To ask how much work you actually and honestly do if you’re highly paid? I am worrying!

[workworkbaby]

I’m on 58k. I know it’s not huuuge money, but it’s decent. Honestly, I do very little. I worry all the time about job security and have mentioned to managers I have capacity to do more etc. Sometimes more will land and other times not. As I work largely from home I often find myself just hanging around. I wonder if this is common? I have a toddler in nursery so I can collect them early sometimes which I love so I’m not complaining but I do worry… anyone else?

It's not huge money. It's good money. Huge money is hundreds of thousands. 7 figures is beyond huge money.

Less than twice the national average isn't huge. It's solid.

@TheMissingSock1 here are some examples:

Financial services (for example software supplying investment banks or Wealth Managers etc) :

-Account Manager (basically bespoke client support and client retention). Suits a person who likes to take care of their appearance and wear business attire, flatter their clients, use buzzwords a lot, and work long hours. Constantly on the go, some travel involved.
Entry level salary 25k but climbs quickly to 50. If you become a team manager or big accounts etc, 80k.
For this, political acumen is required ie the ability to maintain a network of industry contacts and good relationships with senior internal stakeholders. In other words, you must not mind drinks and small talk.

Qualifications: a finance related degree but it's possible to get in via some lower paid job for like data entry etc with a humanities degree, then make a good impression.

• Developer in a similar company: start on 25K, climb fast if, but only If you are very good. If not you climb slower or are managed out. Can climb to 120K for an outstanding de with management skills.

Talent is required and no amount of work will replace talent in this field. A talented developer outcodes about 20 hard working others.
Nb: I am not a dev but work with them. I cannot overstate the importance of natural ability for this particular role.

-Automation tester: now there's a great earning opportunity for the less talented developer. Write automation tests and you're gold dust. "easy" 60 k for a not particularly stressful job. If you're amazing at it and have managememt skills, 80k for dept manager.

-Business analysis: you're not code-minded and more of a humanities person but want some of the money that comes from tech?

Do an apprenticeship to get your foot in or start as a manual tester, then write up requirements and break down tasks for devs. Up to 40K or more.

• Product Ownership : the next step for Business Analysts with ambition and creativity / presenting skills. You're the person in the middle of the sales / clients and the devs and have to find solutions, design them to some extent and resource them with developers.

Qualities required: ability to stand pressure, as you will receive a lot from both sides. Being a jack of all trades (basic understanding of code, design skills, analytical mind, presentation skills, diplomacy...) and context switching are key.
You can find yourself designing a whole new software platform or sitting in a tedious meeting about the shape of a checkbox depending on the time of day.
Salary: from 35-40k to 75k for a senior role.

-Product Management : the same but at a higher level. You meet clients who are bigger fish, you think about what the service ftware needs to be like next year instead of next month.
Salary : 70 to 120 based on company size.

You had probably never heard of these jobs aside from developers. It does require to know about them to get there, and that is something that needs working on in our society. I found out by accident after being hired for a temp role by a friend in such a company. I stuck with it.

Sorry for the formatting issues with the above post - I can't edit it, it keeps reverting to this layout.

c80k

Work all the time, so much so I am consider going to 4 day week or 9 day fortnight

They refuse to get extra resource so I'm like why should I burn myself out?

Posted edited by MNHQ

To be fair, not many people have said their jobs are niche. Mine certainly isn't.

The thread is more about jobs where you can earn well but not be worked to the bone getting it. It's mainly as you get more senior or more into the technical aspects of your profession and you become more valuable but less constantly needed.

Well that's a worry that I have never and will never have!!!!!!

Why don't you leave snd increase salary probably at same time?

Oh dear, my DC's weakest subject is maths and doesn't like computing so Finance and tech sectors are already unlikely options!

My last role was grueling at interview stage including researching a topic then presenting it and 3 stages of interview etc

Much easier this time and 20k higher

Disagree

In office based jobs I trued for years to get promoted and move up, too much politics and if your face fits stuff

When remote it was about who did the best work and helped me massively

Also being neurofdivergent office was horrid but was able to reach full potential wfh

[Post edited by MNHQ at poster's request to remove identifying info]

Why don't you leave (and probably leverage a pay rise)?

