The 5 year plan to £50k

[ChrisD.]

I’m based between Gloucester and Cheltenham, so travelling into London isn’t really favourable. I’m more than happy with what I earn now and where I live so I see no reason to move. I may go permanent down the line once the mortgage is paid off however I dislike the constant politics, appraisals and all the other nonsense that goes with it. I just want to turn up, do my job and go home. Unless I got into pre sales or similar I guess.

 

[Jez]

Agreed, out that far you stand little chance of a permanent salary ever making much sense. Stick with the contracting, it is the only route i have out in Oxon, too, if i wanted to try and work in the local area. No bad thing, as you say, it avoids all of the unnecessary politics of a permanent position.

 

[ObSene]

That's good money. The problem with perm roles (imo). Is that you have very little freedom... Yeah you have 35 days off, a pension, security and all that jazz. But you could never going to work one day. Hand in your notice and not show up the next day - well I guess you could but the consiquences would be dire lol

Perhaps I'll consider going perm when I have a family of my own. Until then I'm not looking back. For me becoming a contractor was the best career decision I ever made

I like the stability of a perm role, I have 3 kids so feel safe knowing where my next paycheck is coming from. But I guess I'm lucky earning that as a permie, as ChrisD mentioned, if the alternative to contracting was a 50k perm role, I'd being contracting as well.

Maybe once the kids have have left home I'll give contracting a go, working 7-8 months a year and having the rest off to travel with the wife.

Tough decisions

 

[malachi]

Nice, seems like automation which is done by scripting is the way forward for high end jobs.

 

[Ev0]

That’s another reason I like pre sales, my employer doesn’t care where I live as I’m either working at home or out seeing clients, and I have lots of flexibility on how I work.

I’m lucky in that I’m not out all the time, might spend a week at home, then next week a day or two out somewhere, occasional over night stays etc but nothing bad.

So I get the benefits of living where I want without the worry of having to settle for a much lower ‘local’ salary as it’s pretty poor down here in the South West.

 

[randomshenans]

For people who are contracting in areas of technology(not necessary IT) what do you all do?

Currently an ASM for a really **** tool. It's a pile of *****.

 

[Steedie]

For people who are contracting in areas of technology(not necessary IT) what do you all do?

Automation Consultant. Although companies don't seem to see that as an official title once I get the job, so I'm always just labelled as an automation engineer or automation lead

Basically go in to companies with little to no automation and build them a framework or tell them what to do with their existing tools/frameworks. I love it, I really do. 4 years ago when I was a perm, I hated my job and wanted out of IT. Now I'm contracting, I really do enjoy it as I get to basically go in the direction I want too with my work. And I get great satisfaction out of coaching people in manual testing roles and seeing them get involved with automation

 

[Nitefly]

Sorry if this has been suggested already, haven't read all 95 pages - but you could become an air traffic controller.

Several ways to get into it, I self-sponsored my training but I believe NATS are recruiting currently which minimise financial outlay on your part.

Interesting. Is this a job where you can annoyingly get sent to any arse end of the country on qualification?

ATC is actually a job I've looked at as an extreme career change. Although the reason I would be leaving is 'too stressed' so perhaps not

 

[Delvis]

I’m based between Gloucester and Cheltenham, so travelling into London isn’t really favourable. I’m more than happy with what I earn now and where I live so I see no reason to move. I may go permanent down the line once the mortgage is paid off however I dislike the constant politics, appraisals and all the other nonsense that goes with it. I just want to turn up, do my job and go home. Unless I got into pre sales or similar I guess.

Maybe this is wherein going wrong, hateoffice politics and just wanted do my job and get paid

 

[Buffman]

Maybe this is wherein going wrong, hateoffice politics and just wanted do my job and get paid

Didn't you post a similar thread to this circa 2010 delvis then not deliver on acting on the advice/advancing career/changing field?

I have no idea about the field, appreciate it's difficult, and that I sound like a **** but I'm sure I've read this a lot from you.

Can you not just get better (cv wise) at whatever it you do?

 

[Delvis]

Didn't you post a similar thread to this circa 2010 delvis then not deliver on acting on the advice/advancing career/changing field?

I have no idea about the field, appreciate it's difficult, and that I sound like a **** but I'm sure I've read this a lot from you.

Can you not just get better (cv wise) at whatever it you do?

Probably, I'm an extreme synic about myself.

2010 would have been after I was made redundant and was fleeting from a few temp jobs.

I've never been confident in portraying what I'm good at, I just goto work and solve IT problems so don't rate myself at all.

 

[Jez]

Maybe this is wherein going wrong, hateoffice politics and just wanted do my job and get paid

Become a contractor then, office politics just wash over as you are not part of the permanent team and have no longer term interest.

 

[skyripper]

I just goto work and solve IT problems so don't rate myself at all.

Some of us made a career out of "fixing problems".
Mine evolved into "Preventing the Stupid".

 

[ChrisD.]

I'm down to 60% LTV in under 4 years from 5% by 'turning up and fixing problems'. Problems which have mainly caused by inept, long term serving, stuck in their ways, begrudged and contractor hating dinosaur permies.

