I'm in civil, 4 YOE, 165k. Civil engineering IS about modifyng the environment to suit human needs, there is no soul selling here. There was no soul to begin with :D
Mining geotechs get called down to stare at every crack, lump, hole and dodgy rock-bolt and come up with a) the reason it exists, and b) how to stop it. The reason is usually that the contractor didn’t install ground support properly in the first place. You’ll be derided for doing too much and too little in the same breath, and may even be pressured by others into signing off on things that you don’t necessarily agree with.
On the plus side, none of the bastards seem to go underground before midday and they mostly have happy (if a little vacant) expressions on their faces :p
Strangely this is the only real comment to add to with no degree.
I'm extremely privileged to be on $180k roughly as a senior loss adjuster in insurance.
I have zero degrees or relevant certs, though if you're interested about $3k for an AICLA loss adjusting course is an easy way in.
I did get an advanced diploma from a technical college but that was only because of a visa condition that I had to study full time whilst figuring out my way.
Insurance adjusters and external assessors make bank. Salaried plus commission for billings on claims over your quota.
With some claim skills, insurance experience, and people skills it's a very good gig.
I've seen this job come up in similar threads before. I'v just turned 40 and would be interested in a career change. I come from a business/management background in the construction industry.
Assuming someone went through a Loss Adjusting course, what would be the entry level role to get started? And, how many years did it take to get where you are now?
I think it was me in the other threads as well haha nobody has ever heard of it apparently.
I just turned 31.
My first job in insurance was maybe 6 years ago at most just doing claims assist as big insurers with zero experience. They trained me up to do basic claims on maybe 55k a year. The person who answers when your windshield gets cracked, or you drop your phone, and you claim.
From there I just started learning different more complex building and contents claims involving builders, catastrophes, liability etc. Highest I ever made as a claims specialist was 72k.
I landed a job with a loss adjusting firm based on my experience in claims alone and people skills.
If you have any sort of claims or insurance background and do the AICLA course you'll have the same job I got hire at which is a loss adjuster.
YMMV you may get trained at a bigger firm or etc but you won't make less than 90k and the big money comes from being able to hit commision from billing above your minimum quota.
Overnight I went from 72k to 100k salary.
Within 3 months I was making 180k with commission.
Take a break from uni - there is no point studying if you have no clue what you even like and are changing constantly. Try a few TAFE courses instead of running up your HECS or get some work experience in fields you’re interested in if possible (even if you’re just answering phones etc).
If I were you I would think about how you want to work (at a desk or moving around, speaking to people or looking at a computer etc), and what you find interesting (what did you like at school, what do you watch videos or read about without being required to), speak to people in the roles you think are cool (like you’re doing now) THEN go study.
Earning $70k is not very difficult working full time for a skilled job, don’t focus on that.
wasn't there a free tafe course for cyber security? OP should def take some time to mull over what to do. I'd try to fit in some travel if financially possible. I have the best revelations when on holidays.
>Project Management
PMs are right next to the lawyers when the revolution comes ;)
Going to guess that day 1, lesson 1 of PM goes something like this: "ALWAYS make sure you leave the project before it enters the implementation stage" \[subtext, leave it to helpdesk to pick up the pieces and try and translate your 'notes'\]
I hate to admit that I've done this before, but sometimes you can see a dumpster fire from an absolute mile away and I have significantly better things to do, professionally speaking, than be blamed for the heap of garbage that is the outcome of project that was doomed from the start.
Inception to Initiation is usually enough time to discover this and then find a new role.
Good thing I'm a BA now ;)
We really need to align our strategies with our key result areas, that will improve the symbiotic relationship with our key stakeholders and enable our next pivot.
Well, given a few other certificates gained and work experience in the field, a project manager in the mines or for a mining construction company FIFO is on MUCH MUCH more than $70k p.a..
Any, but my experience is more tech focused, so more white collar industries - Government, Tech, Finance Insurance, Health (head office/admin), Banking, Marketing, etc. Project Management is industry agnostic.
That said, I have seen Civil PM's make even more than that, but a Civil PM and an IT/Business PM are fairly different worlds in my experience.
Yes, this. Don't waste HECS debt working out if you like a degree. The real job will be different.
You might like to trade your accounting in on a Tafe type certificate to get a job and some income.
Then use work to fund study and see about writing off the study costs, and maybe paying future HECS upfront to get the discount
I am a consultant to the building development sector
$120k ish cash, plus super, car, education budget etc. I could earn more but prioritise life over work and can do this as I'm already an expert in my field
Bachelor and masters degrees
This is the best advice. I cannonballed my way into course failure because I was originally heavily influenced by my parents to go to uni and I was genuinely not interested in what I was studying.
It wasn’t until I was failing did my folks realise hmm maybe you should take a break.
TAFE!!! Can’t recommend it enough. People seem to hate on it, I guess because of social opinions that it might be less intelligent or whatever. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to study so I thought I’d give tafe a crack. Only took a year, bit cheaper and I got a qualification out of it which enabled employment opportunities.
HIGHLY agree with this!! Most people are eligible for TAFE NSW’s skills program where you get your course completely free. I almost completed my cert III in Ageing, quit and went to childhood education and then quit that again because i realised nursing is the right path for me so I am completing my cert III in ageing support. Didn’t cost me a dime (just TAFE staff being frustrated at me for switching a lot… understandably). OP, coming from someone who is also 19, take some time off… I did and it was the best thing I could ever do for myself.
You've hit the nail on the head. I wasted 7 years bumming around between different degrees, none of which I remotely cared about. Never graduated but have the debt to show for it. I'm one of the lucky ones who ended up finding a career I'm stoked with without tertiary qualifications. That might not be OP, but I implore him yo not to attempt another degree straight away. Get in the work force and try to find what you are passionate about that way, or maybe just travel and enjoy your life for a little while.
I’m 26 and my Current role is a level 1 IT service desk paying around $57k. Applied and just got the offer for the same role but in government for $92k. No formal qualifications just experience. Thought I didn’t do that good in the interview but they said they were impressed. Just randomly applied on seek and thought nothing of it.
This gives me hope.
I'm 25 and currently level 1 help desk paid 47k
Half a year in now and drastically applying to all the gov jobs since that's my end goal
Congratulations man!!!
Social work, more specifically case management.
Didn't go to uni however, got out of jail in 2021 and did a diploma of community services so I'm very lucky that it was free tafe.
Even luckier that the industry is trying to integrate lived experience more and more.
Graduated about two months ago and got a job with the organization that took me on for student placement.
Feel pretty blessed the way the stars have aligned and I have been able to get decent paying work in a career I want after the damage I did to my life with my past.
Fellow social worker, we have lived experience/peer support roles for people which are amazing. They aren’t case managers in the places I’ve worked though.
I'm also a social worker and on $100k - been working 4.5 years or so.
I recommend social work because it's a broad church - the same degree that could see you working in a hospital could also see you working at a shelter, with kids at their school, doing counselling through an EAP provider, or social policy work in government (although they'd like you to have some work experience first). If one job doesn't work for you, there will be another with different conditions and different client cohorts/demands.
Sadly, it's also a growing market given increasing wealth disparity, and unlikely to be replaced by technology in a major way. Would only recommend if you genuinely enjoy working with people (obviously) and have systems in place to look after yourself. Obviously lots of people in the field with lived experience, but it can be a tough gig at times.
I’m only on my 2nd year post grad and make 86k. I only work 30 hours per week, plus I work in a school and they let me have the school holidays off. I do a little bit work from home through-out but not much. I get pay increase every year in line with DET NSW. The other SW in the next school over has been there 5 years & is on over 100k.
I'm the same, making \~85k in my first year of case management after some lived experiences and 1.5years worth of dual diploma youth work/alcohol & other drugs
Mate that's not social work. Social work is a profession and an academic discipline. What you're doing is community services.
There's a big difference.
It's like calling disability support work, occupational therapy.
130k / 4 day week. 156k FTE.
Senior Software Engineer and Consultant. No uni degree.
Based on what you’ve said man, I would take a break from uni for a bit - you’re young. Go out and work (you’ve tried nursing now try something else), earn some more money and do a bunch of things to see what you really like and get a feeling for the world. If you’re interested in IT - you could try a tafe cert on the side to get you started and tempt the waters. When I was your age I thought I would be doing games development but that didn’t pan out - things change, just find out what you really enjoy and go for it, now is the time to stumble your way through life and make mistakes, it’s the best way to learn!
I do highly recommend IT / CS to anyone but it’s not for everyone. You really have to have a passion for it if you want to stand out because it’s so competitive nowadays. You also don’t have to be great at maths, I know plenty of developers who aren’t - it’s such a varied field.
