To ask women for the steps you took to get to 100k

[madasawethen]

If you're a woman making 100k or over, what steps did you take to get there.

Job title(it can be general like manager, solicitor)
Training
How long it took?
Any tips or advice for others who want to get there?

One thing I am a bit puzzled about though - as I have seen a few threads on high earning careers, is that it is a well known fact what subjects lead to a well-paid job (eg medicine, tech, law, STEM) and what usually means a much harder path to financial gain (e.g. arts and humanities, or caring professions), so why is there a surprise and annoyance in mid-career people about this on MN? Isn't it the fact that if you go into nursing or sociology you are not going into it for the salary?

Are you in tech too?

The fierce competition for software engineers raises salaries across the board in tech. Roles that could dramatically increase their pay by switching sectors to tech include: exec assistants, finance assistants, events and marketing, PR, project management, UX and graphic design... it's a long list.

The downside is they can have very strong cultures and high ego. In a job interview you have to show you think they're the bees knees, not just that you're good at the skills required.

Mine was:

Work hard at school when everyone else is pissing about to get good A levels.

Go to Uni, get BSc, get 2:1

Get a job for a few years

Go back to Uni, get a masters.

Get another job.

Leave when they the the piss.

Get a new job, move every 3/4 years, increase salary each job.

Now tech person for a US sw company. Average pa circa 210K. Have been at this level since about 45.

When I look back, there were no shortcuts for me. Lots of late night study sessions, lots of exams, constant learning and studying in the evenings, working weekends often. Lots of undervalued roles and shit pay along the way.

To summarise for me it was: Hard work, stubbornness, single mindedness to the point of obsession sometimes and resilience in the face of stress and piss-taking men. Also being prepared to spend leisure time doing the kid/school/homework stuff.

I’m Company Secretary for a large company incorporated in a number of territories. I got here mostly accidentally, having started out in a business support / governance capacity with a charity 15 years ago, and working my way up through governance roles of increasing seniority with a variety of different organisations. I’ve qualified almost entirely on the job through CPD with ICSA/CGI: my history degree is entirely irrelevant and nobody has cared whether or not I have one for about a decade.

Being flexible, adaptable, willing to act up and take on new responsibilities, and always saying “yes” to a new challenge - even if if means I have to take the initiative to actively teach myself new skills to complete them - has been the mainstay of getting to where I am. Also having good people skills and being assertive enough to be critical friend to and, at times, challenge and guide very senior people who aren’t necessarily used to it.

I am a Director. I:

• said yes to everything, including the corporate stuff that others saw as beneath them
• found a way to make my bosses lives easier whenever possible
• avoided drama but cultivated my own networks
• built a reputation as someone people wanted to work for by caring about my teams
• put myself forward for things especially when my inner voice said I wasn't ready.
• worked really hard and took maternity leave but no other career breaks
• married someone who didn't see me as the default in childcare.

I don’t make that anymore but did make the equivalent about 15 years ago. I went to Uni and did a degree in computer science which included a year in industry. Got a graduate job with a blue chip company in the south east. Completed the graduate scheme, mentored other people, got promoted. Saw a job advertised in the US for a big entertainment company, went there as a contractor for a year, then offered permanent job, got promoted.

Moved back to the UK after having kids and haven’t gone back into a professional role for various reasons.

I just remembered something essential. My DP is my biggest cheerleader. There's no way I could have built this career without the father to my kid being hugely committed, feminist and supportive. Choosing who you partner with is more important than what you studied etc in my opinion.

NC for this.

Marketing role.
Did a degree in another subject, not sure it has made any difference. Been at the same company for about 13 years. Some formal training but more learn as you go on the job (marketing changes so quickly!)
Hit 100k at about 32.

For me it’s about keeping curious, being agile and adapting to change. I think there is a lot of pressure to speak up in meetings and don’t get me wrong, you want to hold your own but I also think you get smarter to say nothing at all at times. It’s more important to understand the room than it is to prove you’re the smartest one in it, I.e talking for the sake of filling the silence.

Biotech industry C-Suite @47. First class BSc from very average uni, PhD from slightly better uni. Worked long and hard hours but made careful decisions about moving up the ladder. Worked very long hours throughout my 30's and early 40's. Now earning 250K plus bonuses @50% of salary. Very pressured when younger but now don't find it as pressured just very busy. Bottom line is you don't get paid 100K for a 40 hours week.

@RainCoffeeBook what is the best way of getting into tech? Go on course that has a placement?

Being deliberately discrete here…

Mid-30’s, Head of Department for Tech company. £100k plus shares + bonuses.

No degree, I used to regret not going to university as I thought I’d be overlooked but it’s worked out in my favour in the long run.

I worked alongside CEO’s as an Executive Assistant for 15 years before taking a big managerial role. I listened, learned, made sure to understand every facet of my role and the CEOs, once I became skilled as an EA, I offered to take on projects, delivered my projects well and performed consistently over time. I then contracted for a few years and worked in a number of growing tech start ups, gaining lots of experience from each!

