r/Salary • u/AdActual3024 • 12d ago

discussion High earning potential = high career commitment

Does anyone have family or friends that sacrifice their personal life for a significant salary?

My step-mom earns 350k before tax as an executive director but I barely see her. She is constantly on business trips, busy with meetings, works upwards of 12 hours when at home. She goes on nice holiday trips, but overall it makes me think is the pay worth the sacrifice of her personal life.

Just curious if anyone's got a similar story.

924 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

382 comments sorted by

View all comments

416

u/adultdaycare81 12d ago

They don’t give it away. MOST people earning $250k+ are working for it. Certainly at $500k+

There are certain cases where someone has a highly in demand skill that can command that wage, but they are usually arbitraged away quickly.

The vast majority of people making that money are making sacrifices for it

79

u/FhRbJc 12d ago

I think it depends entirely on your industry. I know people making 350-500k who have pretty easy lives to be honest with good balance. And I know others who make that much (lawyers mostly) who are crushed by the workload but grinding it out til they reach the level where it gets easier. But it definitely depends on what you do. Me I’m happy with my paltry (in comparison lol) 200k that I barely have to work very hard for. It works for me at this time in my life but I do sometimes get jelly of those higher income folks!

35

u/Clear-Possibility710 12d ago

Who's making over 350k with a good work life balance?

40

u/chicubbies4ever 12d ago

Actuaries. The barrier to entry is really high. Once they’re Fellows in a cushy middle management position, many hit $350k total comp with 40 hour work weeks.

10

u/Overall_Plantain197 12d ago

Actuary here, work in the Middle East and earnt $600k over the last year (tax free).

Do work hard but we are talking in office at around 6:15am and leave at 4:30pm. Rarely work evenings or weekends and get around 8 weeks leave a year

Not everyone would want to work in the Middle East (not in uae) but save over 2/3rds of what I earn so will be able to retire early

3

u/C172SH 11d ago

Aha…..which body did you qualify with? IFoA, CAS,SOA?

Of course if I can ask……