Career Tips: Maximise Your Earning Potential

Pic from pixabay

When you are just starting out in your career, the world is, in effect, your oyster. You have a tremendous amount of opportunity in front of you, and a lot of money that could end up in your pocket over the course of your working life. Unfortunately, however, life never pans out quite how we might expect, and there will be a variety of pitfalls and stumbling blocks that get in your way. It’s down to you to manoeuvre your way around these issues, to ensure that your career prospects and earning potential aren’t affected. Here are some tips that will help you do just that!

Know your industry

You might have a deep knowledge of your job role, but you’ll need more than that if you want to max out your earning potential. You have to know your industry, too. The vast majority of sectors will always experience fluctuations and economic shifts, and there’s a chance you will end up stuck in a role that is going nowhere, fast. Think globally, too. The modern worker needs to have their eyes on the ball to ensure they are capable of working on a world stage – being able to move around to different countries will help you earn a lot more than sticking around in your home city.

Try London

Capital cities tend to pay a premium salary. So if you want to earn the most, your job role has to offer, heading to London is one of your best bets. Plus, once you are earning a certain pay grade, no one will expect you to take a pay drop, so once you have ‘done your time’ in the capital, you can move elsewhere and take your high wage with you.

Always be learning

Never stop educating yourself, as the second you do, your earning potential will stall. You should always be looking to take the next step up, regardless of how comfortable you are in your current role. If you have an engineering degree, look for a Master’s-Level engineering programs online or at a local college – or maybe even a Ph.D. If you are a nurse, look to take up training to become a sister – or even get a doctorate in nursing and start going down the research route. And whether you are a mechanic, a chef, or a builder, always be on the search for new ways of working, and embrace as many training opportunities as you can within your niche.

Learn to network

You can learn as much as you like, but ultimately the money goes to people in the know – the savvy people that know how to network. You have to be able to market yourself both inside and outside your company and start to garner an industry-wide reputation. Working for industry-leading companies can help, of course, but so can speaking at industry trade fairs, starting a blog, or even setting up an industry association.

Learn to manage

No matter how skilled you are in your role, you will find that after a few years of progression, your earnings will plateau. To take the next step, you should be looking at finding a new career, or learning how to manage people. Once you can do this, your combined set of skills will help you up towards the top steps of the ladder – and you may even be able to step across to other ladders. Good luck!