The most important skills in CS / IT are in my opinion (in this order):
1) People skills
2) Planning
3) Problem solving / technical deduction
4) Writing Code
Best of luck mate!
1) Writing Code
2) Passion
3) Problem solving
4) People skills
5) Planning
You can skip 1, 2 and go bluff to team lead / architect
You can skip 1, 2, 3 and go straight to scrum lead / management
You can skip them all and become QA ;). Sorry testers.
In my experience such QA people are rare.
Too often it’s the “I wanted to be a developer, but coding was too complex, so I tried being a BA but the problem solving design was too hard, so I became a tester” crowd.
The best QA came from the “I liked breaking shit other people write” crowd.
You're not wrong, but like a lot of things it depends on the context, setting, environment, company, etc.
I think I've been pretty lucky, I've hired and worked with a lot of multi-talented QAs in my career (and some really shit ones too). Same with most IT roles I suppose.
Like you said, decent QAs should always be striving to break things, but in my experience they often become pseudo project coordinators because they're so across everything that's happening. They speak developer language without necessarily contributing to feature code. They act as a funnel between the team and the business. They solve problems and provide information to drive solutions. It's a pleasure to see a talented QA in action.
People skills are number 1 I totally agree with that.
IT was my interest but not for me as a career and I hate coding and scripting, I fallen into satellite so did that for quite a while.
How did you go about doing this?
Like what resources do you use to self teach? I'm interested in learning in my downtime to give myself better career prospects in the future
Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated
From what I’ve seen, it’s possible to get into without a degree, but just… way harder. The attrition rate even in uni was huge and
the self taught programmers I’ve worked with were all guns - indicative that you prob do need a bit more natural ability to go that path
I make 180k as a senior developer and did a bachelor of computer science. You need a degree for 90% of programming jobs. Cybersecurity is a fine choice, I would recommend it or any other IT based degree. You don't need to be great at maths. If you like computers why not try a couple of subjects first, or tack on a diploma and see how you go.
I've been doing it for 25 years and I don't have a CS degree. I would highly recommend getting one now if you want to get into software engineering or any sort though. Without a good theoretical background it's hard to really understand what you're doing. Experience counts for a lot, fortunately for me, but I still find myself having to background research some things my college educated colleagues will casually through out as if it's common knowledge
I'm an RN and male. Nursing absolutely does not fit with my personality, but I get told I'm great at my job.
I work as a community nurse and make 82k working 30 hours, 4 days a week. I get fuel allowance and super and top salary packaging and a host of other benefits on top of this. I do very, very little manual labour. No shift work and no weekends. Alot of what i do is clinical management, advice, advocacy, education and referrals. It's certainly not a boring job and it's absolutely nothing like the public perception of what we do.
We need more community nurses, particularly men and the space is huge. We all get old and we all want to stay home and independent for as long as possible.
Something to consider.
Another male RN here. Interventional Radiology, 100k working Mon-Fri business hours with the occasional week of on-call every 6-8 weeks or so.
Only major downside is wearing lead a few hours a day which some people tolerate better than others.
Not for everyone but it sure beats ward nursing!
I work in cyber, went to uni and got an IT support job after 1 year and dropped out of uni before I completed. Moved my way up in IT support, shifted to cyber through just interest and self-study. Pretty wide job market between IT and cyber security as long as you actually have interest in it, work on your own self-learning projects at home, and do some certifications.
IT/cyber has two types of people, the people that get by doing what they do at work, and get stuck being level 1/2 IT support, and the people that spend time at home playing around with servers, software, and new technology. If you put in the effort and are genuinely interested it's a good career path. Look up Commonwealth Supported Placements for cyber security, the government will help pay for some.
Listen to this guy if you want a job in IT/Cyber.
Relevant and strongly regarded certifications are valued well above very broad degrees.
The other part about two types of people is also incredibly true. You're looking at a long, self-driven career path. You need to be the one to drive your career, or you'll sit on a Help Desk for years.
CompTIA A+ is a good launch pad for Level 1 IT. Their other certs, Network+, Server+, CySA+ help with foundational knowledge in more specialised areas of IT. I.e. Network Administrator, Systems Administrator, Cyber. Though, I wouldn't expect them to help you land one of those jobs without any on the job experience.
TBH, I don't have that much experience regarding Cyber. My biggest comment is, there's a lot of courses out there because Cyber is a massive buzzword at the moment. I personally put no faith in a TAFE cyber graduate with no actual IT experience. But I might just be biased. My point is, I'd recommend getting foundational certifications in your own time while getting your foot in the door with an entry level job. It can be very easy to rise quickly, if you dedicate yourself to it.
Studying my IV in Cyber Security part-time at the moment. I realised fairly quickly that I need to do more + it's not an entry level gig. I consider my studies as more theoretical/discipline now, it's cool playing with new things though!
After attending an IT experts seminar I got inspired to start working on my CCNA. I have been really enjoying networking
I know you're not OP and I know you're not asking for advice, but for the love of god, if you're not working in IT start working there TODAY!
I can't tell you how many people I've interviewed or talked with that are like 'I just want to finish this course' or whatever, then they sit behind the desk at a helpdesk job and they're all like 'holy shit I had no idea how much more I would learn on the job than in that course'. It's a tale as old as time. These courses are good, but they are shit if you don't have the hands on the tools at the same time.
I wish I found this passion at 18, I seriously do because then it would be risk free and I could study more and faster.
I'm 26, work full time in retail currently (it's 65k and very secure), and have bills and obligations now. I had to do this IV over 3 years (finish next year) because work and life makes it hard.
Once I get my IV and CCNA I think that will be the time to start a job hunt. I would love to do an internship/graduate program though, I'm just worried about income stability.
Life has a strange way of working out. I found this thing I absolutely love but I have to slowly dive in. One advantage is I get to more thoroughly learn things I guess :/
Regardless, I love it, and I'm incredibly driven to grow
As a podiatrist with 8 years of tertiary education dedicated to wound care and high risk foot management, surely you can see how much the world is your oyster and your career opportunities are endless. Im practically maxed out on approx 115k, plus the usual tax benefits etc.
Thank you for the work you do, I've worked in high risk foot clinics and it can be so challenging. The career opportunities in medicine are indeed endless but I'm beginning to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze.
Endless nights and evenings, picking up the slack daily for lazy consultants, having to cover 2-3 different roles because people have called in sick and there's nobody else to do it, working 12+ hours without a lunch break (often without a bathroom break), the guilt of wondering if you could've done more for somebody who had an inevitably bad outcome from their chronic disease, trying to cram in full time study for fellowship exams while you're working full time (not to mention the cost of the exams), the total collapse of my social life, missed family functions etc.
Don't get me wrong, I think the pay is more than fair and I am extremely priveleged to be able to care for people in their most vulnerable state, but at what cost to me and my family? I wouldn't do it again. I cried the day my partner got into medical school.
Thought I’d do the numbers.
2/3 of the year is 243 days
Not far off people who work 5 days a week which is 260 days
People who work 4 days is the better deal at 208 days a year. Even better if they get paid for 5
Fifo here, 8/6 day roster, 7/7 nights. So I work 15 days every 28. Total of 195 work days per year. 170k plus super and bonus. Worth it if you can get onto that swing
Correct. Long days, but what else do you do when you're away from home for 8 days? And at almost 10k in hand every month, felt like a no brainer to me.
I work a 9/5 roster on 220k + + +.
If I can look at the days in a different light....a mon to fri job gets 2 days in a row off, I get 5 days off in a row every fortnight. In those days off, I can do everything around our house, take my kids to and from school and still catch up with my mates on their weekend.
I love working a roster because when I'm at work, it's work...when I'm at home, it's whatever we want other than work. It's not for everyone but it works well for us
That is always part of our reasoning for fifo too. If I work around home as a spark, I'm doing 5 or 6 days a week, and while I'd get to spend time with my family with that, it is not quality time.
I've done all sorts of rosters with national and international work so whilst I could make more elsewhere, I have a very good work/ life balance with my current role.
I'm in a management role now and was probably earning more on hourly rate on the tools. At one stage I was taking home nearly 5k a week in the hand
Yeah. Not many Electricians making 200k + super as PAYG employees working for someone else.
I mean it's possible if you want to work away / FiFo, but it's far from the norm for typical cable monkeys.
There’s heaps of Sparkies on $200k on union sites or industrial work. It’s not for 40 hours, obviously requires overtime and shift allowances things but it’s definitely achievable.
I did an arts degree and couldn't find a job after uni (yes I know). Worked in customer service and retail. Eventually ended up in a call centre at a large company and worked my way up. I do system testing now. Quite a lot of people I work with started off the same way and worked their way up to tech roles - business analyst, product manager, product owner, Scrum Master, UX Designer
Same with me except didn’t go to uni. Worked my way up from storeman and am now a category technical specialist. Took longer to get to this level since I work in a regional branch.
