AIBU to ask your career path

[ThatLovingPear]

I have just turned 40, very early in my career due to being a SAHP but I'm already at the top of where I can get in my workplace. It's in entry level data, and I'm on £28k. I have a Masters degree in English and hope for more money one day, but for somebody in their 40s and with just a few years work experience, I'm struggling to see a path ahead of me! It would be really helpful to see where you all started vs ended up to show the shift in careers that can and do happen! Bonus points if a rough wage is included :)

I did a degree in English (joint honours). Then a masters in social work having gotten work experience in the care sector and now am working at senior level earning 47k. I wouldn't advocate going into it.

I worked in a bank for 30 years doing all the normal banking back office stuff, left on redundancy and joined a small company, as admin assistant, made up to office manager in a year. Got made redundant through COVID and then joined another company as office admin, working my way up and am now executive assistant to 3 c suite members on 40k. I have no formal qualifications above O levels but am happy with where I am at now.

Social work is similar to the sector I'm in now, but I'm stuck in the admin roles without any other qualifications.

Good to know you can start as admin in some companies and work up. There is no progression at all in my current job, so perhaps I need to take a sideways shift to a similar job for similar pay and then work up somewhere else