Some of us have indicated our sector (mine is legal/charity sector) but I don’t doubt there are people in my sector earning the same as me who are rushed off their feet.

Either because they are in an organisation that’s under resourced, or because they are slightly over rather than under promoted.

I work so few hours because I can easily do the work in less time than someone new to it, or for whom the work is a stretch. I could easily fulfill higher grades and better paid roles where I would definitely have to work much harder, but I can’t be arsed (legal speak) 😀

I suspect there are quite a few of us coasting who are just not bothered about progression and so we can perform our current jobs in much less time.

In terms of advice, if I had my time over, I would train in zoology rather than law. I would have really enjoyed that.

Oh dear, my DC's weakest subject is maths and doesn't like computing so Finance and tech sectors are already unlikely options!

It's a misperception that sectors like this need specific subject competencies. There are many functions within finance and tech.

For example, I know two people working in project management for banks, earning 6 figures, one has a degree in history, the other in English. They're very clear, logical thinkers and super organised, but they arent big maths bods.

One of my best friends is in tech sales and probably pulling in way more. Her degree is in business studies.

And of course finance and tech need all the same support functions are other sectors - HR, comms, marketing, legal, etc, etc.

But there will be more scope to earn above average in these jobs because there's just more money sloshing around the system.

This thread is so amusing! I love it!

@ORLt

I don't understand - everyone here is anonymised - so what is the problem with divulging the sector in which this mythical niche problem-solving knowledge applies?

Open your eyes and read. Lots of posters including myself have told you exactly which sectors and jobs we work in. Keep telling yourself our jobs are mythical if it makes you feel better. Perhaps you'd care to share what your own job is?

Keep telling yourself our jobs are mythical if it makes you feel better.

I don't even understand this. Does the poster think that no one earns over 30k or has specialist knowledge? 🤔

@AnonoMisss would be interested to know what your new role is, outside london getting so much more dosh. Please?

@TheKeatingFive Is this aimed at me or the person I was quoting (@ORLt )?

I certainly do understand that many people earn over 30K and have specialist knowledge (I'm a good earner myself). @ORLt keeps coming on and pooh-poohing the idea though, suggesting the jobs we describe are not real.

@garlictwist
All these people on megabucks doing fuck all and being paid for their mythical "special knowledge" just strikes me as massively inefficient. If this is the nature of their role, they ought to be paid on a consultancy ad-hoc basis as clearly their role doesn't justify a full time position

Some people are in effect in this situation. I know someone who became a KC and says they now gets paid £££ more per hour to give advice. In their case it is because clients specifically want the advice of a KC for insurance reasons so it isn't very difficult, they doesn't need to do a lot of preparation other than reading the case but gets paid much more than before, like 3 times more per hour. They basically working as a consultant but getting paid £££ + an hour just for a quick opinion.

BUT (just like that ship's engineer I posted about above in that joke) they are in that position because they worked in their field for 25 or so years and was good/talented enough to be made a KC. It's that years of experience that is their value plus the KC label. It's the same in lots of jobs really - private medical consultants, senior equity partners in law firms.

Is this aimed at me or the person I was quoting (@ORLt )?

Sorry, aimed at @ORLt

All these people on megabucks doing fuck all and being paid for their mythical "special knowledge" just strikes me as massively inefficient. If this is the nature of their role, they ought to be paid on a consultancy ad-hoc basis as clearly their role doesn't justify a full time position

Thats not your decision to make though.

Presumably, these companies want these people to hand, to be available as and when they need them - rather than mess around with ad hoc contracts or risk them going elsewhere and not being available when they're required.

These positions are "creative". You can make complex calls / designs / context switch all the time whilst outputting written material 24/7; it doesn't work like that. The ability to step back, give your brain a break, and come back 30min later with the "solves all" solution is what is being paid for.

That ability is acquired through years of experience of actual "doing". Moreover, having a bird's eye view of everything that's going on so you can analyse, synthesise and present back can't happen if you're spending your whole time "doing stuff". You have to watch, listen and ingest as well.

There's a lot of satisfaction in finally being able to apply all the knowledge acquired during the "doing" years so despite the pressure, I must say the role is enjoyable.