1. Be open to learning. Learn the bad, the good, learn everything you can. Adopt a growth mindset and continually assess your own performance.

1. Become reliable and trustworthy. Deliver on time ,don’t over promise and under deliver. Be honest, be direct, always tell the truth no matter the situation. You will be respected for it.

1. Be assertive. Tell people what you want, what your goals are. Want more responsibility? Ask for it! In general people love giving advice and want to help. If they don’t, move company.

1. Move around, work in different sectors, different companies and bring all their good aspects together.

1. Become competent with different systems / tools / methodologies.

1. Don’t stay where you’re not happy, don’t waste time hoping someone one day might see your worth. They won’t!

1. Be prepared to fail. Every big step up will come with a fresh set of challenges, you won’t become the worlds best leader just because you have “manager” in your job title.

1. Mental fortitude. When you do fail, and you will, reflect and improve quickly - Don’t take critical feedback personally.

1. Be humble. Always keep your ego in check, especially important if your role is is a leadership one

Also helps if you have a partner who sees you as an equal and doesn’t expect you to work like you don’t have children.

What none of these mention are the two very important things:

1. being able to get on with all kinds of people
2. luck: being in the right place at the right time and recognising an opportunity.

I was about to type a really long message but I think ZenBuddist might actually be me so just read that and you've got the general idea

What none of these mention are the two very important things: being able to get on with all kinds of people

Oh and this this this. This is probably my greatest strength

Name changed for this thread.
Director. Personal pay out : around 100k. Recruitment.
2 Masters (MFL and Management).
Mastering foreign languages is a big plus.
What changed my life was changing companies, changing countries, then founding my company. It's a change of mindset.
There will always be a point were you will have to learn new skills.
Learn to be assertive.
The first time I had a child I took 2 weeks maternity leave but I had my mom to help. Stability at home, having hubby as my biggest fan. Those also are part of a recipe for success.

Yes agree. An early boss told me: people employ those they want to be around.

Totally agree with this too. We have 4 children and have always been very 50/50. DH really took the brunt of the childcare/cooking a few years ago when i moved to my current job. Equally, I've done a lot of it when he's been busier at work.

Not quite there yet but should be in the next year or two, certainly next payrise. I'll be very early thirties and work in engineering.

What has worked for me is having a combination of skills that is unusual in my industry - logical and creative. That and being really strategic about getting skills that I could see would be desirable even if I was undervalued doing it, as well as being really bloody-minded when people didn't believe in me. In my first job I was one of the youngest because I'd really knuckled down and the only person younger than me is now doing even better (but he hasn't taken two maternity leaves, ha).

How I make the next step will be down to luck of what opens up and when but I've worked hard to get in to a position where I'll be able to take it.

I'd also add that most of the people I know who earn well over £100k work smarter rather than just long hours. You can earn £30k on just long hours, what matters is what you do with them.

Job hopped, dramatised my CV (remember- you’re never a tea lady, you’re a refreshment consultant) until it dramatised itself, never volunteered or let myself be volunteered to take notes in the meeting or sort out the birthday card, never let certain types of men talk over me, and generally just did my job better and in more efficient and interesting ways than other people did or would.

All of the above got me to the first 70k from a standing start (no degree, no family support) but to be painfully honest, being clever and talented got me the rest. Not everyone is clever and talented but being hard working or mercenary can still get you pretty far.

Senior management.

Degree was totally unrelated to what I do now, came back to London, needed a job, took the first thing I got - team sec role. Company got bought out I moved on and up to PA and EA. Worked my arse off, fell into what I do now which is 'niche' in my industry.

Decent education, worked hard, got lucky.

You can’t speak for everyone, I make well over 100k and rarely work more than 35 hours per week, but I’m a freelance consultant at this point so maybe that’s an important point of difference.

Investment manager, energy

Entirely accidentally got a grad job in medium sized energy company in 2008 as the financial crisis hit. General analysis/research/support role.
Pretty unfashionable industry but always needed! Had done politics as undergrad - nothing technical.
Learned lots on the job, later did a master's in energy economics and regulation alongside work.

A good friend here did something similar - joined Ofgem as a grad in a very lowly role and is now a director of regulation at a huge energy firm. She did an executive MBA (part time) later as well alongside work.

I'd say we both work reasonable hours given the salaries- you have senior responsibility so you can't just switch off when it's not your set hours etc but it's not brutal like some finance/legal jobs.

As an unfashionable industry short of women they are actually making a bit of an effort with lifestyle stuff.

Are you me? I was going to post once I'd finished reading thread but this is quite literally exactly what I'd say.

If there was one thing I'd specifically highlight, it's the pushing myself to step forward especially when my inner voice said I wasn't ready. Every significant career leap I've made has been before I felt comfortable to do it, but the opportunity presented itself and I made myself go for it.

The most important factor which no one mentions is privilege. To have been born in the right family and probably had access to role models in your formative years (family or peers), born in the right country at the right time for your social class, attended the right school etc.

Without all of these things in place, it is very unlikely your effort would have lead you to a six figure salary.

But no-one mentions this.