How realistic is it to get a job with a very good wage?

Thrugelmir

Find yourself a vocation you enjoy and give it a 110%.  Be bold. Be inquisitive. Learn from your peers. Be your own person. 

MEM62

Chiyo said:

I grew up with a work-shy single parent, and most of my friends work minimum wage jobs. I think the highest wage that I know of amongst my friends is 24k pa.

We don't have a choice in the environment that we are born into and grow up in.  Some are fortunate, other less so.  At some point we must take responsibility for our own future - although I appreciate that may be challenging where your background is disadvantaged and it is difficult to see any future other than one typical of those around you.       

Chiyo said:

I haven’t had a great start to life and I feel like a very good wage is completely out of my reach, that it’s just a world away and not a realistic dream for me to have.

That is not true.  Your life will be what you make of it. 

Chiyo said:

So how realistic is it? I’m intelligent enough and excel in all core subjects, but I have social anxiety and low self esteem so I’m not charismatic and definitely can’t sell myself to employers. Is the poverty cycle breakable for somebody like me, and is it ‘easy’ to do so long as I’m happy to put in all the hard work?

It is doable but it is not always easy.  Jobs that are better rewarded financially come with their own demands.  You are, effectively, rewarded for the skill set that you have and the responsibility that you assume.  Either way, do not let your background be an excuse. 

Chiyo said:

Any job suggestions would be really helpful too, no detail too small. I planned to head into finance as an ‘easy in’, but keep reading that the average wage is only about 30k pa.

Whatever you do you will have to deal with people to a greater or lesser degree. Even in a position that is not customer / client facing you will have colleagues to work with.  My wife's daughter also suffers from social anxiety and has been very successful at developing coping mechanisms.  She is now at university and is working as a barrister is a coffee shop!  The question that you need to ask is what do you enjoy doing, admin tasks, technical disciplines?  Answering that may suggest a particular direction for you to explore.    Finance is a big field and there are many positions that would carry salaries higher than £30K.  It depends on your level of qualification, which you can build over the years, and you seniority.    
     
 

Ath_Wat

Chiyo said:

Sorry, I meant that any education setting I’ve been in I’ve always found English, Maths, Science etc very easy to grasp. I just meant that I don’t have difficulty with academics so that wouldn’t stop me from pursuing anything or getting a degree done.

To what level have you pursued these? What are your highest current qualifications in Maths and Science?

A good maths or engineering degree from a  good university is always very marketable but without knowing where you are at the moment it's impossible to know if that's a realistic ambition.

[Deleted User]

If I were in your position I'd consider doing one of the digital skills bootcamps the government is running at the moment - full list here. 

These are free and can give you a start to get into an IT career. It's feasible if you work hard at this to get a well paying job without a degree.

NBLondon

Chiyo said:

but I have social anxiety and low self esteem so I’m not charismatic and definitely can’t sell myself to employers. 

This could be the crucial point.  For anything above straightforward manual labour/factory work/entry-level retail there will be some need to sell yourself to an employer.  I hate doing it but it's pretty much unavoidable.  Unless you have some form of technical skill which is very much in in demand.

Accountancy exams via an apprenticeship route is a good possibility but remember to get an apprenticeship, you still have to get the job first.  The fact that you are going for it now despite health issues and difficult background shows determination but you will need to get that across.

Good Luck!

Grumpy_chap

Chiyo said:

I’ve always found English, Maths, Science etc very easy to grasp. I just meant that I don’t have difficulty with academics so that wouldn’t stop me from pursuing anything or getting a degree done.

Here's an article that shows the degrees that lead to more (or less) financial reward.  It is a bit old but I don't think any of the fundamentals about which careers offer greater rewards are changed:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-41693230

If you were to pursue a degree building on your capability in maths and science, you can see that you could very realistically make it into the top earning professions.

MalMonroe

Hi, you say "I’m intelligent enough and excel in all core subjects, but I have social anxiety and low self esteem so I’m not charismatic and definitely can’t sell myself to employers" which is a very contradictory statement. You have high enough self esteem to realise that you are intelligent and excel in all core subjects. And that is a good thing. More confidence will come when you have more training and experience in life as well as in employment.

But the thing that concerns me now is you have a preschool child and when you're single, it's really difficult to study and look after children. Do you have help with childcare? Having been in a very similar situation, I would really advise waiting until your child is in school before starting on any education. You could use this time to do extensive research. Use google - it's a great research tool. Find out what you'd like to do and then find out how to attain your goal. Hopefully something that you really enjoy that pays well. If you do have childcare, you could try taking on a job just for experience of being an employee such as working in a supermarket or in a small shop, anything to give you some experience and something to put on your CV. The pay won't be good but you may make friends with others and that also will give you confidence. You don't have to start out earning big bucks. Just don't forget to enjoy the time you spend with your child, that will fly and before you can blink twice, they'll be leaving school! 

You could try university but there are other things such as NVQs and apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are good because you are paid while you learn (not much to start with but it's worth it in the end). The trouble with apprenticeships is that you usually have to work at least 35 hours a week, which I would have found impossible with a small child. Your child really does deserve to spend time with you.

You are so young yet, I managed to get a 2.1 BA Hons degree when I was much older than you.

Sometimes, as with the NHS - where I worked for a good number of years - you can be trained on the job and it's better wages. They always seem to be advertising jobs - full and part time - at least in my area - and you can start at the very bottom and work your way up their grade system.  You just need determination and enthusiasm.  And if you can talk, I'm sure you can get through an interview at basic level. 

If you want to fly higher, there's nothing stopping you - except maybe being a responsible parent in your child's formative years. 

Here's a link that may interest you - https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/

But have a general good old google!  You have ambition, and that's half the battle won. 

Marcon

Maybe a more useful question would be how easy it is to get a job you'd enjoy. People who aren't happy in their work rarely rise to the top, whereas those who are have much better prospects, both in terms of career and personal happiness.

Your posts are littered with reasons why you might not succeed - but not one of them is insuperable. Don't be the person who fails because they spend more time looking for reasons why they can't succeed than the one who hunts for a route to their goal. You have to work out a plan which works for you and your particular circumstances, and that's no easy task.  A young child is a huge commitment in terms of time, cash and energy, so it may be that you can't launch the life plan for a few years - but you can spend those years planning and doing a little gently studying of something (anything) which really interests you, to get yourself back into the study habit and the discipline that is needed to stick to it.

You might think about working for yourself - there are plenty of inspiring stories online, many of who seem to come from far less promising starts in life than you.

Good luck!

Savvy_Sue

Marcon said:

Maybe a more useful question would be how easy it is to get a job you'd enjoy. People who aren't happy in their work rarely rise to the top, whereas those who are have much better prospects, both in terms of career and personal happiness.

That's true. I'm sure I could have been a much higher earner, but I've prioritised jobs I've enjoyed, compatible with being home for the family when needed.

kimwp

Look into software related jobs.