 

[Delvis]

I'm down to 60% LTV in under 4 years from 5% by 'turning up and fixing problems'. Problems which have mainly caused by inept, long term serving, stuck in their ways, begrudged and contractor hating dinosaur permies.

LTV?

 

[Jez]

LTV?

Hes paid his mortgage down quickly, alluding to contracting on the whole paying rather better than permanent positions.

 

[glenimp617]

1998 £7.50 p/h- Left college with no qualifications, did a few market research roles (telephone interviews) for a couple of years, didn't really stick with anything

2000 - £12k - Joined a 1st line support desk, pay was ok, but was made redundant after a year. I would not work for another 2 years.

2004 - £12k - After hitting a serious spate of depression, pulled myself out of it somehow and started looking for work, found another 1st line support desk role, about 2 hours away from home. This would be the turning point...

2005 - £16K - Moved to a new contract within the same IT service company, now covering a helpdesk for a global financial/media company, this time only 20 mins walk from home. Apart from the shorter distance, there was also the possibility of eventually working directly for the new company (this would take longer than expected)

2006 - £18K - Promoted to team leader, was **** at it and hated it, ended up losing 6 stone due to the stress.

2007 - £25K - IT company lost the contract, was TUPEd to the new company that won the contract, I had already been looking to make a move, however due to my knowledge the new company offered me more money and a progression path to my preferred role of a Technical Project Manager. For once the company actually kept their promises and I moved to the TPM role within 4 months.

2012 - £39K - After 3 attempts, finally get a roll working directly for the company as a FTE. New role was a Technical Service Manager; I had my own set of accounts, and looked after various financial products.

2017 - £50K - After a number of years in the TSM role, given more responsibility, which included looking after a number of T1 banks. However, the wage disparity within the team was too great, with differences in the region of 20K. Nothing was likely to ever be done, so I decided it was time to leave after being here for 12 years (contracting + FTE).

2017 - £72K - Found a role at a rival firm, now doing Technical Pre-sales, this is a smaller organisation and longer hours, and the work is tough. However, it was a change that needed to happen, and since I am out of my comfort zone, I have learned a lot while being here. I do miss the old company sometimes, but that was more to do with the culture. This was quite a jump in salary, but as they always say, never disclose what you are currently on, always state that they should pay you what the role is worth to them.

2018 - £74k - Thinking about my next step, not sure whether to specialise further or go down the management route. I think I have another year or two here before I start looking. I do know that I won't move unless I secure a role that is at least close to £100K. It's always been a goal of mine, and to be honest 15 years ago, I never would have thought I would have made it close to that.

That's a very similar story to mine. Small differences at the start, but I too left school with no qualifications (hated the school I went to) and thought I would never make anything of myself. Ended up staying at a company working in IT for far too long doing nothing paticularly exciting. The money was ok though. Finally took a proper shake up to make me leave and within 8 years across two different companies I have tripled my salary. It's nice to look back on my old work colleagues and realise what a proper bunch of jealous idiots they all were. Funnily enough, they are all still there, moaninig about the same old things. Life really is for the taking.

 

[Kreeeee]

I do know that I won't move unless I secure a role that is at least close to £100K. It's always been a goal of mine, and to be honest 15 years ago, I never would have thought I would have made it close to that.

£100,000 in 2003 is the equivalent of £150,307.61 in 2017, and probably more in 2018. You would need to be on over £150k a year to meet your £100k a year goal from 2003 in terms of buying power.

The good news is if you don't get any pay cuts against inflation, and the average rate of inflation stays the same, then you will be on £100k in ten years without receiving a pay increase.

Source: https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator

 

[DarrenM343]

Funnily enough, they are all still there, moaninig about the same old things. Life really is for the taking.

Yep, that's often the case. I've had some people have a go at me in the past due to earnings etc. My simple answer was "then do the same thing". Many of course choose not to but continually moan about being under paid etc. Few dont want to take the risk but just want it to land in their lap.
I had a crap job for too long then moved into the IT field and formed a career. I've always found the lives most live fairly boring (ie, get married, kids), always hated the 9-5 thing, and doing it until 65+, so one of my goals has been to get into a position where I work because I still want to. I hit that goal over recent years. That has actually made the daily grind more bearable and if working with a company directly I take more risks now too.

 

[Ayahuasca]

Yep, that's often the case. I've had some people have a go at me in the past due to earnings etc. My simple answer was "then do the same thing". Many of course choose not to but continually moan about being under paid etc. Few dont want to take the risk but just want it to land in their lap.

Usually means they aren't confident in their skillset, or at the very least, being able to sell it to someone else at an interview. There's millions of people in positions who are doing fairly poor work just as a means to get by and they know it probably wouldn't rub off anywhere else as your work is usually scrutinised during a probation period, comfort is the enemy of progress and all that.

Similar story here in my earlier years of employment, I use to seek comfort going in to work and lament anything challenging or that caused anxiety. Now I know if you don't have that on a regular basis there's little point being there and it's time to move on otherwise you're just stagnating or regressing as there's plenty of people who'll put themselves in that zone.