Those of you earning six figures, what advice would you give to a 33-year old woman earning around £43k?

[YourFancyBeaker]

I’m genuinely curious about what made the biggest difference in increasing your income/career trajectory. Was it changing industries, moving jobs more often, specialising, negotiation, networking, management/leadership, taking bigger risks, location, confidence or something else entirely?

I know £43k is already a decent salary in many ways and I’m grateful for that. But I’m also very aware there’s a huge difference between earning a solid middle-income salary and building serious long-term wealth/security.

Would love to hear honest insights from people who’ve actually made the jump

What profession are you in and what qualifications do you have?

I went from earning about what you earn to about £100,000 by devoting myself to something I thought was really meaningful and important. Maybe that won’t always work, but it did for me.

Yes totally depends.

I retrained. It involved tough professional exams. Best decision I ever made!

Don’t give up work if you get pregnant. Say yes to opportunities even if you think you can’t do them. Be firm, direct others and influence & focus on outcomes.

Project/programme coordination within the charity sector currently. Degree and masters educated but not in a particularly “high earning” field, which is partly why I’m interested in hearing from people who significantly increased their income trajectory over time.

Aggressively seek and pursue jobs elsewhere to land more money. Dont show loyalty to any company you don't own.

Work hard at something you really believe in.
I’d also say, money is not everything. Health and wellbeing is far more important.

I agree, it depends. I was earning just over £100k in my mid-thirties as a high performer in a Big 4. I have a professional qualification, 10+ years of experience in a lucrative niche which did well and therefore gave excellent bonuses. I took a career swerve into the non-profit sector which was a big drop in salary but has now set me up for a more successful career in the private sector. I wouldn’t say I have specialist skills per se but I have deep subject matter expertise (which I’ve personally invested in - I self-funded a masters, for example, in a relevant topic that gave me an edge over others). I also focus a lot on building high quality relationships as that tends to lead to career opportunities in my sector. I should also say that I’m extremely passionate about my work and really believe in the purpose of what I do which I think does translate.

You’re in the wrong sector. Move in to programme management consultancy. Much higher salaries on offer.

First thing to understand. Really important this one or you'll be miserable on your 6 figure salary.....Why is that the goal? And why are you thinking about making life decisions based on a concrete goal rather than your values?
What are your values around work?
Doing interesting things? Being recognised as an expert? Contribution to society. Earning loads of money is not a value....
So that's my first top tip because working too your values means a less miserable working life and you'll likely to be more motivated and successful.
Pragmatically, the second question is then. Does the field your in have a reasonable amount of roles that pay that or above or is it only (by way of example) 3 people in the country who could earn that in your field? That's the first thing to understand because of it's the latter you need to restrain/move sideways.
Third. What are you prepared to trade/give up? Would you move geography every 3-4 yrs and loose social connections, work overseas, delay/not have kids a relationship/own a house....etc (again what are your values in these other areas).
The other tips are all very obvious...move for promotions etc etc. Plus a large dollop of luck and nearly always a very supportive partner (especially if kids are part of the picture)

Set up on my own. Earn double what I would if I was an employee.

I think it is about pursuing opportunities and once things are going well looking for the next thing. I think you can be loyal in large organisations - I’ve been at mine 15yrs but not done the same role for more than 2.5/3yrs - there have always been opportunities.

Learning to be a good manager and then leader of people really helps, particularly if you don’t have a specialist / technical skill set. Being curious, adaptable and thriving in a changing environment all make a huge difference too. Also over underestimate being cheerful, polite and getting stuff you boss wants done!

I do think you can work somewhere with purpose and earn well but very unlikely in the charity sector.

Believe me, I know. I’m trying.

The market feels really rough right now though, especially for roles where lots of people are trying to pivot into the same higher-paying spaces.

For me it was moving jobs. I went from 35k to 37k moving from public sector to private and then my next move, only 18 months later, was 65k. The move after that was when I jumped up to 100k (having only just returned from 15 months off which was a combination of mat leave and chemo). I am in my early 40s, the first move was 10 years ago. I have a law degree but the job I had in the public sector did not require that level of education and it’s probably the experience I have more than the degree I have that got me where I am now.

Get Project or Programme Management qualifications and move to the private sector specifically in insurance banking & finance. It’s where the big money is.

My advice would be:

Work FT. Do not be tempted to drop to PT. Although do think about the tax cliff edge at £100k. The tax band between £100k to £125k is brutal, and you’ll likely be stuck in it for a while.

Pay as much as you can afford into your pension. Jobs with 6-figure salaries tend to be quite demanding. You probably won’t want to do it until you reach state pension age.

Have a group of female friends who will have your back and talk you down when impostor syndrome rears its head.

I looked at which way the wind was blowing and followed that. Eg. Turned down a job in print advertising as a grad which at the time was soooooo glam/ fun with loads of jollies and free fancy lunches to work in tv advertising a sit was clear to me print was dying.

I changed jobs every 2 yrs or so (up or out) I also got counter offers when I was perfectly happy.

I was consciously strategically useful not just generally useful (ie. Ask yourself what's in it for me?)

Being lucky - right place right now does a lot

I also think networking and staying in touch is important.

For you I would say get out of charity ASAP.
Program management pays dollar... I will caveat i was heavily overpaid but i made 250k in 2025 as a program manager!

I know its tough but someone is getting those jobs. "It could be you" national lottery style....

Get a professional qualification. That’s what moves you up the salary.

I see how much everyone in the various businesses I've worked with earns due to my role. I would say

1. Professional qualifications help. Even if they don't change your day to day skills. They open doors and get you through CV screenings.
2. Industry makes a big difference. There is a much lower pay ceiling in creative or charitable industries.
3. Often pay rises come from changing companies and getting the next promotion a little quicker than internal moves (But some stable job history is also important so you can't do this too often).
4. Think about your skill set and work to those strengths.
5. If you have a specialist/definable industry build up contacts in it through chatting to suppliers, going to specialist events etc. you often hear of better work opportunities that way.

Move jobs - not too often but in my sector every 5years is good. Keep your cv up to date in between (update at least once per year) as it will make you see if your current role is giving you something back or not.
Ask your managers for real honest feedback and listen to it. Drag it out of them. Take it on board, be honest with yourself on your weaknesses and strengths and try to develop yourself.
Most of all - pick a job you enjoy. All jobs on 6 figures will require self-appointed work and work out of hours.

I can tell you what I did - I was earning £44k at the age of 30 and now earn significantly more.

moved companies every few years with extra £ each time
Negotiated ruthlessly every time I got an offer
didn’t stay out of work for any length of time even after children
cultivated connections, including recruitment agencies
contracted for a while
was really good at my job
found a niche and stuck to it

I agree with everyone who says get out of the charity sector.

Big companies pay big bucks so go for those jobs.

This is interesting - I think I’ve only ever gone for roles that were marginally above what I was earning (maybe up to 10k more) but probably needed to be braver and had a go at some bigger salary jumps.

In the charity sector you're only really going to make that sort of money by bringing money in. You might be able to get there if you focus on grant writing, or can develop good relationships with government decision makers. Otherwise I would look at putting those project management skills to use elsewhere.

The key is to choose a high paying sector. If salary is your priority move into finance. Possibly tech as well but I'm not personally familiar with it.