Why DONT you want to be well paid?

Would never work for under £50k lol that's poverty time, but I would certainly much rather do something I genuinely enjoy and make £100k vs. say becoming an investment banker and making £300k but hating my job. Now adjust that £100k figure depending on how much each person feels they need to live a good life, and you have your answer I think

How is £50,000 poverty?? My dad has a pension just above that and we can afford two long haul holidays a year and 3 houses.

I think they are jealous of us. When I talk about my holidays my granny always says "enough about you" and when we came back from 5 weeks in America this summer my aunt said we spent too long there and she'd hate to go there "because America is a dump". She hasn't even visited!

We aren't even rich! They don't like me talking about what I would like to achieve either. Apparently the likes of 6 long haul holidays is over ambitious.

This attitude is ingrained at school, apparently if you have the confidence to succeed your arrogant and should be humble.

This attitude is ingrained at school, apparently if you have the confidence to succeed your arrogant and should be humble.

A number of my extended family members have very high paying jobs in finance and I've seen the enjoyment and high standard of living that can be achieved by working hard and climbing up the ladder. I've always known money to be the source of happiness.

Money gives you the ability to sleep comfortably knowing you can pay all of your bills on time. It gives you the ability to buy your own home, car, food and clothing. It gives you the ability to send a great amount of money to those living in poverty in your parent's country and to provide for your parents and ensure they live very comfortably in old age. That is very, very important in my culture and I'm sure this is where the distinction lies between me and other British 18-24 year olds.

It's incredibly easy for a middle class, white, under-18 year old child to comment on how happy a £20,000 job following the completion of a lacklustre degree would make them because have yet to enter the real world. It's all fun and games until you realise you have no higher position to climb to, no significant increase in wage or the inevitable problem of caring for your parents in old age.

I really find it hard to understand why people go for low paid jobs when they seem to have the intellectual capability to aim for industries which are relatively well-paid.

I see students who have the credentials and the profile potential to enter industries such as law, investment banking being etc.. but instead choose to go into places such as teaching. Are they just lazy?

So if you do intend to get out of bed for a job that pays less than £50k a year and you're smart (i.e flawless grades/credible uni/strong ECs), why? what's your motivation?

inb4, "it's my passion".

SW & I could go back to where I interned this summer. Kept in contact with manager. Someone did exactly the same and is now on a full-time offer there and I'm like 90% sure I performed better than them the first time they interned.. but idk.. I'd rather get onto a 1st tier. This thread is just demotivating.. I hope I don't have 2nd thoughts on my career aspirations.

Initially I wanted to go into journalism but looking at earning potentials took over.. and I haven't the first clue of how to make journalism lucrative and I don't do a relevant degree for that career.

Why inb4 "it's my passion"

I'm training to be a teacher because it's what I've always wanted to do and it makes me happy.

I've been told I should have "aimed higher" and it's a possibility that I could have ended up in a job with better pay. But I didn't want to do anything else. For me, it's more important that I'm doing something I'm happy with than being in a job with a massive salary and it not being what I want to do

Because I have met a few investment bankers and they were all arrogant, annoying and if I had to spend my weeks around people like that, then I would go mad.

As for other industries like law, I would rather have a bit less money and less stress than more money and spend my life sleep deprived, looking haggard and feeling like I'm drowning in work.

Do you watch financial outlets like Bloomberg? Financial journalism can be pretty lucrative if you have the ability to develop a network of contacts in the city or connected to the rich. Plus as an economist or some such your analytical abilities will do you well.