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<\/p>\nFOR many of us the goal of life is to work hard and hopefully someday earn more than our parents did at our age.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although it is easier said than done with soaring inflation and rising house prices, one woman is proving you can achieve big no matter where you come from.<\/p>\n
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Suzanne Samaka, 35, from Hertfordshire says she fell into banking and now she can afford a lifestyle which was drastically different to the one she had growing up.<\/p>\n
Suzanne said she never really considered herself an academic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cI was more interested in the social side of school than anything else. I managed to get fairly good grades with minimal work.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI enjoyed learning and continue to do so, just not in a formal academic way. I am very much more an example of on-the-job training.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she finished school, Suzanne never even considered going to university because of her family\u2019s finances.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said: \u201cMoney within my family confirmed that I didn\u2019t want to go to university.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am from a family with a low socioeconomic background and was brought up solely by my mum who worked several jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t want to put my family under financial pressure and also wanted to earn my own money as soon as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n After school, Suzanne went in search of a job and she fell into banking by chance.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI started working as a cashier in the branch, I love people and talking to new people so it felt like a good place to start.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI was earning around \u00a3900 a month back then.\u201d<\/p>\n Suzanne said she fell in love with working in banking straight away,\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI really enjoy my job as it is the perfect mix of working with different people and being the expert and problem solver.\u201d<\/p>\n But she has no idea just how far she could go in the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI\u2019ve always enjoyed working for the bank in every role I\u2019ve done. It has always predominantly focused on people which is where my core skills lie.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWorking in banking for 18 years has made me very proud.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the past 15 years, Suzzane worked her way up the ranks in banking to a role where she is now earning around \u00a365,000 a year.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI am now a corporate relationship banker working with large corporations to give guidance and support with their cash and liquidity management.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI love my job now I get to with different people, internally and externally and every day is different.\u201d<\/p>\n However, despite her success, Suzanne revealed her job does come with some sacrifices<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI\u2019m working around 40 hours a week and now that I have two kids a lot of the admin work required for the job is done once they are in bed.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the hours, Suzanne confessed her job comes with a range of perks and most importantly she can support her family.\u00a0<\/p>\n Suzanne can take her daughters, Enya aged 4 and Betsy aged 2, on holidays she could only dream of as a child.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said: \u201cMy take-home pay is in excess of \u00a33k per month. This enables me to have a very different lifestyle for my family and me than I had growing up.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe take regular holidays throughout the year and I really enjoy creating memories such as Christmas and birthdays.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI never have to worry about buying things that myself or the kids need.\u201d<\/p>\n But old habits die hard and as a banker, Suzanne is an avid saver.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said: \u201cHaving grown up in a family with limited money made me a saver so by habit I am still very careful with the finances.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Suzanne admitted her career may have been a little easier with a degree, she doesn\u2019t think she missed out.\u00a0<\/p>\n She said: \u201cThe route in may have been easier as I may have had the chance to get on a graduate programme rather than work my way up, but I certainly wouldn\u2019t have as much internal knowledge if I had!\u201d<\/p>\n Suzanne added: \u201cUniversity isn\u2019t the be-all and end-all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSome people\u2019s strengths lie in academia and some people's strengths lie in anything other than academia.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cPlay to your strengths and be proud of your background or anything that differentiates you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt helps you stick out in people\u2019s memories, which I have only found positive and helpful to my career.<\/p>\n Suzanne has some helpful advice for aspiring bankers.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cThere are so many roles, focus on your strengths and find one that matches these or what you enjoy doing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDo not be put off by your preconceptions about what you 'should have' to do work in banking.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe need much more socioeconomic diversity and I am an ambassador for our internal Employee Resource Group called Inspire which is focused on supporting people who identify as coming from a low socioeconomic background.\u201d<\/p>\n Big companies, such as banks, often have a range of development schemes and training opportunities that can help workers who start in entry-level roles work their way up through the company.<\/p>\n Some of the top apprenticeship schemes are offered by Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group, Natwest and Santander.<\/p>\n All of these schemes will pay at least the minimum wage but some go up to \u00a329,000 a year.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n If you are interested in getting into banking you might want to consider a banking apprenticeship or banking degree apprenticeship.\u00a0<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/newspress-collage-gugr2ijmw-1701257996452.jpg\")
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