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How much is a good wage?


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You won't find happiness chasing money,. Im happy but **** poor compared to these figures being bandied about.

 

Look for something that genuinely interests you, if it requires qualifications you may earn more but I wouldnt swap with anyone at my particular place in my life. I certainly wouldn't want to stand in front of a room.of schoolkids, live under the sea or add up for a living, but I bet not many would enjoy what I do either.

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Money? Pah.

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Indeed, I really can't understand people who aren't motivated by money. Having money doesn't make you happy, but it's far nicer to know you're secure and not scratching around for money at the end of every month.

 

Have a look at the good ole "Maslow's Hierachy of Needs".

 

Once you get past the Physilogical & Safety levels, then Love, Self Esteem and Self Actualisation can take many forms (not just material or monetary wealth).

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I hate Maslow. Spent ages slagging off that model in essays, then read his original paper and realised he never put the damn things in a pyramid anyway. Still ******** though.

 

Trying to sum up the wants and needs of a few billion different people rarely works easily.

 

You probably have a point, but to be honest I was merely trying to summarise that of course people need a level of wage to provide the basics - security, housing, food, clothing etc - but after that individuals ways and needs to fulfill their own happiness, self esteem, drive, fulfilling your potential, desire etc can take a myriad of forms, with many not involving a desire for money or material wealth.

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The only people that say money doesnt make you happy are the ones that don't f*cking have any.

 

money doesnt make you happy, it makes life a bit easier though.

 

On subject, maybe graduates should look at working abroad maybe if thats not enough to live on? My employer is offering grads $90k a year out of uni (hence why I'm starting this Jan) and I'm living pretty comfortable with 3 cars etc on half of that at the moment. Im sure other countries are the same if you research them out.

Edited by skintsaint
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I've just graduated and am currently just working part time while I work out what I'm going to do. I don't regret going to uni, as for me it wasn't really about getting more spending power, but I don't think it's going to give me any particular advantage in the job market in the near future. Most of the graduate jobs I've looked at range from 18k to 25k a year, though my friend just took one for 16k a year, which for 40 hours a week seems unbelievably low. I don't really want to rush into something I don't really want to do, and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up doing something that has nothing to do with my degree. It's a bit depressing to think though that those 3 years and thousands of pounds worth of debt probably weren't worth it in monetry terms, but they were fun!

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I've just graduated and am currently just working part time while I work out what I'm going to do. I don't regret going to uni' date=' as for me it wasn't really about getting more spending power, but I don't think it's going to give me any particular advantage in the job market in the near future. Most of the graduate jobs I've looked at range from 18k to 25k a year, though my friend just took one for 16k a year, which for 40 hours a week seems unbelievably low. I don't really want to rush into something I don't really want to do, and I wouldn't be surprised if I end up doing something that has nothing to do with my degree. It's a bit depressing to think though that those 3 years and thousands of pounds worth of debt probably weren't worth it in monetry terms, but they were fun![/quote']

 

I left Uni in 2006 and got a job at Skandia on £18k. I was one of the highest earners of my mates. I almost got a job as an auditor for Ernst and Young, and that was starting on £15.5k!!

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money doesnt make you happy, it makes life a bit easier though.

 

On subject, maybe graduates should look at working abroad maybe if thats not enough to live on? My employer is offering grads $90k a year out of uni (hence why I'm starting this Jan) and I'm living pretty comfortable with 3 cars etc on half of that at the moment. Im sure other countries are the same if you research them out.

 

Got a link for application forms?

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Why go to all the trouble of becoming a doctor then?

 

That is probably the most depressing question I've ever seen anyone ask. Andy appears to be a good, intelligent lad. Of course he realises he will need to pay bills etc. What he's saying - and I completely agree with him - is that it doesn't appeal to him to be a multi-millionaire or anything. I would far rather be on a more average wage but in a job which I have a passion for and enjoy getting up for everyday. Of course, that sounds a bit like living in dreamworld and all jobs have their downsides, but I'd like to get as close as I can possible to it. A bigger wage would be a bonus.

 

For the record, I graduated a couple of years ago and have been very disappointed and struggled to find any "proper" work. Hopefully something good will come up soon, but in the meantime I'm happy in the knowledge that I have a good degree under my belt.

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That is probably the most depressing question I've ever seen anyone ask. Andy appears to be a good, intelligent lad. Of course he realises he will need to pay bills etc. What he's saying - and I completely agree with him - is that it doesn't appeal to him to be a multi-millionaire or anything. I would far rather be on a more average wage but in a job which I have a passion for and enjoy getting up for everyday. Of course, that sounds a bit like living in dreamworld and all jobs have their downsides, but I'd like to get as close as I can possible to it. A bigger wage would be a bonus.