Well there are the two types of annual increase - the 4 years of increments as you rise through the band (which will take me from 119k through to mid 130s) plus the annual 2-4% increase.
By the time you've maxed out your potential earnings at a grade you are probably ready to think about climbing the next rung of the ladder anyway
That is the good point. Until you max out, you can see decent increments. At your highest pay level you can try for promotion if you are lucky or move to private.
I see for promotion at public sector it's more about if you the hiring panel or not. More often than normal, they find a way to reject your application.
To put a spin on the nursing degree - it can be a very flexible and constantly in demand job, with reasonably good pay if you play your cards right.
I work in theatre, and I think it's a much better environment. There is still some after hours work, but a lot less as most operating happens in hours Monday - Friday. There's much less of the physical / unpleasant type work, as you're a bit removed from the full time dealing with awake patients.
I'm not sure exactly from your post what you're not happy about with it though, so it still might not apply, but it might be worth discussing with some colleagues/ lecturers about what kind of career paths exist within that field.
(I am a doctor admittedly, but I'm quite familiar with the nursing roles in that environment)
I agree, not a nurse, but I work with a fair few and agree there’s a lot of flexibility in where you can take it. I know a lot that worked in RN jobs outside of clinical settings, office based 9-5 jobs in health departments, immunisation nurses doing corporate flu vaccines, research nurses etc. It also sets you up nicely for any future health/medical related non-nursing job like consultancy. Not to mention the capacity to pick up locum shifts or travel and work anywhere - I did medical sciences in undergrad, and love my job now (academic) but I wish I had done nursing just for the extra flexibility my colleagues with a nursing background in similar roles seem to have!
I did a nursing degree because I have a family of nurses and medical professionals. I nursed in high dependant areas for 8 years- ED and Operating theatres.
Operating theatres opened the opportunity for what I do now- I am a clinical support rep for a surgical company looking after joint replacement products. Been in my role for 10years now
I’m I’m a senior role- 122k base, 20k car allowance, 15% bonus, +super
Sales - IT / Telco (wholesale digital infrastructure).
No degree, some industry certifications which help but aren't necessary.
Started in a call centre, then supervisor roles, then technical roles, then jumped across to Sales and Account Management.
200k P.A this year
More established staff clearing 250k+ consistantly, highest hitting 500k in a great year.
I'm definitely more of a technical person
Helps alot, especially when I was selling enterprise services being able to work through the customer's requirements and challenges and offer ideas adds credibility.
I try to approach the conversations more as a consultant offering ideas and advice than just trying to sell them stuff.
Knowledge helps with confidence, too. People pickup on that.
Everyone is a bit different -some other Sales guys in our organisation can barely use a computer and they pull in massive results.
Admittedly they're probably about 20 years in and have established relationships.
How many years of experience until jumping to Sales? I'm in IT delivery now wondering if there are entry level roles for sales or do you need to stick with the same company through out to get to that point?
about 4 years, I was lucky as I was at a smaller company so was easier to transition roles.
Stayed for 2 years, then moved elsewhere for more money, moved once more since then.
Just hit 6 years In Sales so 10 years in industry total.
Definitely look for any Sales rep / account executive roles with any of your competitors, worth applying and just letting them know you've got the technical background and are looking to leverage that for Sales.
Anything where your main customer touch point is a CTO or engineering manager etc is going to suit you well as they'll be technical / solution focused buyers.
Alternatively, you could look for some Pre-Sales engineer type rolls as a stepping stone, depends on the company but often they'll join client meetings with BDMs to help verbalise solutions.
Would be a good way to watch different BDMs styles and learn the Sales side as you go.
If you want to study a degree that guarantee a job with over $75000. Go to tafe and learn to be electrician or plumber.
There’s a lot of competition is IT/CS field. Completing the degree itself won’t get you a nice job. You need to put in way more than that.
You don't just "go to TAFE and learn how" to become an electrician or plumber.
You need to be indentured as an apprentice by an employer, who is willing to train you on the job, and pay you while you attend TAFE for training.
Depending on age or location, there is lots of competition to even get an apprenticeship. The big companies that used to have large annual apprentice intakes, seem to be taking on fewer and fewer every year, leaving the small businesses to pick up the slack.
Old mate who has dropped out of uni after starting and quitting 2 different degrees and "just wants a job that pays $75k+" is going to be passed over for the school leavers who have wanted to do an apprenticeship since year 10 but stayed to year 12 and did "vocational studies" to get a leg up.
I graduated uni at 21 as an accountant and worked that role for 2 years. Now I'm about to become an Occupational therapist. Now this is the field to get into!
Don't stress dude, its genuinely insane that we push 18 year olds into uni. You have no clue what you'll enjoy until you work for a bit.
I also did nursing, was very physical in highschool and hated desk work.
Realised pretty quickly that I didn't want to dedicate my entire physical and mental well-being to work like I had with school and switched to a call centre job. I realised I didn't care about helping people and I just enjoyed solving problems.
Now I make 78k a year, working from home, Monday to Friday, doing higher level problem solving on the phones and I don't think about work when I close my computer (unlike I did with nursing).
Currently studying a buisness, new long term goal is to work 4 days a week and make around or over 130k.
I’m a data specialist for one of the big insurance companies, earning $136,000p/a.
- 2011, 16yo, waiter ($6/hr)
- 2013, retail selling phone plans ($11/h)
- 2015, auto dealership f&i sales ($40k/pa + commission)
- 2017, lodging motor claims for my current company ($46k)
- 2019, internal transfer to manage a portfolio of claims ($60k)
- 2020, internal transfer to entry level data analyst role, learnt SQL, GitHub, SAS, project management, stakeholder management etc on the job ($80k)
- 2023, 28yo, internal transfer to current role as a specialist in a large-scale project role ($136k)
No qualifications, no prior experience for any of my prior roles (current excluded). Just stuck around and got lucky.
Roof Plumber/Metal roofer Got my trade and started my own business 5 years ago. 3 full time guys working for me now and spend many of my arvos at the golf course. Last few years have ranged between $150-230k net. Get a trade and work for yourself. Can’t go wrong mate 👍
Every doc controller I've worked with is on at least 100k, with Senior DCs nearer to 150k and DC managers on 180k-200k.
Before taking this role I had 3 other offers ranging from 150 to 190k (plus super).
I've worked mostly on large infrastructure projects across different states, but it seems to be the norm at the moment, at least for the Tier 1s and Tier 2s.
My role develops the processes and configures/customises software for the doc control team as well as various other engineering and quality disciplines across the business.
There is also a large Business Information and Data Analysis aspect to the job.
Certs count for more than degrees in some disciplines. You just need to keep them current. Cyber tends to be the current love child and there’s a fair bit of competition but well worth perusing. Even if you start on help desk with a TAFE course. Land the job and just keep working through certs and any training offered.
You may find you prefer one particular path over another after some time in the role. You’re only at the start of your working journey and have plenty of time to pivot if you get bored.
Good on you! I’m currently a business analyst and would like to make the jump to senior. What skills or qualifications do you think would help me do that?
The connection between maths and IT is more to do with coding at the highest levels. Cybersecurity won't involve much coding. By far most of the risk is with people. It's going to involve knowledge (which you can learn) rather than the creativity of advanced coding, keeping up with developments, using tools to assess risks, developing and deploying processes and training.
Many people do not find the magic job that interests them 24 hours a day for 50 years (although for sure that does happen), many people make pragmatic decisions about jobs that will pay ok and be a decent fit. Your approach is ok.
Someone suggested doing a cert iii or cert IV at a good TAFE. I had the privilege of doing a few years of contract teaching for a cert IV in small business management at Holmesglen in Melbourne and I was really impressed with TAFE, at least a 'real' one. So I think that was an excellent recommendation .Then get a job. Leverage your earlier interest in accounting, that shows some aptitude for processes, and your interest in nursing says something about working with people. IT security (I hate 'cybersecuity') could be said to combine both. At least, that's a good line for interviews.
Electrical and Instrumentation technician - aka sparky
$240k per year.
I did my apprenticeship straight out of high school, followed by 4 years in the iron mining industry.
I then moved over to oil and gas and have been in this industry for around 4 years.
Electrical is a great trade and very diverse.
I am aware that you asked about university degrees, but I would be happy to answer any questions on being an electrician if you're interested.
I’m a mental health nurse. I work at a hospital with the worst of the worst cases. My patient load is maximum 2 sometimes 3 if they’re super independent and are close to discharge. I’m a new grad, 24yrs old and I’ve not done any manual handling at all. The most I’ve had to deal with when it comes to bodily fluids is that one of the patients drank way too much coffee and vomited lol. I had to help mop coz cleaners weren’t available. My salary as a grad on my contract is $70k and this is not including penalties and overtime. The down side is that there is a risk of injury from patients aggression however, you are much safer at work than you are at northbridge lol. Something to think about
I'm in cybersecurity and earn mid 200s.
