To wish I had got a much better career

[moneyandbigteeth]

I'm an officer worker. Been with company for over 25 years. I have a small team, middle management. Salary £45k pa. Work from home FT. My role is not pressured what so ever. Never refused holiday/time off.
Couldn't sleep tonight and went down a rabbit hole of looking up a v old ex boyfriend, just out of curiosity. Him and his wife must each be on £100k (I know for sure his wife is as I saw the job advert for her current role). They are professionals, she has a v public facing professional role in NHS.
It just got me thinking that I wish I had a higher profile role/my job was more professional. I'm on my early 50s now and it's too late to retrain, especially as I have a caring role too for wider family which takes up a lot if time (which my current job allows for too).

Well, where does it end? If you got yourself a job that pays £100k, you'll find someone who earns more.
Honestly your job sounds brilliant. It comes with a lot of perks and 45k is great.

I was you until 6 years ago. Now I am that person with the high salary and stress and honestly be careful what you wish for. If I could afford to I would half my salary tomorrow and take a massive step back. I have small kids I hardly ever see. I am working 60 hours plus a week, constantly having stressful presentations and feeling not good enough. I am always on a train or a plane. Leaning in. Sure there are perks, but on the whole it isn’t worth it.

I also feel I have massively over-shared my private life during the 25 years plus I've been there. Not so much in recent years but earlier years. There are things I've done at work which make me cringe when looking back (no details as too outting) and not relating to my work output, more behaviours.
Maybe I don't necessarily want to earn more/have more responsibility/be in a more senior and pressured role but rather have no one in the office know the ins&outs of my private life and to give the perception of a much more professional worker.
I'm not ill thought of at work and never had any issues in terms of disciplinary, far from it. I guess I just bumble along.
@SilverBranchGoldenPears I'm sorry you don't get to see your DC as much as you would like too. 60hours a week is a hell of a lot

At 47 I returned to the career I left at 31, I did have some retraining to do due to the length of time away and did have to start from the bottom again for the same reasons. I returned with another new member of staff who was career-changing at 51 from a completely different role. Age is not an issue at all, however, both of us took a wage drop to start over. It is reaping its rewards a few years in, but some who I now work with are leaving for other careers, despite also having started there for a new change as it wasn't what they thought it was. We are both still happy, but it does show the grass isn't always greener.

I think your job sounds ideal for now . Who would really want an all consuming job with loads of stress in their 50's.

I had a big job years ago and purposely didn't want that as the years went by . Money doesn't compensate for high level stress .

I really wish i had a well paid job like yours @moneyandbigteeth

£45k is an incredible salary. DH doesn't earn anywhere near that.

Bigger the salary, the more stress.

I think you are in a great position on terms of having a good, if not fantastic salary and a job that you don't find stressful. Of course you would perhaps like the status and money associated with other careers but this may well also come with additional stress and restrictions that would really impact your quality of life. It sounds like your overall quality of life at the moment is very good and it would be a huge gamble to change anything radically.

You sound a bit bored and it's all too familiar. Is there any further liklihood of progression or a sideways move to give you a bit of a change. I moved jobs (sideways) after many years in the same organisation and it gave me an energy boost and confidence I could succeed somewhere else and that was good for me. I wouldn't concentrate on reinventing yourself as you can only be yourself where ever you go. Nothing wrong with casting around for a change of role but you sound like your in a situation that works well practically at the moment.