 

For the record, I graduated a couple of years ago and have been very disappointed and struggled to find any "proper" work. Hopefully something good will come up soon, but in the meantime I'm happy in the knowledge that I have a good degree under my belt.

 

Poor lad, I'm sure you'll get over it.

 

For what's worth I was playing devil's advocate (as I often do on this forum), and I happen to try to live by the same philosophy, my current wage is way below my level of qualifications.

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Wage 25000

Tax 3505

NI 2132

Student loan 900

Net wage 18462

 

Monthly net income 1538

 

Average one bed flat 650

Council tax 100

Heating & elec 75

Broadband 10

Telephone 15

Water 40

 

Leaves you with 648 per month and thats before car tax, petrol, mot, mobile contract etc. and having a life. God forbid you want to save 100 pound a month or more for retirement.

 

Puts a wage of 25k in perspective

Edited by toofarnorth
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Wage 25000

Tax 3505

NI 2132

Student loan 900

Net wage 18462

 

Monthly net income 1538

 

Average one bed flat 650

Council tax 100

Heating & elec 75

Broadband 10

Telephone 15

Water 40

 

Leaves you with 648 per month and thats before car tax, petrol, mot, mobile contract etc. and having a life. God forbid you want to save 100 pound a month or more for retirement.

 

Puts a wage of 25k in perspective

 

OK, but you can get a nice flat for 500 with council tax - 70, negotiate a company car and all those costs go.

Live with a girlfriend who works and all your costs half again and then you can start saving cash properly.

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OK, but you can get a nice flat for 500 with council tax - 70, negotiate a company car and all those costs go.

Live with a girlfriend who works and all your costs half again and then you can start saving cash properly.

 

In Southampton you cant. And was basing this on a single graduate. However just imagine trying to support a wife and child on that wage almost impossible. The days of one working parent families are long gone for most people.

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Anyyway, its what you do with the money that makes ALL the difference. Intelligence does.not necesarily equal cleverness. I've known plenty mates earning well who will be owned by the banks til they die. Sad but true.

 

You simply can not measure quality of life by the age of your car, size of your house nor the times you've flown to exotic places. The big.question is at what age can you sit back and say, what I have I actually own. They don't teach common sense in imo unfortunately.

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Graduation gives you nothing more than an academic qualification and a probable appreciation of having to think for yourself. Even with vocational degrees like mine, you know precious little about the application of the job when you find yourself employed and the learning process starts again. However it does give you a leg up onto the bottom rung, but it has to be appreciated that there will be a number of years for young graduates where they need to apply their skills to progress.

 

I've worked with many graduates and had many work me. I have noticed their expectations of salary and benefits to be generally greater more recently. Now, whilst all are not the same, there is a definite increase in the "maximum salary, minimum effort" work ethic, even from very talented people who can achieve. FWIW i have had much more successs with placing post A level students through day release courses. There is a much better appreciation of the workplace and what is required to progress. Personally i will always look to employ these candidates over graduates.

 

This sounds like another boring snipe at graduates, which it isn't meant to be; there are a great many hard working, talented individuals who will excel given the right environment. Obviously they are all Saints fans ;), so good luck to you all seeking work. Just don't be too unrealistic in your targets. There are many good bosses out there who will reward hard work and endeavour.

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I left Uni in 2006 and got a job at Skandia on £18k. I was one of the highest earners of my mates. I almost got a job as an auditor for Ernst and Young, and that was starting on £15.5k!!

 

My low/mid twenty grand wage is (judging by the cars my mates drive, the watches they wear etc) one of the lowest in my peer group I would imagine. In fact only now is the Masters degree actually having any tangible benefit at work. This isn't a moan by any stretch, but it goes to show that for graduates who can't abide the thought of teaching or other public sector jobs there are high twenties/low thirties jobs out there if you go looking for it and like to work hard when you get there.

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Whilst I agree that having a reasonably well paid job can be important, surely it is not the be all and end all - surely having ‘enough’ money to live comfortably without having to struggle is surely the aim. I am currently in a job paying £18 grand pa; however, I do have access to a gym and I play golf/squash during my lunchtime for free. I work 38 (ish) hours per week and have a daily commute of 15/20 mins each way. This gives me time to myself and means that I can chillax when I get home.

 

Alternatively, my neighbour works in London and is paid £32 grand (salaried). He works shifts and commutes (by train) to work. When discussing this the other day we estimated that he probably spends in the region of 800-1000 hours commuting per year, which in itself equates to just short of 40 days per annum - he also pays his own transport costs which amount to around £2 grand. He rarely gets time to visit the gym, is constantly stressed and looks awful He also drinks to much and invariably eats quick and easy ‘ping’ food as he doesn’t have the time prepare some home cooked.