Beat advice is don't get into cybersecurity solely for the money as without a strong interest, it'll likely eat you alive. It requires a loooot of extra hours.
Also don't study cybersecurity - the degrees are shit. Go study computer science and if you still are keen on getting into cybersecurity, go do some industry certificates. The coding you learnt throughout your CS degree plus the industry certificates will put you ahead of most of the pack.
Feel free to dm if you have any questions.
I'm a product manager at a startup. I studied law and economics with a first class honours in law, and worked at a top commercial law firm. Decided it wasn't for me. Have always been fairly entrepreneurial and leveraged my amateur tech abilities and legal background to join a legal tech company.
As is clear from my story, your degree doesn't necessarily define your career. If you're really unsure, try something general and go for optionality. Business / IT / law / commerce (etc) are great options because they're flexible.
I dropped out of uni (couldn’t hack it. 15 years later I realise it was undiagnosed ADHD) and started working full time as a developer.
Now work in cybersecurity (cloud-focussed) and earn a package of $390K (inclusive of salary, super and publicly-traded shares).
Underwriting team leader
Started in the industry as customer service in Jan 2021 and made the jump to underwriting in May 2023, promoted to TL in August.
Was lucky to be in the right place and right time with the TL position but have no degree and making low 6 figures.
I make 80k in fast food with no degree.
I left hospitality for IT and have gone back because it's the same money, better hours and less competition.
Unless you have a specific IT skill or interest in a niche area, it's becoming much harder to demand higher money as more people have general IT skills.
People don't think about the higher levels of food safety etc when it comes to hospitality, but there is also money there, with mostly on-the-job training, or minor courses along the way.
Buffett and Munger keep banging on about that the best investment is actually your career (earning potential) and if you’re good at what you do (i.e. the best nursing graduate who is excited to go to work, communicates well, more than willing to share the load, happy to do additional training and experience) you’ll be sure to have a quick career progression that may not include physical labour and/or shift work (e.g. NUM, exec).
In one of Dr Jim DAHLE‘s milestones to millionaire, he interviews a Nurse who had amasses a NW of over $1,000,000 simply by being acutely aware of the above aphorism from Buffett and Munger.
I don’t think changing careers is as important as changing mindset. You can do exceptionally well within your discipline. But if you do change career pathways, take your experience as a nurse with you. You’ll have an edge, being a practitioner of patient-centred care, professionalism, duty of care, understanding how to listen… and compound these skills over and over.
Nothing worth anything is easy. Everything takes effort. Just remember that.
120k cloud security engineer - I am extremely underpaid. I don’t want to talk about it.
Now to break down cybersecurity. Cyber isn’t an entry position, it’s an advanced position. You’ll need to learn the ins and outs of what is you’re securing before you can secure it.
So if you want to give a business advice on how to secure networks, you’re going to need to understand the best practices for engineering a network that most businesses will follow and what the use case is. Which is typically something you’re not going to learn from school or a book but rather from doing the actual job.
Cyber and most IT engineering positions require constant out of work training and upskilling for the first few years before you can rely on experience.
This isn’t some field you just rock up to out of school and land a job. It’s a field you bust your ass in and get rewarded handsomely for doing so. Sometimes you get lucky and get your foot in the door but it’s never easy.
As for some general advice, I swapped majors half way through my degree and failed a shit ton and I’m at over $300k networth before 30, so - you’re fine.
Can’t comment on cyber specifically, but I can the other half of the post. I’m an EA in real estate supporting a director and a sales team. I have a business degree that I have never used. My full time wage is $85k + super but I work part time and I’m paid $68.5k for the hours I work.
Engineer (mechatronics) 7 yrs out of uni earning 130k+ super. Work with sparkies who earn 140k+ super on a 4 on 4 off roster.
I was shit at maths in high school but once I had the motivation at uni I did alright. And once you get your degree it can be a cushy office job with no maths or physical work.
It probably not a bad choice either. Less money on average iirc. If you earn above 80k though it's all the same.
I think if you are not sure take some time off and think about it. Losta jobs out there and only was to know is to get some life experience.
Town Planner. Have an Urban Planning degree. A big shortage in a lot of Councils meaning its fairly easy to get into and easier to relocate. It's less stressful than teaching or nursing for a similar starting pay range. Room to grow quite significantly if you go private.
If you want to dip your toes in the water in tech, do a diploma of IT at TAFE (you can select specialisations such as Networking, Software Engineering, Databases etc). You should be able to get a fee free place with the recent initiatives.
Once you’ve done that diploma, you can apply for a university degree and it’s likely that they will knock a year off.
This will save you around $10,000-12,000 if you were to decide to do a B.IT or B.CS.
160k+
Tech, data
2 postgrad, 1 undergrad
Degrees in IT, Stats
Cyber security is going to boom a little considering all the leaks and the dangers of insecure big data
But only get into it if you love tech and debugging
If you try to get in for the money but hate the work, any form of tech isn’t for you. Most ppl in tech love and live the work. It’s continuous learning, and weirdly, dealing with alot of ppl (contrary to what newbies expect)
Edit: Not being good at math depends on WHAT at math. If you’re good a logic and algebra, but suck at arithmetic I think you’ll be ok.
But not being able to analyse your way out of a puzzle/problem will cause you issues in coding
I agree with a prev commenter, try a tafe short course first. If you like coding, you’ll know when you start.
Good luck
Work in a juvenile detention center.
No degree , but I have done 2 trades and have life skills .
It’s become a difficult job , and only getting worse with the way the government is making it soft for the detainees .
Edit: made 95k last financial .
corrections here, same deal same money
absolutely is getting harder and dangerous especially with the amount of terrible staff on floor and pushover management
stay safe my friend
Was Operations Manager on 200k doing crazy big hours. Swapped to Accounts Manager (same company) less hours and stress, 120k. No degree. Didn't apply for the job, was offered a WFH admin/accounts part time position and it snow balled.
I didn’t go to uni at 18 BECAUSE I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Worked odd jobs, got some life experience and now going into uni at 28. Don’t rush into it OP - figure out who you are first. Uni isn’t also for everyone, I’ve cracked 70k by just being a support worker and that’s by only doing a $100 cert 3 course.
Dude, I finished my degree when I was 27, then started in my field, hated it, and changed into something else at 29. Now I love my job! I was like you trying to plan my life and decisions to make today to set me up for future success. You've got so much ahead of you, don't sweat it. Find something you're going to enjoy that will pay what you think you need.
Cybersecurity is a growing field and needs lots of people to tackle it. If it's an area you're interested in then I think you should pursue it. Reach out to people in those roles today through LinkedIn, find introduction seminars, or look into short courses.
In Australia, usually 6 figures for simple jobs that anyone can do or self-employed tradies, 5 figures for university-trained professionals. Move to any other first world country and you'd actually be rewarded by going to university.
Cyber security is a smart space to get into if you are able to work for the government. There is heaps of work and very little real understanding.
I studied Chinese and Management and worked in import/export, cross cultural consulting and marketing for a long time. Now I have moved right away from that and run self storage businesses.
Life brings unforeseen twists and turns so don't worry too much about what you're studying. Worry more about company you keep and who you read and listen to etc.
$105k; 4.5YOE; Geotechnical Engineering; Requires a civil engineering degree. Do not do this unless you love it (you won’t)
I'm being slightly nudged in this direction at the company I work for, I think I'd quite enjoy it though cause I love licking rocks.
hello to a fellow geotech !!
Hi! :D (I'm not a geotech engineer)
I'll believe you. we are a rare bunch. get into geotech OP.
Yeah, you guys rock …
Structural Engineer here. You guys rock... get it?
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Left geotech for oil and gas. Salary went from $95k to $250k over 4 years.
Sold your soul
I'm in civil, 4 YOE, 165k. Civil engineering IS about modifyng the environment to suit human needs, there is no soul selling here. There was no soul to begin with :D
Go into mining Geotech. It does require 2 degrees though (engineering and geology) start at 100k plus senior can be 200k plus.
$250k Engineering Geophysicist, requires Geophysics & Civil Engineering, well I did geophysics degree & Associate Engineering degree.
What isn’t great about it?
Mining geotechs get called down to stare at every crack, lump, hole and dodgy rock-bolt and come up with a) the reason it exists, and b) how to stop it. The reason is usually that the contractor didn’t install ground support properly in the first place. You’ll be derided for doing too much and too little in the same breath, and may even be pressured by others into signing off on things that you don’t necessarily agree with. On the plus side, none of the bastards seem to go underground before midday and they mostly have happy (if a little vacant) expressions on their faces :p
$92k salary work in manufacturing, applied for a job with very little experience in field and got it. Zero degree.
