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

[TigerJoy]

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

Software in a big tech company

Most of the women I know are very open with their friends about incomes. I think it’s important, particularly for women, who often end up underpaid because they don’t ask for promotions or pay rises or - as the fact that this thread was started demonstrates - always even know what sort of career paths are the most lucrative in the first place. If you’ve no reference point for what your peers earn or how they do it and just assume that it must be similar to you, it makes it harder to fight for what you’re really worth. Income shouldn’t be a source of secrecy or embarrassment. It doesn’t say anything about you on a values basis, it’s quite literally just the contract you’ve made with your employer.

My highest earning female friends are actuaries. Closely followed by those in areas like risk and compliance. I’m in governance. Also those in director level roles in marketing and communications. Quite a broad church.

I work full time as an NHS consultant. No private work. I am in my fifties and thus at the top of the pay scale. You don’t have to do private to earn over £100k eventually as an NHS consultant.

I have an online business, selling antiques, and I employ two people. I take a salary of £125k and plough any remaining profit back into the business. It's not that difficult really.

My experience is that it doesn’t necessarily have to be professional services/banking but if you can find a niche role and be pretty good at it, you’ll frequently find you’re paid a lot just because of the law of supply and demand. I earn £150k in financial services marketing. But I suppose I have been doing it for 20 years…maybe that does count for something!

The short answer is you can't just get a job like that. These people have worked for 20 plus years in their careers. I think the deciding factor is how sure you are early on of what path you want to go down and you find you really enjoy it and simply are fully focussed on that as your only career.
Money don't buy you love babay?! Haha. I'm pretty potless but thankful for the amount of health I have and for the people who care about me, material things are not that important. I wouldn't know what to do with £200k a year, I would be at work at least 12 hours a day...
If you really want to change career think about doing it for something you know you will really enjoy.
If you do just want more money then you could work in recruitment/ sales. You often don't need experience per se, and if you are money driven you could be really successful. But it is very stressful job and you need lots of confidence.

I earn over 6 figures working in a senior role in international development. Salaries in the sector vary a lot though - UK-based roles are notoriously poorly paid. US government-funded programming and UN roles are better paid.

I have a law background, lots of overseas experience, lots of responsibility, some security risk/instability.

Software engineering at higher levels, also software engineering management, senior managers etc all earn this sort of money.

Generally doesn't require a specific degree from a specific school. In web development it's probably 50:50 if someone is actually completely self taught or not, so no requirement for specific qualifications.

I'm not quite 6 figures but am very close. Standard comp, MSci in Genetics from a Russell group uni, not in London. Two Mat leaves of 12 months and I'm 33. It took focus on personal growth, being very conscious about what will get me to the next step, lateral moves, interviewing elsewhere, being prepared to leave and in some cases literally asking for promotions up front. Ie. "I want to get to <x> by <y>, what is holding me back, what do I need to demonstrate"

It also required supportive colleagues and managers. But if I didn't have that I'd have left to company and let them know why in the exit interview.

On mumsnet, they live off their "my husband is a high earner". In real life, software engineers.

Make stuff up on MN.

Local (crap) comp, ex-poly uni and then kind of fell into my career. It’s been more luck than planning for me!

Interior designer or owns a fun and frivolous boutique or business.

In terms of “how do you get there” - I think the one, singular most important factor, regardless of the career path you choose, is that, if you are going to have children, making sure you pick the right partner and father and being as sure as you possibly can that he’s going to pull his weight. Take responsibility for your choices and for being ruthless in how you make those choices. If he’s lazy at home and selfish with his time before you have children, he’s not going to change afterwards. If you can’t agree how childcare and taking leave for sick babies is going to work before you’re in the situation where it’s a reality, he’s a non starter. If you barely know him when you have a “whoops” pregnancy, consider whether you can really afford to take that chance. Yes, some men change after children arrive - but far more are very clearly duds from the off but women choose for whatever reason to choose to overlook their faults. Be ruthless. If you’re a mother, a useless man who you can’t rely on to be a proper parent will hold you back in your career.

All the women I know who are both mothers and successful high earners are with men (or divorced from men) who are absolutely equal parents and consider themselves just as responsible for their children as their mothers are, whether that be sick leave, school pick ups, or holding the fort for an entire week whilst their partner / child’s mother is away on a business trip.

This!

Completely agree with this and in my case it’s exactly how it is.

I work in financial services/insurance. 6 figure salaries are senior people who’ve worked their way up/accountants/actuaries. Maybe the odd senior person like Senior HR person?

I discuss my salary with my friends who do a similar type of job.

In general they took shorter mat leaves- max 6 months.

I (not my DP!) went to a rubbish comp school, terrible A level results, ex poly, studied a STEM subject and then an MBA with the OU. I would really recommend a STEM degree to teenage girls - companies are desperate to employ women with this background. Work regular hours but do have very niche job that I have worked up to over a long period of time and am very good at in a male dominated industry. Not SE based either - feel very fortunate. DP earns f'all mind (his choice) but does fit @ComtesseDeSpair;s description of pulling his weight on the domestic front.

It helps very much not to take the "mommy track". Don't go part time. Don't take several years off with kids.

Totally agree ,half the battle is in the home

Salaries are based on supply and demand basically (similar to the price of anything…) so the highest paid roles will be the ones where demand is high (so there is competition among employers) and supply is low (so typically the role requires specific qualifications and extensive experience). Where the opposite is true - ie there is no competition to recruit/scarcity of available employees and pretty much anyone can do the role without skills and experience, minimum wage can be offered and roles filled.

Ok I don't earn 6 figures but many people who started in my line of work at the same time (20-odd years ago) do. I joined a grad programme in a bank and have moved around in various roles in banking since. I have chosen 'having a life' over reaching the giddy heights but I still earn a decent salary. The higher earners have usually made sacrifices along the way. The highest earner I know has a husband who doesn't work and he manages the house. Others seem to be constantly frazzled. My boss is younger than me and has a 'big job' - probably earns 3 figures - but no way would I swap.

This is me. Went to uni, got a job that many would view as dull, worked my way into senior position before having children, went back full time after each of them. Many late nights, early mornings and weekends working along the way.

No regrets but I am painfully aware that my husband and children have had to make sacrifices too for me to have this career.

Completely agree with @ComtesseDeSpair.

Ive always worked full time, though I did take a full year mat leave with both DCs. I figured that the extra months wouldn’t make much difference ultimately and since I was going back full time I may as well maximise the time with them when I could.

Not true for my DH!

Because its him earning it, not me. What's the problem?