/2021 17:31

We're on a combined salary of 60K in our fifties and its more than enough. Having been out of work and on benefits several times, this is riches beyond belief.

Makingnumber2 · 14/04/2021 17:33

75k is where I would like to be by mid40s. it’s around 2 promotions away plus will likely have to undertake some further qualifications like a masters or another professional qualification.

Howmercurialislife · 14/04/2021 17:34

I always thought £50k by 50 would be good.

Managed to leave permanent work a few years back and was contracting for a good while on £450 a day so surpassed that.

Decided to go back to a permanent role for more security and on £45k at 45 so might do £50k at 50 after all!

CoffeandPancakes · 14/04/2021 17:34

Anything more than £0 right now Grin

Currently not working, but DP has very high salary goals. No ceiling and all that and is generally very driven and ambitious. Mid 30's and hit 6 figures a couple of years ago.

It's obviously quite an achievement and I am proud, but I do sometimes need to remind them that money isn't everything and to appreciate what we already have and to live in the now.

More more more mentality can be a little toxic.

fizbosshoes · 14/04/2021 17:35

I thought the average salary was about 30k, but the average MN salary seems to be about 70k judging by these kind of threads.
However I think once you get past page 2 and everyone has a salary of 70k-200k, you probably dont attract posters earning 20k for a FT job (or maybe they are all too busy to be on MN, earning for the people who earn 100k?)

BootsieBarnes · 14/04/2021 17:36

I'd like to know where the data that says 5% of top earners are men comes from. Is that UK based? I don't work for a UK company so that stat is actually irrelevant to global workers.

It's a sad reflection of how society thinks when women are instantly doubted when they state they are high earners. I wonder if men would get the same reaction if they posted their salary and goals.

I'm a strong believer that women should talk more about what they earn and where they want to go in their careers. It would encourage women to be more confident in claiming top spots in companies and earning the same as their male colleagues.

overwork · 14/04/2021 17:36

I have never considered my goals in terms of salary. I have an idea of how far I want to go up (in my career) and when I'd like to retire, so I suppose I'm blindly hoping that whatever I earn matches up to that. But I don't value my worth in terms of my salary so I've never thought about it.

Sparklehead · 14/04/2021 17:37

I have recently retrained and now work as an AHP for the NHS. Salary £25k (WTE). I’m early 40s and it has hit me recently that my current salary is similar to what I started out on after finishing University in my early 20’s. But, I’m doing something I love and that feels worthwhile, both of which I value. If I stay in this profession, I think 40k would be the most I could earn, unless I ditched the NHS and went private, which I’m not prepared to do. Like pop’s I have in mind a joint income of around £100k would be good. DH currently earns about £40k so we’re not anyway near that yet, but what we have still feels sufficient.

MeanMrMustardSeed · 14/04/2021 17:39

I’ve been a SAHP for the last 11 years and will remain so for the next 2/3. When I return to work I’d love to earn £12k. If I can do that by working less than 3 days a week I’ll be very pleased. I’m 42 and trained as a teacher.

Swipe left for the next trending thread