to ask what the "stereotypical 6 figure MN mum" does?

[TigerJoy]

And how can the rest of us get a job like that?!

@Pink39tree The more I earned, the less time I had to spend it, especially by doing nice things with my family. Yes, this has meant my savings/pension have built faster but, at the risk of sounding morbid, I wonder how many years the lack of work-life balance and stress will knock off my life and how much of retirement I’ll see/be able to enjoy.

So, in answer to your question, no. I often say I was truly happiest when I earned around 50K. (I know this is still good money, generally speaking.)

For me they are usually worth it. I generally enjoy my job, I don’t think I have ever clock watched, and what I do is very much part of who I am. When I was little I always imagined myself as an adult in an office in a suit, never as a mother, at home etc.

I do live to work but that is about the enjoyment I get from challenging myself every day, not the money (although the high salary is a welcome side benefit)

Those in banking on this money? What are your roles? How long did it take you to get there?

a humble so called senior manager (more like middle with a salary of around 60k) prop dev. Do I need to make a pivot somewhere?

I'm on 6 figures. 10 years qualified lawyer. Went to state school then a red brick University. Worked in a law firm for many years. A few years ago moved in house earning more than I was in law firm.

Very hard work to get here. Long long hours for many years. I'm sure like many other well paid (and in some cases not well paid) jobs.

I agree. I'm in the working class background category but always ambitious and wanted to have a certain lifestyle. What's mad is I'm paid v well but live in London so all my money goes on huge mortgage and childcare 😆. I'm not complaining as I know I'm in a fortunate position but wish I had some spare money to actually enjoy after working so hard to get here.

Law, but I wouldn't recommend it, despite the financial appeal. I did 20 years, then switched lanes to low paid, creative self employment. Never been happier!!

Plumber
Builder
Aesthetics/beauty
Private physio (one I know earns £150 an hour)
Successful counsellor/life coach.
Spiritualist.
Private cosmetic dentist.
Own a yoga/fitness studio.
Dance studio owner.
Storage warehouse owner.
Farmer
Drug dealer.

I totally relate to the mortgage/childcare situation and not feeling rich! Also lawyer but earn a bit less than you in house. Also not as clever as you as not talented / passionate academically.

My people!

Hello Brighton!

They needed to get a job at the right place.

Some cities just don't have very high paying jobs so if you want one, you have to move.

You don't stay in a dead end job or a company either.

If you're not being paid right and not getting a promotion within 2 years, you don't just stick around hoping it will change. They put their cv out and find something else.

Same. I don't know what my friends or family earn.
The only people who know what I earn are my accountant, my boss, the finance department who actually send the money and HMRC.

@TigerJoy

I only know City law, where "working hard" means as a trainee working 20 hour days when busy, missing events for work, accepting that your weekends may not be your own - not rota-ed weekends, but on Friday something comes in and you have to work the weekend. Similar for banking. Junior doctors also work like this IME. Lots of other professions work hard, but not this level of greedy job hard.

Basically in the private sector at least it's between desirability and hardness of qualification, working conditions, number of people who would be able to do it at that level really.

Accountants get paid not so much as trainees and have quite brutal pass / fail exams at the big firms, which is why they get offered great jobs down the line. It's like a quality mark.

I used to earn close to that when the bonus was included, finance stuff. I now work for a local authority earning less in salary than I did in bonus. My previous job wasn’t a hard slog, it just felt a bit pointless and the pay was primarily due to it being a sector where high pay is the norm. The job I do now isn’t high stress but there are others in the team working incredibly hard in really stressful roles which require high level qualifications, higher than those in the team where I used to work. I think the people in my old team would be gobsmacked at the pay some people receive for the level of responsibility they carry. I think when people go into high paying professions straight out of university, they can sometimes end up thinking their risk:reward balance is a standard one and those whose reward is lower must therefore be carrying lower risk. This is absolutely not what I see.

None of my friends (or me) who have 'careers' in industries like medicine, law, media, science and earn 6 figure salaries! Mostly in our mid 30s and all earning somewhere between 40-80k. (Mix of women and men, mostly based in London or the South).

I know 2 people on 6 figure salaries. One is a recruitment consultant for finance companies. The other works in compliance for an investment bank.

I’m a partner at a US law firm. I spent my 20s and early 30s working very hard indeed and it does take its toll, but I have friends who drank to excess or took drugs and pickled themselves or turned into anxious wrecks. I’d choose hard work over that any day.