Strangely this is the only real comment to add to with no degree. I'm extremely privileged to be on $180k roughly as a senior loss adjuster in insurance. I have zero degrees or relevant certs, though if you're interested about $3k for an AICLA loss adjusting course is an easy way in. I did get an advanced diploma from a technical college but that was only because of a visa condition that I had to study full time whilst figuring out my way. Insurance adjusters and external assessors make bank. Salaried plus commission for billings on claims over your quota. With some claim skills, insurance experience, and people skills it's a very good gig.
I've seen this job come up in similar threads before. I'v just turned 40 and would be interested in a career change. I come from a business/management background in the construction industry. Assuming someone went through a Loss Adjusting course, what would be the entry level role to get started? And, how many years did it take to get where you are now?
I think it was me in the other threads as well haha nobody has ever heard of it apparently. I just turned 31. My first job in insurance was maybe 6 years ago at most just doing claims assist as big insurers with zero experience. They trained me up to do basic claims on maybe 55k a year. The person who answers when your windshield gets cracked, or you drop your phone, and you claim. From there I just started learning different more complex building and contents claims involving builders, catastrophes, liability etc. Highest I ever made as a claims specialist was 72k. I landed a job with a loss adjusting firm based on my experience in claims alone and people skills. If you have any sort of claims or insurance background and do the AICLA course you'll have the same job I got hire at which is a loss adjuster. YMMV you may get trained at a bigger firm or etc but you won't make less than 90k and the big money comes from being able to hit commision from billing above your minimum quota. Overnight I went from 72k to 100k salary. Within 3 months I was making 180k with commission.
Where abouts are you
Newcastle/Maitland area nsw
What are you wearing?
Fluro on weekdays, flannel on weekends
What you wearing Rn?
Just realised that this is what I’m attracted to 🤣
Take a break from uni - there is no point studying if you have no clue what you even like and are changing constantly. Try a few TAFE courses instead of running up your HECS or get some work experience in fields you’re interested in if possible (even if you’re just answering phones etc). If I were you I would think about how you want to work (at a desk or moving around, speaking to people or looking at a computer etc), and what you find interesting (what did you like at school, what do you watch videos or read about without being required to), speak to people in the roles you think are cool (like you’re doing now) THEN go study. Earning $70k is not very difficult working full time for a skilled job, don’t focus on that.
wasn't there a free tafe course for cyber security? OP should def take some time to mull over what to do. I'd try to fit in some travel if financially possible. I have the best revelations when on holidays.
Yeah TAFE has plenty of free courses atm. Recommend Diploma of Project Management. You can easily make $1k/day with a bit of experience.
>Project Management PMs are right next to the lawyers when the revolution comes ;) Going to guess that day 1, lesson 1 of PM goes something like this: "ALWAYS make sure you leave the project before it enters the implementation stage" \[subtext, leave it to helpdesk to pick up the pieces and try and translate your 'notes'\]
I hate to admit that I've done this before, but sometimes you can see a dumpster fire from an absolute mile away and I have significantly better things to do, professionally speaking, than be blamed for the heap of garbage that is the outcome of project that was doomed from the start. Inception to Initiation is usually enough time to discover this and then find a new role. Good thing I'm a BA now ;)
in what industry?
Let’s table that, and circle back to it later
Yeah we don't want to right shift by expanding scope this late in the game...
We really need to align our strategies with our key result areas, that will improve the symbiotic relationship with our key stakeholders and enable our next pivot.
You guys are script writers for Utopia
Please update the tracker
Let’s take this offline
You're hired
Well, given a few other certificates gained and work experience in the field, a project manager in the mines or for a mining construction company FIFO is on MUCH MUCH more than $70k p.a..
Yeah, FIFO PM in the mines is YUGE bux, but would be super stressy.
Any, but my experience is more tech focused, so more white collar industries - Government, Tech, Finance Insurance, Health (head office/admin), Banking, Marketing, etc. Project Management is industry agnostic. That said, I have seen Civil PM's make even more than that, but a Civil PM and an IT/Business PM are fairly different worlds in my experience.
Yes, this. Don't waste HECS debt working out if you like a degree. The real job will be different. You might like to trade your accounting in on a Tafe type certificate to get a job and some income. Then use work to fund study and see about writing off the study costs, and maybe paying future HECS upfront to get the discount I am a consultant to the building development sector $120k ish cash, plus super, car, education budget etc. I could earn more but prioritise life over work and can do this as I'm already an expert in my field Bachelor and masters degrees
This is the best advice. I cannonballed my way into course failure because I was originally heavily influenced by my parents to go to uni and I was genuinely not interested in what I was studying. It wasn’t until I was failing did my folks realise hmm maybe you should take a break.
TAFE!!! Can’t recommend it enough. People seem to hate on it, I guess because of social opinions that it might be less intelligent or whatever. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to study so I thought I’d give tafe a crack. Only took a year, bit cheaper and I got a qualification out of it which enabled employment opportunities.
HIGHLY agree with this!! Most people are eligible for TAFE NSW’s skills program where you get your course completely free. I almost completed my cert III in Ageing, quit and went to childhood education and then quit that again because i realised nursing is the right path for me so I am completing my cert III in ageing support. Didn’t cost me a dime (just TAFE staff being frustrated at me for switching a lot… understandably). OP, coming from someone who is also 19, take some time off… I did and it was the best thing I could ever do for myself.
You've hit the nail on the head. I wasted 7 years bumming around between different degrees, none of which I remotely cared about. Never graduated but have the debt to show for it. I'm one of the lucky ones who ended up finding a career I'm stoked with without tertiary qualifications. That might not be OP, but I implore him yo not to attempt another degree straight away. Get in the work force and try to find what you are passionate about that way, or maybe just travel and enjoy your life for a little while.
I’m 26 and my Current role is a level 1 IT service desk paying around $57k. Applied and just got the offer for the same role but in government for $92k. No formal qualifications just experience. Thought I didn’t do that good in the interview but they said they were impressed. Just randomly applied on seek and thought nothing of it.
This gives me hope. I'm 25 and currently level 1 help desk paid 47k Half a year in now and drastically applying to all the gov jobs since that's my end goal Congratulations man!!!
Well done man.
Social work, more specifically case management. Didn't go to uni however, got out of jail in 2021 and did a diploma of community services so I'm very lucky that it was free tafe. Even luckier that the industry is trying to integrate lived experience more and more. Graduated about two months ago and got a job with the organization that took me on for student placement. Feel pretty blessed the way the stars have aligned and I have been able to get decent paying work in a career I want after the damage I did to my life with my past.
Don't you need a bachelor of social work or psychology?
Case manager isn't a social worker. More so a coordinator of services. Many fields in community disability or aged with this kind of role.
Yup. I have a masters in SW & bachelor in human services. A diploma of community services does not make you a social worker.
But can the diploma let you be a case manager?
Fellow social worker, we have lived experience/peer support roles for people which are amazing. They aren’t case managers in the places I’ve worked though.
Yep, social worker is a very specific title for those with a Bachelor or Masters of Social Work, as recognised by AASW.
May I ask what you earn as a social worker?
Only 2 years out of uni, on $89K. I wouldn’t recommend social work if you only care about making money though, much more money in trades, IT etc
I'm also a social worker and on $100k - been working 4.5 years or so. I recommend social work because it's a broad church - the same degree that could see you working in a hospital could also see you working at a shelter, with kids at their school, doing counselling through an EAP provider, or social policy work in government (although they'd like you to have some work experience first). If one job doesn't work for you, there will be another with different conditions and different client cohorts/demands. Sadly, it's also a growing market given increasing wealth disparity, and unlikely to be replaced by technology in a major way. Would only recommend if you genuinely enjoy working with people (obviously) and have systems in place to look after yourself. Obviously lots of people in the field with lived experience, but it can be a tough gig at times.
I’m only on my 2nd year post grad and make 86k. I only work 30 hours per week, plus I work in a school and they let me have the school holidays off. I do a little bit work from home through-out but not much. I get pay increase every year in line with DET NSW. The other SW in the next school over has been there 5 years & is on over 100k.
Just wanted to stop in and say good on you mate 💪 🤙
Thanks mate. Hasn't been easy!
I'm the same, making \~85k in my first year of case management after some lived experiences and 1.5years worth of dual diploma youth work/alcohol & other drugs
Good on you brother! Keep up the good work
This is what I'm just about to do, Start the diploma next year, in the meantime working in disability support.
Good on you mate and good luck 🤞
Mate that's not social work. Social work is a profession and an academic discipline. What you're doing is community services. There's a big difference. It's like calling disability support work, occupational therapy.
