The 5 year plan to £50k - Accomplished.

[jon86]

Well done OP, although the thread title is vague. Initially, I thought the thread was about how the OP was saved up £50k in 5 years; i.e. for something like a mortgage deposit on a house.

... I went from 13-15k a year to 6 figures in 2 years.

That's amazing!

 

[Begbie]

Not control of everything, but getting a job on 25K~ isn't difficult if you apply yourself. Depending on what you want to do of course.

Hell I barely applied myself and I'm on more than 25k, and it wasn't luck in anyway at all that I am. It was through me applying myself, and setting out to do such job.

 

[Housey]

You misunderstand. It's not the OP. It's how ****ed up the system is. That too (not necessarily the OP here though) how people manage to do the mental gymnastics to make themselves feel more valuable than someone working their backside off for a 1/5th of their wage.

Paycheques are not reflective of how 'bad', difficult or tedious a job is. If anything there seems to be an inverse in this culture where those that are paid the most, seem to do the least to deserve it. Congratulations, you shuffled a few numbers in a ledger and fired off a couple of e-mails. When was the last time you had to clean **** off a toilet bowel and not get paid for it?

If it was easy, do you think I'd have stayed? You really don't understand how miserable it's made me. I didn't have any other choice.

In five years I've lost my social life, had to constantly work shift-work, and rarely ever had a weekend. If I was in a 'proper' job and had sacrificed that much, I damn well guarantee you I'd be getting paid handsomely for it. But no, I've worked my rear-end off, not had any breaks and some ignorant people have the cheek to tell me it must be because I don't have a good enough work-ethic whilst they fail to look at themselves.

Frankly I have seen these sort of comments for over 30 years and usually it is due to the person you see in the mirror every morning, even though you seek to blame everyone else (colleagues, managers, the company, the system, family, friends etc etc) for your own lack of success, stress levels of feeling of worth or the fact everyone else seems to have it easy and you are the hardest working person in the company.

Until you realise that you decide how your career progresses and if you are in a company where you feel it is completely broken and will never let you get to where you want to get, that does happen, YOU can change it. Own your career and stop looking at others for why you are down trodden. We have all had crap jobs, we have all worked for poor managers and have felt undervalued at sometime, that is business, but you can change it, you do realise that?

 

[StonedPenguin]

Nice, Congrats on the promotion!

 

['Harry]

You misunderstand. It's not the OP. It's how ****ed up the system is. That too (not necessarily the OP here though) how people manage to do the mental gymnastics to make themselves feel more valuable than someone working their backside off for a 1/5th of their wage.

Paycheques are not reflective of how 'bad', difficult or tedious a job is. If anything there seems to be an inverse in this culture where those that are paid the most, seem to do the least to deserve it. Congratulations, you shuffled a few numbers in a ledger and fired off a couple of e-mails. When was the last time you had to clean **** off a toilet bowel and not get paid for it?

If it was easy, do you think I'd have stayed? You really don't understand how miserable it's made me. I didn't have any other choice.

In five years I've lost my social life, had to constantly work shift-work, and rarely ever had a weekend. If I was in a 'proper' job and had sacrificed that much, I damn well guarantee you I'd be getting paid handsomely for it. But no, I've worked my rear-end off, not had any breaks and some ignorant people have the cheek to tell me it must be because I don't have a good enough work-ethic whilst they fail to look at themselves.

I've been in your shoes. Lifting and shifting 20ton of meat a day 5/6 days a week for 8 years for 5.50 (agency) and then eventually moved up to 7.10 an hour (team leader for a shift of 30 making multi million pound calls on the fly)...it's ****. Plenty of folk here earn 30k+ and they answer emails and phones, and in reality their job amounts to next to nothing. That is life.

 

[dowie]

If it was easy, do you think I'd have stayed? You really don't understand how miserable it's made me. I didn't have any other choice.

In five years I've lost my social life, had to constantly work shift-work, and rarely ever had a weekend. If I was in a 'proper' job and had sacrificed that much, I damn well guarantee you I'd be getting paid handsomely for it. But no, I've worked my rear-end off, not had any breaks and some ignorant people have the cheek to tell me it must be because I don't have a good enough work-ethic whilst they fail to look at themselves.

I can understand jobs making people miserable etc... what I don't understand is not moving from those jobs - are you up north or in a small town or something? Or in some very specialised area where there are only very few employers?

