Anyone gone from earning a very good salary to minimum wage?

[rememberitalltoowell]

Either through choice or redundancy or work/life balance after children?

I'm really struggling to find any role anywhere near my old salary that works with two young kids, and finding myself having pretty negative feelings of being a failure. We can pay our bills, so it's not a disaster, but I feel like my career has pretty much gone to shit since kids.

Interested to hear other people's experiences! How do I get away from getting all my self worth through work?

but I feel like my career has pretty much gone to shit since kids.

Yep, mine too. I work 2 days a week now, that is all that I (we?) can fit in around DH's more-important-than-anything-else-ever job. 🙄 My career has definitely taken a back seat and stagnated since kids! Which is infuriating because I worked SO HARD to get my qualifications and launch my career comparative to DH who just walked into a job and landed on his feet effort free.

My story is probably a bit different but it's something that could happen to absolutely anyone!
I had a similar salary to you working FT (same for DH) ... I'm now a bit above minimum wage and do 30h/week.

We both lost our jobs through covid and found it difficult to get back on track. DH has a job that pays about 2/3 of his old wage.
For me, I had an accident a few years ago, as a result I couldn't go back to the work I was doing due to an ongoing health issue. I tried similar jobs in the field, but it didn't work out, again due to my health issues... so here I am, having to accept my limitations. My current job is fine, I work in a non clinical role for the NHS and like it. (I also did a stint in retail and worked as a cleaner.)
On the plus side, I threw myself into cooking and learning about nutrition. Now that the DC are older teenagers, I have started to do a regular hobby.

Life is ok, but it took a few years to accept and adjust to the new me as so many things I took for granted are off limits- sometimes due to health sometimes due to money.

Always remember, happiness comes in many different packages!

"Happiness comes in many different packages". Love that! I have a tendency to catastrophise and always jump to the worst possible scenario (that I'll never be able to find a job ever again)

Yes your worth isn't your job. My mother said to me, on your deathbed, will you have been happy you worked non stop and didn't see your children or have many memories with them etc and she was right - helped me accept a more humble life and I'm happier for sure.

I left a job I hated to retrain I was on 42k when I left
1st year of retraining-25k
2nd yr- 28k
3rd yr -31k
1st yr qualified-40k
promotion after 1.5 years -50k

it was worth it it in every way.

What did you retain in? It's something I'm definitely open to!

I left a job (due to redundancy) which gave me an amazing package, paid off my mortgage so I didn’t have that outgoing and took a just above minimum wage hourly paid job.

I’ve never been happier.

Happiness is the most important! Glad it's all worked out for you.

Yeah. Earned £30 an hour 11 years ago. Became a SAHM for 8 years, went back to a different job at NMW. No biggie for us though (we dont need my income) and I enjoy being out of the house doing something for me again.

Sort of? I left a very highly paid but hideous job and set up my own business. Sold my house, my car, basically everything I owned and lived on fresh air and panic for about 5 years!! Could have all gone very horribly wrong but fortunately it didn’t and I’m happier now than I’ve ever been.

I took redundancy while on mat leave with the plan to eeeek it out until little one went to school but saw an absolute belter of a job that was perfect for me I couldn’t not apply only 19.5 hrs a week….. so a massive difference I do miss the disposable income but I’m learning to be a bit more savvy and have started saving for things like DH big birthday next year already! And have some of my redundancy bridge the gap if I need to!

This new job is worlds away from what I did with the local council so the pension is quite good and it is an amazing job that fits around my little girl and I genuinely absolutely love!! It has been hard going from somewhere I’d been for decades and knew inside out to being the new girl but I’m finally finding my feet!

So happy for you! I'm looking for something to fit around my DC too.