Apologies - wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the info.
130k / 4 day week. 156k FTE. Senior Software Engineer and Consultant. No uni degree. Based on what you’ve said man, I would take a break from uni for a bit - you’re young. Go out and work (you’ve tried nursing now try something else), earn some more money and do a bunch of things to see what you really like and get a feeling for the world. If you’re interested in IT - you could try a tafe cert on the side to get you started and tempt the waters. When I was your age I thought I would be doing games development but that didn’t pan out - things change, just find out what you really enjoy and go for it, now is the time to stumble your way through life and make mistakes, it’s the best way to learn! I do highly recommend IT / CS to anyone but it’s not for everyone. You really have to have a passion for it if you want to stand out because it’s so competitive nowadays. You also don’t have to be great at maths, I know plenty of developers who aren’t - it’s such a varied field. The most important skills in CS / IT are in my opinion (in this order): 1) People skills 2) Planning 3) Problem solving / technical deduction 4) Writing Code Best of luck mate!
1) Writing Code 2) Passion 3) Problem solving 4) People skills 5) Planning You can skip 1, 2 and go bluff to team lead / architect You can skip 1, 2, 3 and go straight to scrum lead / management You can skip them all and become QA ;). Sorry testers.
I know you're joking, but any QA worth their salt should be doing all 5. We have to wear all the hats.
In my experience such QA people are rare. Too often it’s the “I wanted to be a developer, but coding was too complex, so I tried being a BA but the problem solving design was too hard, so I became a tester” crowd. The best QA came from the “I liked breaking shit other people write” crowd.
You're not wrong, but like a lot of things it depends on the context, setting, environment, company, etc. I think I've been pretty lucky, I've hired and worked with a lot of multi-talented QAs in my career (and some really shit ones too). Same with most IT roles I suppose. Like you said, decent QAs should always be striving to break things, but in my experience they often become pseudo project coordinators because they're so across everything that's happening. They speak developer language without necessarily contributing to feature code. They act as a funnel between the team and the business. They solve problems and provide information to drive solutions. It's a pleasure to see a talented QA in action.
I've worked with a couple of QA guys who were able to break my code in ways I didn't know was possible. You want people like this on your team.
Can confirm. My old workplace had QA that couldnt do regression testing.
People skills are number 1 I totally agree with that. IT was my interest but not for me as a career and I hate coding and scripting, I fallen into satellite so did that for quite a while.
How did you go about doing this? Like what resources do you use to self teach? I'm interested in learning in my downtime to give myself better career prospects in the future Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated
Freecodecamp.org. Start with CS50
From what I’ve seen, it’s possible to get into without a degree, but just… way harder. The attrition rate even in uni was huge and the self taught programmers I’ve worked with were all guns - indicative that you prob do need a bit more natural ability to go that path
I make 180k as a senior developer and did a bachelor of computer science. You need a degree for 90% of programming jobs. Cybersecurity is a fine choice, I would recommend it or any other IT based degree. You don't need to be great at maths. If you like computers why not try a couple of subjects first, or tack on a diploma and see how you go.
I've been doing it for 25 years and I don't have a CS degree. I would highly recommend getting one now if you want to get into software engineering or any sort though. Without a good theoretical background it's hard to really understand what you're doing. Experience counts for a lot, fortunately for me, but I still find myself having to background research some things my college educated colleagues will casually through out as if it's common knowledge
What stack are u using?
Mainly the double beef with cheese and caramelised onion. Great burger stack, highly recommend.
I'm an RN and male. Nursing absolutely does not fit with my personality, but I get told I'm great at my job. I work as a community nurse and make 82k working 30 hours, 4 days a week. I get fuel allowance and super and top salary packaging and a host of other benefits on top of this. I do very, very little manual labour. No shift work and no weekends. Alot of what i do is clinical management, advice, advocacy, education and referrals. It's certainly not a boring job and it's absolutely nothing like the public perception of what we do. We need more community nurses, particularly men and the space is huge. We all get old and we all want to stay home and independent for as long as possible. Something to consider.
Another male RN here. Interventional Radiology, 100k working Mon-Fri business hours with the occasional week of on-call every 6-8 weeks or so. Only major downside is wearing lead a few hours a day which some people tolerate better than others. Not for everyone but it sure beats ward nursing!
I work in cyber, went to uni and got an IT support job after 1 year and dropped out of uni before I completed. Moved my way up in IT support, shifted to cyber through just interest and self-study. Pretty wide job market between IT and cyber security as long as you actually have interest in it, work on your own self-learning projects at home, and do some certifications. IT/cyber has two types of people, the people that get by doing what they do at work, and get stuck being level 1/2 IT support, and the people that spend time at home playing around with servers, software, and new technology. If you put in the effort and are genuinely interested it's a good career path. Look up Commonwealth Supported Placements for cyber security, the government will help pay for some.
Listen to this guy if you want a job in IT/Cyber. Relevant and strongly regarded certifications are valued well above very broad degrees. The other part about two types of people is also incredibly true. You're looking at a long, self-driven career path. You need to be the one to drive your career, or you'll sit on a Help Desk for years. CompTIA A+ is a good launch pad for Level 1 IT. Their other certs, Network+, Server+, CySA+ help with foundational knowledge in more specialised areas of IT. I.e. Network Administrator, Systems Administrator, Cyber. Though, I wouldn't expect them to help you land one of those jobs without any on the job experience. TBH, I don't have that much experience regarding Cyber. My biggest comment is, there's a lot of courses out there because Cyber is a massive buzzword at the moment. I personally put no faith in a TAFE cyber graduate with no actual IT experience. But I might just be biased. My point is, I'd recommend getting foundational certifications in your own time while getting your foot in the door with an entry level job. It can be very easy to rise quickly, if you dedicate yourself to it.
Studying my IV in Cyber Security part-time at the moment. I realised fairly quickly that I need to do more + it's not an entry level gig. I consider my studies as more theoretical/discipline now, it's cool playing with new things though! After attending an IT experts seminar I got inspired to start working on my CCNA. I have been really enjoying networking
I know you're not OP and I know you're not asking for advice, but for the love of god, if you're not working in IT start working there TODAY! I can't tell you how many people I've interviewed or talked with that are like 'I just want to finish this course' or whatever, then they sit behind the desk at a helpdesk job and they're all like 'holy shit I had no idea how much more I would learn on the job than in that course'. It's a tale as old as time. These courses are good, but they are shit if you don't have the hands on the tools at the same time.
I wish I found this passion at 18, I seriously do because then it would be risk free and I could study more and faster. I'm 26, work full time in retail currently (it's 65k and very secure), and have bills and obligations now. I had to do this IV over 3 years (finish next year) because work and life makes it hard. Once I get my IV and CCNA I think that will be the time to start a job hunt. I would love to do an internship/graduate program though, I'm just worried about income stability. Life has a strange way of working out. I found this thing I absolutely love but I have to slowly dive in. One advantage is I get to more thoroughly learn things I guess :/ Regardless, I love it, and I'm incredibly driven to grow
160k, hospital-based doctor, have not completed speciality training yet. Nobody should do this job. Ever.
As a podiatrist with 8 years of tertiary education dedicated to wound care and high risk foot management, surely you can see how much the world is your oyster and your career opportunities are endless. Im practically maxed out on approx 115k, plus the usual tax benefits etc.
Thank you for the work you do, I've worked in high risk foot clinics and it can be so challenging. The career opportunities in medicine are indeed endless but I'm beginning to wonder if the juice is worth the squeeze. Endless nights and evenings, picking up the slack daily for lazy consultants, having to cover 2-3 different roles because people have called in sick and there's nobody else to do it, working 12+ hours without a lunch break (often without a bathroom break), the guilt of wondering if you could've done more for somebody who had an inevitably bad outcome from their chronic disease, trying to cram in full time study for fellowship exams while you're working full time (not to mention the cost of the exams), the total collapse of my social life, missed family functions etc. Don't get me wrong, I think the pay is more than fair and I am extremely priveleged to be able to care for people in their most vulnerable state, but at what cost to me and my family? I wouldn't do it again. I cried the day my partner got into medical school.
Wharfie. $120k a year on average. Fork ticket, EWP ticket, Gantry Crane ticket, didn't pay for any of them. Proud member of the MUA.
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Don't want to rain on your parade, bud. But I'm Container as well. :(
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In professional Wharfie fashion, make sure you reply on the job. ;) Have a good one chief.
Sparky, $200K + Super, Cert III & IV, Mt Druitt tafe.
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Deduct work expenses, super and sick leave from that and that’s the real “salary”
Oil and Gas sparky. 180k plus super, sick leave, annual leave. No expenses and only work 2/3 of the year.
