To become successful career/money wise after becoming a Mum

[Hollie93]

I need to hear some stories of how you managed to become successful as a mum if you wasn’t really earning that much prior to becoming a parent.

Any tips would be great xx

Please state if you retrained or just worked your way up?

Posting in AIBU for traffic

I’m watching with great interest… hope you get some good answers and tips!

I think you need to describe successful and what success would look like for you?

Being high-earning in a job that would make you miserable wouldn’t be great so I think it’s more important to know your background and what you can see yourself doing so we can potentially give you some tips that might actually work for you specifically.

I suppose just ‘bettered’ yourself after becoming a mum…like you didn’t know what to do with your job/career but it completely took off after becoming a parent

Depends on your idea of successful.

I've been very lucky. Was a teen mum. Worked my way up but was also funded in a degree somewhere along the way.

Good money, job I absolutely love with good work/life balance.

Sounds like a success story to me 😊

I went to uni to get my degree when my son started school. I earn £42K now (teacher) not “high earning” by most standards but it’s fine for us!

I had my first child as a late teen, started my career at 20. In a call centre. Worked my way up to senior management. Had my 2nd at 28, after 6 months mat leave, Returned for a year and switched industry.

I looked at my skills and tailored my CV and cover letter to the job i wanted. 3 years later switched industries again. Then again. I took a few risks, went for jobs that weren't the natural progression. I did part time or short courses along they way.

I went for one job at a company but during the interview I decided it was not the job for me. A few days later the HR director called me. I had a meeting with her and the MD and they wanted me for a director role, directly below the MD. It was the mix of experience and qualifications they wanted.

I have been here since. I have shares in the company and looking to retire or at least go very part time at 50.

I worked hard. But some of its been luck. I didn't have my first young as part of a plan. I just did. I didn't fill my CV with this job in mind (which is another industry again), it was lucky that I went for the first interview and interviewer liked me so much he wanted me working there, even if not for him. I think I maximised my luck by covering all sorts of bases.

But I come from a working class background, from a family that thought gis education wasn't that important (but my brothers was), mum was a single parent for a while and we were piss poor. As in mum would not eat and go to bed when we did so we didn't need the heating on poor. It would be silly to think luck didn't play a part. I am not exceptional in any way. Just had some good timing.

@YerAWizardHarry how old was you?

I retrained when DD was 2. I was in a dead end job I could have done in my sleep, with no real possibility of progression. Now I have a career I love. Hard work, long hours, more stress but we're all far happier for it. I don't earn a huge amount but I earn enough and am far more motivated by doing something I love than earning lots anyway.

Had my first child at 20, wasn't working at the time and had only ever done bar work or waitressing. SAHM until third child was in preschool then I did an OU course (had no A levels and 4 GCSEs) while working part time in a care home so I could get onto a nursing degree.
I now have a job I love and earn £35k which isn't a lot to most people but it is to me. I'll be doing an Msc and eventually get closer to £45/50k as an ANP.

Obviously, I'd be better off (and probably own a house) if I'd done it the other way around, but that's life. I've still got 30 years to work on my career and my DCs are teens now.

No degree or professional qualifications here.

I was quality team leader in a call centre when DD was born on £26k, I'd worked my way up from doing telemarketing and customer service on retail call lines, went back FT when she was 9 months old. Applied for a customer service manager job which I got then applied for Call centre manager then IT Service Delivery manager then moved into more compliance focused roles now DD is 7yo and I'm in a Director role on £80k plus bonus.

I always had ordinary jobs, not a career. It didn't really bother me as I was happy to focus on my kids.

I did an OU degree in a subject I quite enjoyed - just one module at a time, never really knowing if I'd take it all the way. I did; just keep slogging and got my degree.

I took a couple of years off and enjoyed some free time and then I was keen to work extra hard again. I moved companies (I felt pigeon holed in my old org and wasn't taken seriously for serious roles as I was a part-timer). I focussed on my new role and within a year my boss's job came up. I got it. I've been doing it 4 years now.

I'm good at my job but struggle sometimes because my promotion to senior management has been so quick. However, I have mentors and trusted colleagues who I can go to for support and guidance. I'm now in the top 5% of UK earners.

I've re-read this and it sounds matter of fact and easy. It wasn't but I hope it answers your question

It is so much easier to retrain if you have a supportive DH or extended family. Or you could be lucky and get an apprenticeship where you train on the job. Lots of health professions offer these now but there's a lot of competition for them.
My friend retrained as a beauty therapist and has her own very successful business now.

I was earning 21-22K when I had my son.

I started studying for a professional qualification when he was 5 months old. It was 15 exams over three years, while working full time. It was bloody hard work!

I'm now earning just over 40K, plus car allowance, plus 10% bonus.

Does this count?

Yea of course it counts!!!

Can I ask what subject you did your degree’s in?

Bloody hell op back again?

Didnt you ask something really similar this morning?