On the face of it moving away from a 'near minimum wage' job should be easy to do in so far that there are plenty of jobs out there paying near minimum wage and the entry requirements aren't generally high. It perhaps gets more complicated if it is a specific area and jobs in that specific area are harder to come by - but then, after 5 years, if it is causing that much stress and no progress has been made then considering a different area might be an idea as there is also clearly a big opportunity cost in staying put in addition to the stress.

 

[Nix]

Not control of everything, but getting a job on 25K~ isn't difficult if you apply yourself. Depending on what you want to do of course.

Hell I barely applied myself and I'm on more than 25k, and it wasn't luck in anyway at all that I am. It was through me applying myself, and setting out to do such job.

And what if -- as is the case with a lot of people -- you don't know the answer to that question?

It's all well and good if you are lucky enough to know what you want -- doubly so at the point where you choose your qualifications -- and then follow the path. It's a little more awkward when you don't, in which case you'll tend to fall in to something and then run with it for a while.

 

[Brookert]

I think the trick is finding a company that actually gives a crap about professional development, and one who looks to current staff to fill roles rather than external ones.

 

[Housey]

It's lovely that you think society is meritocratic. Sadly, it really really isn't. We just all like to pretend it is.

Here's where luck plays into it, just to help you grasp it a little better.

"Most people can, [if] the opportunity exists"

That's not to say there aren't many individuals who cannot be bothered. But it's disgusting to assume that if someone is on minimum wage that must be because they haven't applied themselves.

People can soar only when they get a bit of wind to carry them first. If you don't get any wind, you miss take-off. That's chance.

Knowing someone who can land you that interview for that first crucial job is chance.

Clicking well with your interviewers, as opposed to having a personality clash. Chance.

Stumbling across that perfect job at the perfect time which lands you on your feet. Chance. Although there is some agency involved as you'd have to be looking initially.

It's the height of human egoism to assume that we're completely in control of anything.

Sorry but I don't agree with much of this, I think it is again someone seeking to find reasons for their own failings that support their rationale rather than fixing the problems that are stopping them. You control your life, most of the time, more than anyone else, assuming you are both able and healthy and not in prison. To think otherwise is misguided.

And what if -- as is the case with a lot of people -- you don't know the answer to that question?

It's all well and good if you are lucky enough to know what you want -- doubly so at the point where you choose your qualifications -- and then follow the path. It's a little more awkward when you don't, in which case you'll tend to fall in to something and then run with it for a while.

Qualifications for the VAST majority of people are far less important than experience. If you don't get the qualifications you want or think you need find a plan b and AGAIN, don't use it as a reason to be a failure.

 

[craptakular]

In my experience I showed a bit of grit, determination and spirit. I also bought some books and listened in to conversations in my first job post dole.

I got chatting a lot to a manager about the project and asset management, I didn't realise how senior he was until I got my second role at that company. He was one of the top!

He gave me the interview questions to my second job, told me to put him as a reference and the Operations Manager for area also had a word with the recruiting manager, it was a mix of good fortune, luck and my hard graft.

Third job at a new company came out of the blue, also a bit lucky, my first role was a fixed term, and towards the end of the contract a collegue gave me the contact details of a specialist recruiter for my industry. He said he didn't have anything for me then as I didn't have a lot of indstry experience but after my second role and 2 years later I did! He phoned me out of the blue and got me an interview for the same job I was doing but 25% more money! Get it...

In the new job I had direct experience from my old place and just excelled here, now I got promoted again, but I have worked hard and due to some lucky timing I have hit a period where some senior managers have left and there are a lot more junior people than me so much so that there is only me that stands out that isn't already a manager. Again some luck but also my hard work.

Prior to 2010 I felt like you Nix in my local government job, I questioned why I bothered with uni, I rang in sick a lot, didn't do my hours or much work when I was there, it was hell on earth in the public sector. They do nothing and just shuffle paper, I couldn't get my head around that so left for a career change.

 

[Nix]

Frankly I have seen these sort of comments for over 30 years and usually it is due to the person you see in the mirror every morning, even though you seek to blame everyone else (colleagues, managers, the company, the system, family, friends etc etc) for your own lack of success, stress levels of feeling of worth or the fact everyone else seems to have it easy and you are the hardest working person in the company.

Until you realise that you decide how your career progresses and if you are in a company where you feel it is completely broken and will never let you get to where you want to get, that does happen, YOU can change it. Own your career and stop looking at others for why you are down trodden. We have all had crap jobs, we have all worked for poor managers and have felt undervalued at sometime, that is business, but you can change it, you do realise that?