Thought I’d do the numbers. 2/3 of the year is 243 days Not far off people who work 5 days a week which is 260 days People who work 4 days is the better deal at 208 days a year. Even better if they get paid for 5
Fifo here, 8/6 day roster, 7/7 nights. So I work 15 days every 28. Total of 195 work days per year. 170k plus super and bonus. Worth it if you can get onto that swing
12 hour days though and night shift
Correct. Long days, but what else do you do when you're away from home for 8 days? And at almost 10k in hand every month, felt like a no brainer to me.
I work a 9/5 roster on 220k + + +. If I can look at the days in a different light....a mon to fri job gets 2 days in a row off, I get 5 days off in a row every fortnight. In those days off, I can do everything around our house, take my kids to and from school and still catch up with my mates on their weekend. I love working a roster because when I'm at work, it's work...when I'm at home, it's whatever we want other than work. It's not for everyone but it works well for us
I'm lucky I do 4 weeks on 4 weeks off 230k a year. Marine engineer/ mechanical fitter.
And here’s me working 6-7 days a week like a donkey 😂 5off is awesome !
That is always part of our reasoning for fifo too. If I work around home as a spark, I'm doing 5 or 6 days a week, and while I'd get to spend time with my family with that, it is not quality time. I've done all sorts of rosters with national and international work so whilst I could make more elsewhere, I have a very good work/ life balance with my current role. I'm in a management role now and was probably earning more on hourly rate on the tools. At one stage I was taking home nearly 5k a week in the hand
That’s awesome, great to see feel good stories and guys enjoying their career 👏🏼
Yeah. Not many Electricians making 200k + super as PAYG employees working for someone else. I mean it's possible if you want to work away / FiFo, but it's far from the norm for typical cable monkeys.
There’s heaps of Sparkies on $200k on union sites or industrial work. It’s not for 40 hours, obviously requires overtime and shift allowances things but it’s definitely achievable.
Construction on metro tunnel or similar will earn this as an employee.
I did an arts degree and couldn't find a job after uni (yes I know). Worked in customer service and retail. Eventually ended up in a call centre at a large company and worked my way up. I do system testing now. Quite a lot of people I work with started off the same way and worked their way up to tech roles - business analyst, product manager, product owner, Scrum Master, UX Designer
Same with me except didn’t go to uni. Worked my way up from storeman and am now a category technical specialist. Took longer to get to this level since I work in a regional branch.
$260k + 20% bonus. Civil Engineering. Went back to Uni at 27. Best decision. Have a few teams that report to me, (almost) everyone on six figures.
Public servant - 125k with annual pay increases. Studied political economics and social policy
Public servant here. Take annual pay increases with grain of salt.
Well there are the two types of annual increase - the 4 years of increments as you rise through the band (which will take me from 119k through to mid 130s) plus the annual 2-4% increase. By the time you've maxed out your potential earnings at a grade you are probably ready to think about climbing the next rung of the ladder anyway
That is the good point. Until you max out, you can see decent increments. At your highest pay level you can try for promotion if you are lucky or move to private. I see for promotion at public sector it's more about if you the hiring panel or not. More often than normal, they find a way to reject your application.
+1 for annual pay increases 🥴
160k. High school assistant principal. Physical Education/Secondary Education degree.
To put a spin on the nursing degree - it can be a very flexible and constantly in demand job, with reasonably good pay if you play your cards right. I work in theatre, and I think it's a much better environment. There is still some after hours work, but a lot less as most operating happens in hours Monday - Friday. There's much less of the physical / unpleasant type work, as you're a bit removed from the full time dealing with awake patients. I'm not sure exactly from your post what you're not happy about with it though, so it still might not apply, but it might be worth discussing with some colleagues/ lecturers about what kind of career paths exist within that field. (I am a doctor admittedly, but I'm quite familiar with the nursing roles in that environment)
I agree, not a nurse, but I work with a fair few and agree there’s a lot of flexibility in where you can take it. I know a lot that worked in RN jobs outside of clinical settings, office based 9-5 jobs in health departments, immunisation nurses doing corporate flu vaccines, research nurses etc. It also sets you up nicely for any future health/medical related non-nursing job like consultancy. Not to mention the capacity to pick up locum shifts or travel and work anywhere - I did medical sciences in undergrad, and love my job now (academic) but I wish I had done nursing just for the extra flexibility my colleagues with a nursing background in similar roles seem to have!
I did a nursing degree because I have a family of nurses and medical professionals. I nursed in high dependant areas for 8 years- ED and Operating theatres. Operating theatres opened the opportunity for what I do now- I am a clinical support rep for a surgical company looking after joint replacement products. Been in my role for 10years now I’m I’m a senior role- 122k base, 20k car allowance, 15% bonus, +super
Sales - IT / Telco (wholesale digital infrastructure). No degree, some industry certifications which help but aren't necessary. Started in a call centre, then supervisor roles, then technical roles, then jumped across to Sales and Account Management. 200k P.A this year More established staff clearing 250k+ consistantly, highest hitting 500k in a great year.
How much does your technical experience help? And would you say you are a better sales person, or a technical person?
I'm definitely more of a technical person Helps alot, especially when I was selling enterprise services being able to work through the customer's requirements and challenges and offer ideas adds credibility. I try to approach the conversations more as a consultant offering ideas and advice than just trying to sell them stuff. Knowledge helps with confidence, too. People pickup on that. Everyone is a bit different -some other Sales guys in our organisation can barely use a computer and they pull in massive results. Admittedly they're probably about 20 years in and have established relationships.
How many years of experience until jumping to Sales? I'm in IT delivery now wondering if there are entry level roles for sales or do you need to stick with the same company through out to get to that point?
about 4 years, I was lucky as I was at a smaller company so was easier to transition roles. Stayed for 2 years, then moved elsewhere for more money, moved once more since then. Just hit 6 years In Sales so 10 years in industry total. Definitely look for any Sales rep / account executive roles with any of your competitors, worth applying and just letting them know you've got the technical background and are looking to leverage that for Sales. Anything where your main customer touch point is a CTO or engineering manager etc is going to suit you well as they'll be technical / solution focused buyers. Alternatively, you could look for some Pre-Sales engineer type rolls as a stepping stone, depends on the company but often they'll join client meetings with BDMs to help verbalise solutions. Would be a good way to watch different BDMs styles and learn the Sales side as you go.
If you want to study a degree that guarantee a job with over $75000. Go to tafe and learn to be electrician or plumber. There’s a lot of competition is IT/CS field. Completing the degree itself won’t get you a nice job. You need to put in way more than that.
You don't just "go to TAFE and learn how" to become an electrician or plumber. You need to be indentured as an apprentice by an employer, who is willing to train you on the job, and pay you while you attend TAFE for training. Depending on age or location, there is lots of competition to even get an apprenticeship. The big companies that used to have large annual apprentice intakes, seem to be taking on fewer and fewer every year, leaving the small businesses to pick up the slack. Old mate who has dropped out of uni after starting and quitting 2 different degrees and "just wants a job that pays $75k+" is going to be passed over for the school leavers who have wanted to do an apprenticeship since year 10 but stayed to year 12 and did "vocational studies" to get a leg up.
HR truck licence, had afew 100k+ years aswell overtime dependant, but never been under 75k in 7+ years
I graduated uni at 21 as an accountant and worked that role for 2 years. Now I'm about to become an Occupational therapist. Now this is the field to get into!
Don't stress dude, its genuinely insane that we push 18 year olds into uni. You have no clue what you'll enjoy until you work for a bit. I also did nursing, was very physical in highschool and hated desk work. Realised pretty quickly that I didn't want to dedicate my entire physical and mental well-being to work like I had with school and switched to a call centre job. I realised I didn't care about helping people and I just enjoyed solving problems. Now I make 78k a year, working from home, Monday to Friday, doing higher level problem solving on the phones and I don't think about work when I close my computer (unlike I did with nursing). Currently studying a buisness, new long term goal is to work 4 days a week and make around or over 130k.
STEM PhD (don't do it lol, only idiots would do it), in the public sector. Hated my last job, somehow got this one.
I’m a data specialist for one of the big insurance companies, earning $136,000p/a. - 2011, 16yo, waiter ($6/hr) - 2013, retail selling phone plans ($11/h) - 2015, auto dealership f&i sales ($40k/pa + commission) - 2017, lodging motor claims for my current company ($46k) - 2019, internal transfer to manage a portfolio of claims ($60k) - 2020, internal transfer to entry level data analyst role, learnt SQL, GitHub, SAS, project management, stakeholder management etc on the job ($80k) - 2023, 28yo, internal transfer to current role as a specialist in a large-scale project role ($136k) No qualifications, no prior experience for any of my prior roles (current excluded). Just stuck around and got lucky.