Nope, I worded my question wrong and didn’t get what I was looking for really. I want success stories 😊

I'm hoping to improve my career after mat leave. I'm on a scheme called the civil service fast stream, and training to be an accountant. I'm going on mat leave soon and will take a year out. When I return I'll have another 2-3 years of exams and studying before I qualify, but my earnings should increase significantly once I'm qualified.
I'm hoping to reduce to 4 days a week after mat leave but not sure yet if that will be possible.

For me, I have to commend my husband for his support and him motivating me / reminding me of my aspirations.

We had our first two children when I was 19 )real genuine twins!). We’d already bought our house when I was 18 (he was 20). I finished my a levels at 17 where I’d worked evenings in a takeaway shop and then I went straight into a call centre. He was a carpenter. We just saved hard while living at our parents homes so we could get out. Plus house prices in 2003 were so much more affordable.

I then did a law degree when the babies turned 1. They went to the nursery at my university campus and my husband was just a star being so hands on while I crammed in all my assignments and last min exam revision. Once completed I took a year off to be mum before doing a training contract at a tiny firm - nothing high flying. Once the children begun school I worked at that same firm 9-3 and it just so happened to be across the road from my children’s school, which was a dream.

I then randomly decided at 25 that another baby would be nice. Husband agreed and we had another. That’s when things got more difficult as it was a step back with parenting as nappies and sleepless nights and breastfeeding were all a thing we’d gotten over, but although difficult, it was also amazing. It was more difficult in terms of childcare. As I’d been working a lot within child protection, I think I’d gotten more anxious as a mother. I was more reluctant to leave the baby with a childminder when I returned to work when he was 9 months old. I went back part time again and did enjoy it but I always wanted to live somewhere with palm trees (random)!

So we got the ball rolling and moved to Australia almost 10 yrs ago. I ended up taking 4 years off at the beginning to settle the children and live the dream and support husband with his career aspirations, which he did.

I retrained in Australia by doing a juris dr degree from home and then worked for legal aid until 2020 where we had another baby as geriatric parents (hospital terminology)! So I’ve been a young and an old mum! Little one is now 2 and I haven’t been back to work since I had her. I’ve just begun a teaching degree (will qualify early next year).

Sorry for my life story, it’s so long and boring ~ I totally got carried away. All I meant to say was with a bit of support and a lot of determination I believe you can do pretty much anything realistic you set your mind to. But success is not about what career you have or how much money you make. Cliche, but it’s about being happy. These last 2 years of doing NOTHING with our youngest child have been the biggest success for me. I’ve been myself and I’ve been so happy. That overrides everything, except my dwindling bank account haha

I think it’s all about working hard and being savvy and having a partner who shares the load. I did a PhD after having my first and now have a fairly prestigious job with a very good employer. I had dc2 just after finishing PhD and before starting my current role. I didn’t retrain, but it was more a continuation of what I was doing previously.

Fwiw, Dh at the same time started a business. He actually turned in his notice at his old job when eldest was 8 weeks old. 😬 He also has worked really hard (we really do our best to support each other). He was making 20k a year back at his old job and now turns over about 400k a year in his business.

Honestly, I think the key is being passionate, working hard (we both often work evenings after dc are in bed and some weekends), and having support. Things like both working flexibly so no one person’s career suffers doing the school run or holidays, both taking off when dc are ill, one of us taking dc away for the day if one of us really needs to work a weekend, etc.

Actually both our careers are no much further ahead than they were when we had our first dc. I think some of that is just down to ambition and personality, but it really helps that we’re a team. Dh takes days off (unpaid as you don’t earn on days off when self employed) when I need him to have dc for a day. I help him with admin on my days off with dc so he can focus on clients, etc.

Don't be too proud to go back to basics to retrain - if you left school without GCSEs for example, make sure to get your English and Maths skills up to snuff (particularly English.)

Not as inspiring as the other stories on here but

Work for one of the big Accounting/consulting firms - had baby a few years ago and went back in 2020 during covid. Worked my a** off that year whilst looking after toddler - asked for my clients back and tried to push through. It was so difficult tbh! Boss gave me good feedback and I built up client portfolio. It’s been easier since nursery restarted but obviously the juggle isn’t easy. Making junior partner this year

I had a child at 16 then one at 20. I got a job at 17 doing paperwork for an engineering firm. I worked my way up and now I'm a operations manager, managing 30 engineers and a team of 8 in office. I didn't have support. I paid childcare and it was bloody hard but I stuck at it. Best thing for me was finding an employer who is understanding and compassionate, if I ever needed time off for the kids. When the kids get older, I want to train and become an engineer myself.

I had my kids at 24. Prior to this I had been working in a poorly paid, low skilled job I hated. When they were 9 months old I decided to go back to college and retrain in IT. Did a couple of years at college, then at uni while working part time, before I was able to do a year in industry as part of my degree.
I was taken on by my placement company and am now in a much better paid role that I really enjoy, with excellent flexibility and great career progression.

It was hard work but going back to college was one of the best decisions I ever made. It helped that while I was in college and uni I was able to get funding to cover the cost of childcare, and my husband was very supportive and hands on with the kids when I was busy studying.