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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask what your job is if you earn £50k plus

704 replies

CareerInspirationRequired · 14/07/2021 07:32

Just that really!

I'm in a job that I fell into many years ago. Its OK but I'm bored. It's a professional job that many people would think earns about twice what it does. I'm on approx 30k (people are always shocked to learn this) and will be forever in this job (no real promotion open to me). Its a sector a LOT of people want to work in and in which some people will work for free. The result is we are actually paid very little - and people outside the sector are always shocked by this.

I'm considering a career change, but have no ideas what to. So if you're earning 50k plus sell me hour career. I have a degree, an MA and I'm sure lots of transferable skills.

OP posts:
IceLace100 · 18/07/2021 19:25

@Glitteryone

Senior Recruiter… Not far off £50K

Started off as a recruitment administrator 12 years ago on little more than minimum wage and I have tripled my salary since then.

I this mainly dependant on you bringing in a monthly bonus?
gettingolderbutcooler · 18/07/2021 23:46

Senior nurse.

HollaHolla · 18/07/2021 23:50

@CareerInspirationRequired

I'm currently in HE (social sciences) and I'm in another big UK city (not London). Thanks everyone for the ideas. Please keep them coming.
Knew it would be HE from your OP. I’m also in HE, and earn over £50k. There are options - but it usually involves moving out of teaching/research into management roles. I’m Prof Services, but manage a Faculty (so staffing, admissions, finance, quality, HR, and academic admin). I’m on the discretionary points at the top of G9. It’s do-able.
HollaHolla · 18/07/2021 23:52

Ps. It’s not a 39 hour week, though. It’s evenings/weekends and a fair bit of travel.
Just as well I enjoy it.... it’s easily a 50-60 hrs a week average.
HE is appalling for lack of work/life balance.... and it’s not well-paid when you work it out on an hourly rate, sadly. 🤷🏻‍♀️

SourAppleChew · 19/07/2021 01:49

I think the biggest travesty is lack of guidance for non-professional jobs. So many young people without qualifications have no idea that they’re only four days training away from a £35k driving job. With the current shortage companies are even taking on new passes for well paid jobs, rather than them having to do a couple of years of crap agency driving like in years past.

GrandmaAli · 19/07/2021 02:13

It's a bit unfair for you to ask people what their jobs are if you're not telling what yours is.
Either you don't actually have one, or you're embarrassed to having what you may think of as a menial job.
Whatever, a job is a job is a job!!!

GrandmaAli · 19/07/2021 02:15

Oh I should add, sorry, that I am not working due to illness.
But my last job was part time hotel work.

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 19/07/2021 05:49

@GrandmaAli

It's a bit unfair for you to ask people what their jobs are if you're not telling what yours is. Either you don't actually have one, or you're embarrassed to having what you may think of as a menial job. Whatever, a job is a job is a job!!!
OP did say what her job was. She’s in HE.
Waxonwaxoff0 · 19/07/2021 05:57

Exh earns more than that as a train driver. You don't need any qualifications to do it either. He says it's incredibly dull though as you're just staring at tracks all day. And of course it's shift work.

Rapunzel91 · 19/07/2021 06:42

I'm not on 50k but have just done a career change from research to accounting. I knew that in the area I was I would only every get up to high 40ks and that's with an undergrad and masters degree. I changed to accounting as the earning potential is so much greater and it suits my personality. My starting salary is already greater than the salary I was on.

Dontgochasingunicorns · 19/07/2021 10:23

My husband is the security officer in Mozambique for an oil company and his wage is £30k per month. Yes that’s right per month! He’s off atm because ISIS have moved next door. He’s only doing it for a couple more years, then he’s going to retire.

