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

[TigerJoy]

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

Last job was C suite HR in financial services, 160k plus bonuses. Came from a single parent family, abject poverty, comprehensive school, but studied most of adult life to advance. Spent many years earning a pittance and we were on our knees financially when our kids were young. Money only came good as they left for uni, and then it was all over!

Oh should also say that we have both moved around from companies. Have met people at work who stay waiting for their next promotion or promises that never come. (This was me for the first 3yrs) since leaving my first role, I have always negotiated a decent pay rise. Honestly, you just have to back yourself - this may be naive or industry specific but I know people who stayed in the same graduate scheme as me who are still in the same job waiting for a promo that’s never coming. Of course have the goods to back it up, but if you’re not getting paid enough, leave.

I'm staggered by this. Is the top of the NHS scale really only just over £100k?

I know in Australia doctors mix their public/private, but I don't know a single consultant on less than AUD$300k.

Good on you guys. That workload for that money? Unbelievable.

Well I don’t earn that much (about £40k), because of the sector I work in. I am a project manager in a highly specialised field, in the public sector. If I did the same job but in a more generalised area and in the private sector I would be on about £150k. I only know this as I have a friend who earns that and keeps encouraging me to leave my job and join her at her company. My working hours, flexibility and long holidays / sick leave benefits are worth far more to me than the money though, especially while my children are small.

Other people I know who earn 6 figure sums are my brother (in technical IT), my sister in law (also IT but in management), and several friends from university who are consultants in private surgery, a fairly senior vet, formula 1 design person, and 2 farmers.

@GnomeDePlume

Unfortunately I saw a lot of imposter syndrome amongst DCs' friends. It is hard to think the world is your oyster when everyone around you thinks whelks are plenty good enough and are repeatedly telling you so.

This is a very interesting point. I think being told you can be what you want when you don’t have positive role models is quite different from being told you can be what you want when this in practice means you never need to think about earning a living.

For kids with low aspirations it must be quite empowering to be told this.

For a lot of the people I grew up around it basically meant “we (your parents) will pay for you to fuck about for years spending our money pretending to do something that sounds interesting at dinner parties”. Sorry if that sounds cynical but that was the output in a lot of cases.

The key difference is whether or not “being what you want” includes making your own money and whether there’s a safety net for when you fuck up.

I’ve just hit 6 figures - 50 years old, Headteacher, been in teaching since 22, 10th year as Head.
Comp education, 2:2 degree at v average uni.
(I don’t talk to my friends about how much I earn, but it’s publicly available as schools have to publish no. of employees who earn over £100k)

Edtech Product Manager. I earn over £100k with a rental property. I would be on a six figure salary as a HoD without the rental property, but had to step down about 10 years ago to care for my son and now my disabled mum as well. I am just an individual contributor and know my job well so it's not strenuous at all and I work for a fantastic flexible and understanding company. I work a 9 day fortnight. I started off as a teacher 25 years ago. Without my caring responsibilities I'd probably be a director/VP by now, but I needed to get my priorities straight. I also much prefer a better work/ life balance. I have worked really hard to be in this fortunate position, often to the detrement of my mental and physical health. I was the first to go to university in my family and only had a private education as my dad was in the airforce and I went to boarding school.....which probably did more harm than good in many ways!

Same. I could walk into a job earning well over six figures, but I like picking up my children from school and being there for them when they need me, so will stick with my £60k and public sector pension. I also love that the work I do has visibly made a difference to people in a really positive way.

To me "success" never meant earning the most, it meant finding a job that I enjoyed, that made a difference, that allowed us enough for a comfortable life but that also meant I could chose a way of working that meant that I could do all the school runs

I am able to do school drop offs and pick ups and homework plus school clubs.
I'm not boasting or knocking those who can't but just to highlight you can earn high and have work-life balance.
I've been deliberate about this though and chose my career based on this. I worked for a consultancy where the big earners were typically married, middle class white men.
During this time I was fortunate to be able to work with / for three women directors who shared their journeys and some of the pitfalls to be wary of.
I chose the industry I'm in on the basis it's delivery and outcome focused so they hire primarily on can get sh*t done and they pay accordingly.