I genuinely love it. I have 2 young kids, a house I adore, husband also works FT although not in quite as demanding a job, I get to the gym 3x a week and generally get 8 hours sleep a night (not tonight, I’ve just logged off for the night and will be up again at 6am). The days are busy and stressful, but I wouldn’t change it. I don’t agree that “none of it will be worth it”.

It really hasn't been like that for me.

I worked far harder and had worse working conditions in min wage jobs.

The higher up I got, the more flexibility, more respect, and better working conditions I had.

You're very lucky! Enjoy it!

I'm a lone parent. Spent my early career working my arse off in the tech industry.

It paid off and I feel lucky as I now hold a really senior position in tech.

However it was a very sexist industry when DD14 was born, I got fired for being pregnant. (Took them to court and won)

I work really hard but the tech industry nowadays is really good for women, I do get flexibility and I can afford private school for my DD.

@Sportycustard The longest I've stayed in any job is 4 years. If I don't get promoted I move on. You're far more likely to get a salary rise by moving employers than by being promoted.

This is so true. The mistake I have made in my career is staying too long having believed the lies I have been told that 'there just isnt the budget for big pay awards this year'.

Some employers do seem to see loyalty/commitment as a sign of weakness. I was with my previous employer for 9 years. I had a niche role. When I left they were simply unable to fill it. Moved to the same niche role in a different company and increased my salary by 50%.

Some employers are very good at making their employees feel like the employer is doing them a favour by letting them stay on.

My advice to new starters in finance roles is get qualified. I have seen far too many get stuck at a lower level than their ability deserves because they havent got the transferable qualification. You have to make the time.

I work in Pharma. I have a Chemistry Degree, nearly 25 years experience in my specialty and only one kid. My job involves running the EU department, overseeing large projects and providing my expertise to clients on my particular area. I travel roughly once a month (and hate it), work full time from home anywhere between 6am and 9pm (although not over 8 hours most days) and I’m late 40s. Mine isn’t a job you can do without my background.

Edited to add: Should have said that it’s flexible, I love my colleagues, my boss is definitely a friend and as a rule I like my job. No idea what else I’d do. Oh and I don’t really spend all the money I make, I’m very low maintenance 😂

@jeaux90 the women who took employers to court 14 years ago likely contributed hugely to the current good environment for women.

This is such an interesting thread. I would earn £70k full time, in a specialist but stressful job (healthcare) but I'm looking to take a pay cut and move into a different area. My skills are not in talking the talk under pressure and I agree that this is what gets people the money.

Of those women I know:

• pharma exec
• sales
• recruitment
• financial journalist inhouse
• finance director
• snr in HR
• snr in marketing
• snr in tech
• snr in property

Total mix of educational backgrounds, from comp to indy schools, Oxbridge to more modern unis. They all have degrees, some have PhDs, some have professional qualifications too.

Most work long and unsociable hours, or have in the past worked long hours. Those with children have nannies or a very flexible partner who picks up the load

@UniversalTruth we have won our rights through lawfare, but the interesting thing is the government had already legislated well in advance.

It takes lawfare to hold employers and organisations accountable to the law.

It probably took a decade for the legislation to actually sink into their stupid heads.

Now 50% of new hires in my tech firm are women and we have fantastic policies.

I'd say tech is great place for women nowadays.

I’m in this pay bracket and work in Tech. Started out in software development in financial services sector straight from uni (basic inner city secondary school followed by a masters in science). Now more in management type role but staying technical is essential to success. Per PP I would strongly recommend STEM path for girls, it’s a very male dominated industry (even now) but my experience is that women tend to do well, assuming a certain a level of personal resilience. I love the intellectual challenge and adrenaline my job brings, I am constantly learning and I hope to be able to continue to grow and work, even though some people my age (50s) are planning their retirement. The advent of AI is going to change the landscape all over again and we need women (ideally young women joining the workforce now) to be driving this lest we end up in an AI world designed and regulated by men.

Business Development in pharmaceutical sector. State school, first class degree and a PhD in STEM. Worked as a scientist for 20 years (4 days a week while the kids were young) with BD on the side before making the jump fully across to BD with a change in company and gained 3x the income in one year. Income now 3-5x more than my old senior level scientific management role, depending upon bonus. Work from home with some local and foreign business trips and have a husband who can be trusted with the kids while I am away.

I am definitely a stereotypical mumsnet high earner in that my income now reflects the experience and skills from the way up and I am currently not massively busy most days - definitely have time to read mumsnet and play too much candy crush!

Do think it is sad that people think that women in high earning careers is so ludicrous that it must be made up. It isn’t.