GingerAndTheBiscuits · 19/07/2021 12:19

@Dontgochasingunicorns

My husband is the security officer in Mozambique for an oil company and his wage is £30k per month. Yes that’s right per month! He’s off atm because ISIS have moved next door. He’s only doing it for a couple more years, then he’s going to retire.
That sounds like danger money! I bet he earns it!
pastypats · 19/07/2021 15:48

Recruitment and earn almost double that but I am very stressed and rarely have a day off

AlcoPop · 21/07/2021 18:35

@SmashingBlouson

This thread makes me feel very sad. I'm an analyst (more junior level, although I pretty much manage myself) in the public sector and earn half as much. I'm in a right rut with my job and bored out of my mind, but struggle to find the time to learn new skills. I get paid okay for what I do (no people to manage), it's flexible and I currently WFH, but I'm so knacked with working full time, domestic stuff and looking after kids I don't have anything left at the end of the day to learn anything new. I wonder how did everyone find the energy to progress when their kids were young? Did they just wait until they were older?

I'm not overly confident and hate speaking in public, so have spent my life holding myself back. I have a degree in a statistical subject too, but not a hard science, so that's probably where I went wrong!

Should have left university and trained in accounting......

@SmashingBlouson - Please don't feel sad - use this to spur you on to get the salary that you deserve. Redraft your CV to accentuate your transferrable skills and your stats bits of your degree, then hit up Linkedin for "Analyst" roles in the better paid industries near you. You'll be surprised. I'm sure that there's folk beyond me that would help you do some of that too. Good luck.
blueshoes · 21/07/2021 19:05

I haven't read the thread in detail but having skimmed it, am a little sad that so few of these $50K+ jobs and careers are creative or arts-related.

IceLace100 · 21/07/2021 21:03

@blueshoes

I haven't read the thread in detail but having skimmed it, am a little sad that so few of these $50K+ jobs and careers are creative or arts-related.
It's supply and demand. STEM and qualified professions are always going to earn more.
abstractprojection · 22/07/2021 00:22

@blueshoes

I haven't read the thread in detail but having skimmed it, am a little sad that so few of these $50K+ jobs and careers are creative or arts-related.
I’m in a creative field and earn over this, lots of people do and I know a lot of people who have done exceptionally well including if not mostly from not very well off backgrounds.

But compared to most other professions it’s a lot less certain and can require quite a bit of luck (especially if you don’t have the contacts) as well being a long hard slog. Talent is also highly subjective and discrimination and bullying can be rife.

I would never suggest that anyone goes into it for the money, much easier and more certain options for that, but I’d never advise against someone doing it because of the money if that’s what they really want to do

blueshoes · 22/07/2021 01:20

Abstractprojection that is good to know. May I ask what are the creative fields that offer a more certain route to good pay. Dd is thinking of doing animation.

speakout · 22/07/2021 06:32

I am in a creative field too and earn £50k+. I am also self employed.

biddybid73 · 22/07/2021 07:00

Scientific and regulatory affairs

littlelandlord7 · 22/07/2021 07:12

Senior sales 6 fig base plus bonus.

No degree just experience

We are just shy of 50k a year being landlords - which takes far less time up to earn.

BibBib · 24/07/2021 07:57

Can you do what you do, as a locum/agency?

I did this for the first ten years after my MA, and was on twice what my colleagues were on. Obviously there’s a bit less job security as you’re east come east go, but I’ve always walked into new roles. Even left some to go to better paid ones.

BibBib · 24/07/2021 07:58

That should say easy come, easy go!

Theyahyahs · 27/07/2021 09:20

Dh is nearing mid 6 figures in IT in finance after working for about 15 y in a couple of different companies post doing 2 degrees in one of the top Universities . He is very ambitious and entrepreneurial type hoping to retire from working for others in the next 10 y . I don’t work outside the home due to health issues but have / am raising 2 kids and doing all the housework etc myself although now am starting to need help due to my health getting even worse . I have had to make good use of the private medical I wish I hadn’t had to . I am grateful for what we have but health is the most precious thing worth more than any money to me

Theyahyahs · 27/07/2021 09:31

I should add he’s at management level and we are in London as you might guess .

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