The only people I know who earn six figures are someone who works in finance (2:2 from very shit uni) or have their own businesses.

Does research, even with a PhD pay[relative] well? I dont think so.

“My DH”… what about you?

Does research, even with a PhD pay[relative] well? I dont think so.

Research means a lot of things. In academia, no. In industry, in technical/medical/pharmaceuticals - probably.

Law. I had years off when the kids were young too. But i worked like a trojan in my 20's. I don't feel particularly well paid. Salaries are low in this country.

Oh I think you’ll find most doctors have the ability to earn over that I work within the nhs & that is very achievable, it’s even possible as an advanced medical practitioner if you are prepared to put in the hours, you talk about hard slog but please do you think earning over 100k is going to be easy 😂😂 basically the thread is looking for a get rich quick job, word from the wise they don’t exists ! Unless you want to go on love island that is

I like my career and have worked really hard to get to where I am. I’m mid-30s and have a first from a prestigious university, a MSc, a PhD plus specialised qualifications in my field from a royal college (allied to medicine). I earn £70k in the NHS which is where many similarly trained professionals work before either quitting the profession due to stress or finding better paid work in the private sector (over £100k).

I don’t even know what that (front office quant) means (I’m in retail banking not investment banking if that makes a difference).

I have a PhD too, granted in something totally irrelevant lol

Wow @Hollytree96 are you able to share what you do or any tips? I'm always So inspired by entrepreneurs.

I earn just under £300k basic and usually take home around £500k including bonus.
I went to a crappy school then fell into sales and marketing and worked my way up to CEO. Only got one kid which may have helped. I know it sounds like a lot of money but we have a normal sized terraced house with a tiny garden in the crappy end of a smart bit of London and spend all our money on mortgage, school fees and holiday home.
I’ve got a husband who is good round the house, and an after school nanny. I’m also immovable on work life boundaries (it gets easier) and whilst I’m happy to log on all hours when I’m not missed at home, I have never missed a single school thing in my entire career. Hard to argue with “it’s more important to me” Just do it.

Wow you've smashed it. So good you have maintained good boundaries.

Medicine really isn't a money spinner these days unless you do a lot of private surgery. Specifically ophthalmology (cataracts) and orthopaedics (hip and knee replacements)

I've been an NHS consultant for over ten years now and I don't earn 6 figures despite hard work, long hours, lots of responsibility. I have not played the game as hard as I could have there are awards and extra payments I could apply for and haven't but still I'd struggle to get 100k and the 250k that some in this thread are earning is an unimaginable amount of money to me. Fortunately I am not in it for the money. It's a very satisfying job but if it's money you are after there are easier and more lucrative things to do.

Oh yeh and I have an Oxbridge degree and a PhD too and that did not make my pay any better so academic success and hard work are not the sole recipe for riches.

Can’t really divilge much as it’s care for autistic adults.

senior level corporate real estate/facilities management/HR.. is what my friends and I work in predominantly and we are all 6 figures. No lawyers, consultants etc in our circle. None of us have particularly high level qualifications (2 of us don’t have a degree; we just worked our way up over 20 plus years). We are mid 40’s.

However, facilities management and corporate real estate are much more soft skills focused rather than qualification focused (unless you are a chartered surveyor of course)

@Thepeopleversuswork empowering to an extent, yes but for some of them that lack of family support is still a huge factor. There can be a lot of pressure to not take any risk:

• go to the local, not great, university so you can live at home.
• don't apply for graduate schemes which involve short term placements around the country - no family money to pay up front for rent deposits etc
• do vocational courses which lead direct into a job

For a lot of DCs' friends the message was: stay home, stay local, don't take risks.