 

Now I concede he is earning over 40% more than me and he is the first to remind me about this; however, to me he seems to be existing rather than living and in my opinion quality of life should outweigh quantity every time.

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Now I concede he is earning over 40% more than me and he is the first to remind me about this; however, to me he seems to be existing rather than living and in my opinion quality of life should outweigh quantity every time.

 

Very true and if you wanted an anecdote then yesterday was perfect.

 

I halved my salary switching from accountancy (which included commuting to London) to teaching (local) and yesterday bumped in to a couple of colleagues on the train back from London.

 

They looked terrible, all stressed and moaning. I had just come back off a cruise, still had two weeks of my holidays left and was coming back from watching the 5th day at The Oval.

 

Much happier niw, even though I'm £40k lighter in the pocket.

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Whilst I agree that having a reasonably well paid job can be important, surely it is not the be all and end all - surely having ‘enough’ money to live comfortably without having to struggle is surely the aim. I am currently in a job paying £18 grand pa; however, I do have access to a gym and I play golf/squash during my lunchtime for free. I work 38 (ish) hours per week and have a daily commute of 15/20 mins each way. This gives me time to myself and means that I can chillax when I get home.

 

Alternatively, my neighbour works in London and is paid £32 grand (salaried). He works shifts and commutes (by train) to work. When discussing this the other day we estimated that he probably spends in the region of 800-1000 hours commuting per year, which in itself equates to just short of 40 days per annum - he also pays his own transport costs which amount to around £2 grand. He rarely gets time to visit the gym, is constantly stressed and looks awful He also drinks to much and invariably eats quick and easy ‘ping’ food as he doesn’t have the time prepare some home cooked.

 

Now I concede he is earning over 40% more than me and he is the first to remind me about this; however, to me he seems to be existing rather than living and in my opinion quality of life should outweigh quantity every time.

 

I can't believe he commutes that far for that little. I commute from Surrey, but wouldn't for that little, not financially viable.

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Very true and if you wanted an anecdote then yesterday was perfect.

 

I halved my salary switching from accountancy (which included commuting to London) to teaching (local) and yesterday bumped in to a couple of colleagues on the train back from London.

 

They looked terrible, all stressed and moaning. I had just come back off a cruise, still had two weeks of my holidays left and was coming back from watching the 5th day at The Oval.

 

Much happier niw, even though I'm £40k lighter in the pocket.

 

I was on a cruise last week. Where did you go?

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I was on a cruise last week. Where did you go?

 

Queen Elizabeth around the Med. Rome, Florence, monte Carlo, Barcelona and Gib. Very impressive boat and some fab memories (got a few great perks courtesy of Exit2 off here who greased some palms!!!).

 

Where did you go???

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I can't believe he commutes that far for that little. I commute from Surrey, but wouldn't for that little, not financially viable.

 

I agree with you there mate. I'd need to earn at least £20k more a year to even consider communiting to London everyday. A pal of mine used to do it, a lot of it was for the image of telling people he worked in London more than anything. He didn't earn that much more either.

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Queen Elizabeth around the Med. Rome, Florence, monte Carlo, Barcelona and Gib. Very impressive boat and some fab memories (got a few great perks courtesy of Exit2 off here who greased some palms!!!).

 

Where did you go???

 

The Norwegian Epic from Barca, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Naples and Majorca.

 

Fantastic new ship especially if you have young kids!

 

Queue jokes about public sector workers going on Cunard, whilst private sector workers have to slum it on NCL! Mind you, I've got your pension to pay for!

Edited by Johnny Bognor
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The Norwegian Epic from Barca, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Naples and Majorca.

 

Fantastic new ship especially if you have young kids!

 

Queue jokes about public sector workers going on Cunard, whilst private sector workers have to slum it on NCL! Mind you, I've got your pension to pay for!

 

'twas our honeymoon so we pushed the boat out and did something different!!! Next year will be back Tina months flashpacking somewhere. I fancy 5 weeks trekking from Finland down to Greek islands taking in Eastern Europe and then a week or so on a beach!!!

 

First time we've cruised and it was fabulous, just not sure I could justify the cost. For 12 days on QE we could have spent 5 weeks in SE Asia.

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Ha ha Steve, I forgot you were off to do the decent thing.

 

Glad to read it all went well and many congrats to you both

 

That reminds me. We have an inter club friendly on Sunday. Older players v younger players but struggling to see if any of the lads are interested. Plus presentation night on sat 10th sept but haven't heard if any of your lads team are coming along!!

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