Don't you dare pin this on me. Do you see me blaming anyone? No. I'll be the first to hold my hands up and say I've been very unlucky. Circumstances screwed me over and I got a double whammy with mental illness.

You have absolutely no idea the hell I've endured just to be able to be where I am now.

Six years since graduating and after five years of grinding out a AWFUL job, I'm finally in a position where I can leave and I'm handing my notice in next week and I'm walking away without a job to go to. The job is a poisoned well and I am finally able to get away.

Of course I'd have loved to be able to have found a 'proper' job after university, but things didn't work out that way. I did all I could to get away given the circumstances, yet it still happened.

 

[Begbie]

And what if -- as is the case with a lot of people -- you don't know the answer to that question?

It's all well and good if you are lucky enough to know what you want -- doubly so at the point where you choose your qualifications -- and then follow the path. It's a little more awkward when you don't, in which case you'll tend to fall in to something and then run with it for a while.

Well then that's still a choice your making, your making a choice not to do something. Doing something is better than nothing, wasting time because your not sure what you want to do is time wasted sadly. Took me till 22 before I got a 'real' job, so I was in the same position.

I wouldn't say it's exactly what I want, because I don't even think I do. But I'm not sat worried about it, whilst I can still got on with a life.

 

[Housey]

I think the trick is finding a company that actually gives a crap about professional development, and one who looks to current staff to fill roles rather than external ones.

It helps no question, but there are plenty out there. My issue is with people who spend 15 years moaning about their company whilst STILL working there. If they company is crap, put a plan in place to find a better one. If your job is one of a kind and your skills difficult to transfer then put up with, re-train or appreciate you might need to go down to go up again.

 

[Nix]

Sorry but I don't agree with much of this, I think it is again someone seeking to find reasons for their own failings that support their rationale rather than fixing the problems that are stopping them. You control your life, most of the time, more than anyone else, assuming you are both able and healthy and not in prison. To think otherwise is misguided.

You control your actions, yes. But if you honestly think that chance doesn't play a serious role in our lives then you sadly are the one that's misguided. It's a major factor. From the people you meet, the interactions you have, to outcomes of unknowns.

We control far, far less than you think. All we can do is point ourselves in a direction and try and move a step at a time.

 

[Housey]

Don't you dare pin this on me. Do you see me blaming anyone? No. I'll be the first to hold my hands up and say I've been very unlucky. Circumstances screwed me over and I got a double whammy with mental illness.

You have absolutely no idea the hell I've endured just to be able to be where I am now.

Six years since graduating and after five years of grinding out a AWFUL job, I'm finally in a position where I can leave and I'm handing my notice in next week and I'm walking away without a job to go to. The job is a poisoned well and I am finally able to get away.

Of course I'd have loved to be able to have found a 'proper' job after university, but things didn't work out that way. I did all I could to get away given the circumstances, yet it still happened.

And

You control your life, most of the time, more than anyone else, assuming you are both able and healthy and not in prison.

I know NOTHING about you, purely what you are writing here on which I have to form a snapshot. I am very aware of mental illness however so please don't assume either. My point stands, there comes a time when you have to own the problem....assuming you are both able and healthy and not in prison

 

[Nix]

Qualifications for the VAST majority of people are far less important than experience. If you don't get the qualifications you want or think you need find a plan b and AGAIN, don't use it as a reason to be a failure.

But being able to find that experience can largely be a factor of chance!

 

[Housey]

You control your actions, yes. But if you honestly think that chance doesn't play a serious role in our lives then you sadly are the one that's misguided. It's a major factor. From the people you meet, the interactions you have, to outcomes of unknowns.

We control far, far less than you think. All we can do is point ourselves in a direction and try and move a step at a time.

So you believe that anyone who has succeeded more than you is down to chance or mainly because of chance? Really, that is your conclusion. Sorry you are 28 years of age and have (one hopes) many years of healthy living ahead of you and sadly if you don't start to appreciate that YOU have more influence than anything you are going to have a very unfulfilling life.

But being able to find that experience can largely be a factor of chance!

Crap.

 

[Pneumonic]

My issue is with people who spend 15 years moaning about their company whilst STILL working there.

Many of my friends are just like this.. they have all the energy to moan but never do anything about it.. always looking in never looking out..

Yes there is some luck involved in being successful financially.. But if we were to look at those who are financially successful on this forum I bet they all share a number of traits..

 

['Harry]

But being able to find that experience can largely be a factor of chance!

Indeed.

 

[Housey]

Indeed.

Crap.