I want to earn big pots of cash...

brokeinwales

OK, maybe that's a bit optimistic. But I was just reading the "young high earners" thread on a different board and realised how fed up I am of being in the "below average" earner bracket, and not feeling likely to ever get out of it. So I thought, semi-seriously, I might take a different approach - lets try and find out what jobs pay well and see what I'd have to do to get them. Partly just curiosity, but you never know, I might stumble across something that's a genuine possibility.

I've been drifting around google under various search terms "highest earning jobs" "top earning jobs" etc.... so far I am considering joining the police force, getting a maths degree, studying medicine, or becoming an MP. Or a bishop. Or a high end call girl (incidentally, the idea of any of these is probably pretty laughable to anyone who knows me...)

What do you have to do to earn a good wage (I'd count a decent wage as above about £25000 pa I guess)? Any ideas...??

Squibbles_2

Don't become a self-employed courier, for ecourier....

brokeinwales

Don't become a self-employed courier, for ecourier....

something tells me there's a story there!

paulwf

My best customers used to be in the medical or legal professions, market traders or gardeners. Seriously gardeners seem to have a huge amount of disposable income...most of it is cash in hand I guess.

dmg24

Is money going to make you happy?

spendaholiceejit

My DH is 27, on 38k a year, with a Car, as a Business Improvement Consultant. We live in NI, so that is a large salary. But seriously, do you really want a job like that? He barely sees us and I can see him working in his head when we do spend time together. The company that employs him own him. He is looking for something closer to home for less money and hours as he is missing the children.

brokeinwales

Is money going to make you happy?

No. But it might make me less unhappy.

actually, despite the post title, I don't really aspire to earn huge amounts of cash. Backstory - I'm 29 years old, I rent a room in a shared house, I don't own a car, can't afford to go out very much, live hand to mouth most months and have very little spare cash. I feel like earning £10 000 pa more than I do now would make me much happier. But not that £10 000 pa more than that would necessarily make for further improvement - if you know what I mean... I'd like to one day earn enough money to live in my own place, maybe have the odd holiday, be able to think about having kids before its too late - that kind of thing I guess.

Maybe if I actually had a job I liked I could put up with low pay, but how many people really like their jobs? Inversely - If I earned more I might feel better about hating work!

brokeinwales

ooh cripes, that last post made me sound like a right moaner. Sorry!

brokeinwales

paulwf wrote: »

My best customers used to be in the medical or legal professions, market traders or gardeners. Seriously gardeners seem to have a huge amount of disposable income...most of it is cash in hand I guess.

I would be a far better gardener than any of those other professions you mentioned.... There's a thought...

dmg24

brokeinwales wrote: »

No. But it might make me less unhappy.

actually, despite the post title, I don't really aspire to earn huge amounts of cash. Backstory - I'm 29 years old, I rent a room in a shared house, I don't own a car, can't afford to go out very much, live hand to mouth most months and have very little spare cash. I feel like earning £10 000 pa more than I do now would make me much happier. But not that £10 000 pa more than that would make for further improvement - if you know what I mean... Maybe if I actually had a job I liked I could put up with low pay, but how many people really like their jobs?

I would focus on doing something you enjoy and living to your means (easier said than done, but not impossible).

I used to have a well paid job. Like spendaholiceejit's DH, my whole life revolved around work. I now work as and when I want to (accounts, a bit of project management) and am back at uni doing my Masters. After my Masters I hope to do some research, which whilst enjoyable will not be very well paid (I may even end up self funding).

My outgoings are half what they used to be, but I still have nice holidays and go out when I want to. However, I don't go out nearly as much as I used to. I used to feel that I had to go out because my friends were, now I go out when I want to (and often don't drink when I do - a night out for less than £5!).

What do you do at the moment? What qualifications do you have? What do you enjoy doing?

dmg24

brokeinwales wrote: »

I would be a far better gardener than any of those other professions you mentioned.... There's a thought...

The more creative professions do tend to have much happier workers. I would do cross stitch all day if some machine operator couldn't do it ten times as quickly!