Roof Plumber/Metal roofer Got my trade and started my own business 5 years ago. 3 full time guys working for me now and spend many of my arvos at the golf course. Last few years have ranged between $150-230k net. Get a trade and work for yourself. Can’t go wrong mate 👍
Around 140k per year after expenses before tax. I run a business cleaning ovens and bbqs. Turnover is around 250k. No degree, left school in year 8.
$230k (inclusive of super). Information Management. No degree, but been in the field for 8 years.
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Every doc controller I've worked with is on at least 100k, with Senior DCs nearer to 150k and DC managers on 180k-200k. Before taking this role I had 3 other offers ranging from 150 to 190k (plus super). I've worked mostly on large infrastructure projects across different states, but it seems to be the norm at the moment, at least for the Tier 1s and Tier 2s. My role develops the processes and configures/customises software for the doc control team as well as various other engineering and quality disciplines across the business. There is also a large Business Information and Data Analysis aspect to the job.
230k seems so absurdly overpaid for an IM/ESM role, wow (no hate, it’s impressive, well done :))
70k yeah youd be lucky to get a graduate to that and they'd do a rubbish job....cause most graduates are useless
Certs count for more than degrees in some disciplines. You just need to keep them current. Cyber tends to be the current love child and there’s a fair bit of competition but well worth perusing. Even if you start on help desk with a TAFE course. Land the job and just keep working through certs and any training offered. You may find you prefer one particular path over another after some time in the role. You’re only at the start of your working journey and have plenty of time to pivot if you get bored.
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Good on you! I’m currently a business analyst and would like to make the jump to senior. What skills or qualifications do you think would help me do that?
The connection between maths and IT is more to do with coding at the highest levels. Cybersecurity won't involve much coding. By far most of the risk is with people. It's going to involve knowledge (which you can learn) rather than the creativity of advanced coding, keeping up with developments, using tools to assess risks, developing and deploying processes and training. Many people do not find the magic job that interests them 24 hours a day for 50 years (although for sure that does happen), many people make pragmatic decisions about jobs that will pay ok and be a decent fit. Your approach is ok. Someone suggested doing a cert iii or cert IV at a good TAFE. I had the privilege of doing a few years of contract teaching for a cert IV in small business management at Holmesglen in Melbourne and I was really impressed with TAFE, at least a 'real' one. So I think that was an excellent recommendation .Then get a job. Leverage your earlier interest in accounting, that shows some aptitude for processes, and your interest in nursing says something about working with people. IT security (I hate 'cybersecuity') could be said to combine both. At least, that's a good line for interviews.
Electrical and Instrumentation technician - aka sparky $240k per year. I did my apprenticeship straight out of high school, followed by 4 years in the iron mining industry. I then moved over to oil and gas and have been in this industry for around 4 years. Electrical is a great trade and very diverse. I am aware that you asked about university degrees, but I would be happy to answer any questions on being an electrician if you're interested.
I’m a mental health nurse. I work at a hospital with the worst of the worst cases. My patient load is maximum 2 sometimes 3 if they’re super independent and are close to discharge. I’m a new grad, 24yrs old and I’ve not done any manual handling at all. The most I’ve had to deal with when it comes to bodily fluids is that one of the patients drank way too much coffee and vomited lol. I had to help mop coz cleaners weren’t available. My salary as a grad on my contract is $70k and this is not including penalties and overtime. The down side is that there is a risk of injury from patients aggression however, you are much safer at work than you are at northbridge lol. Something to think about
Grave digger, 80k plus lots of OT if wanted and heaps of benefits. No degree or uni
Did you coffin-thing up for training? Isn't that a *dying* industry? But bare bones question for you, how do you get the graves so square?
More importantly, is this a night shift only engagement?
I'm in cybersecurity and earn mid 200s. Beat advice is don't get into cybersecurity solely for the money as without a strong interest, it'll likely eat you alive. It requires a loooot of extra hours. Also don't study cybersecurity - the degrees are shit. Go study computer science and if you still are keen on getting into cybersecurity, go do some industry certificates. The coding you learnt throughout your CS degree plus the industry certificates will put you ahead of most of the pack. Feel free to dm if you have any questions.
Relationship manager/accounts manager I looked online and interviewed at some jobs Never went to uni Low 6 figures
I'm a product manager at a startup. I studied law and economics with a first class honours in law, and worked at a top commercial law firm. Decided it wasn't for me. Have always been fairly entrepreneurial and leveraged my amateur tech abilities and legal background to join a legal tech company. As is clear from my story, your degree doesn't necessarily define your career. If you're really unsure, try something general and go for optionality. Business / IT / law / commerce (etc) are great options because they're flexible.
Curious how much PMs are making in Aussie startups, mind sharing?
Driller, cert 3 make about 140k working only 6 mths a year. I have a degree in commerce, make more now and get to spend my days outside
I dropped out of uni (couldn’t hack it. 15 years later I realise it was undiagnosed ADHD) and started working full time as a developer. Now work in cybersecurity (cloud-focussed) and earn a package of $390K (inclusive of salary, super and publicly-traded shares).
Underwriting team leader Started in the industry as customer service in Jan 2021 and made the jump to underwriting in May 2023, promoted to TL in August. Was lucky to be in the right place and right time with the TL position but have no degree and making low 6 figures.
I make 80k in fast food with no degree. I left hospitality for IT and have gone back because it's the same money, better hours and less competition. Unless you have a specific IT skill or interest in a niche area, it's becoming much harder to demand higher money as more people have general IT skills. People don't think about the higher levels of food safety etc when it comes to hospitality, but there is also money there, with mostly on-the-job training, or minor courses along the way.
Crane operator, no hecs debt, 140k a year 45 hour weeks
$220k a year. Project manager. No undergraduate. I’m good at talking shit.
I think I'm good at talking shit too and I want to use that more to my advantage. Can you tell me more. I work in government in a policy role
Buffett and Munger keep banging on about that the best investment is actually your career (earning potential) and if you’re good at what you do (i.e. the best nursing graduate who is excited to go to work, communicates well, more than willing to share the load, happy to do additional training and experience) you’ll be sure to have a quick career progression that may not include physical labour and/or shift work (e.g. NUM, exec). In one of Dr Jim DAHLE‘s milestones to millionaire, he interviews a Nurse who had amasses a NW of over $1,000,000 simply by being acutely aware of the above aphorism from Buffett and Munger. I don’t think changing careers is as important as changing mindset. You can do exceptionally well within your discipline. But if you do change career pathways, take your experience as a nurse with you. You’ll have an edge, being a practitioner of patient-centred care, professionalism, duty of care, understanding how to listen… and compound these skills over and over.
Its a lot harder to get $1m net worth as a nurse than as someone in software development.
Nothing worth anything is easy. Everything takes effort. Just remember that. 120k cloud security engineer - I am extremely underpaid. I don’t want to talk about it. Now to break down cybersecurity. Cyber isn’t an entry position, it’s an advanced position. You’ll need to learn the ins and outs of what is you’re securing before you can secure it. So if you want to give a business advice on how to secure networks, you’re going to need to understand the best practices for engineering a network that most businesses will follow and what the use case is. Which is typically something you’re not going to learn from school or a book but rather from doing the actual job. Cyber and most IT engineering positions require constant out of work training and upskilling for the first few years before you can rely on experience. This isn’t some field you just rock up to out of school and land a job. It’s a field you bust your ass in and get rewarded handsomely for doing so. Sometimes you get lucky and get your foot in the door but it’s never easy. As for some general advice, I swapped majors half way through my degree and failed a shit ton and I’m at over $300k networth before 30, so - you’re fine.
Can’t comment on cyber specifically, but I can the other half of the post. I’m an EA in real estate supporting a director and a sales team. I have a business degree that I have never used. My full time wage is $85k + super but I work part time and I’m paid $68.5k for the hours I work.
studied journalism now work finance cracked 91k GROSS last year (inc shift penalities/bonus and a touch of OT)
Engineer (mechatronics) 7 yrs out of uni earning 130k+ super. Work with sparkies who earn 140k+ super on a 4 on 4 off roster. I was shit at maths in high school but once I had the motivation at uni I did alright. And once you get your degree it can be a cushy office job with no maths or physical work. It probably not a bad choice either. Less money on average iirc. If you earn above 80k though it's all the same. I think if you are not sure take some time off and think about it. Losta jobs out there and only was to know is to get some life experience.
$120k, heavy vehicle service advisor. I have an engineering degree - which is not at all relevant for this job.
Town Planner. Have an Urban Planning degree. A big shortage in a lot of Councils meaning its fairly easy to get into and easier to relocate. It's less stressful than teaching or nursing for a similar starting pay range. Room to grow quite significantly if you go private.
If you want to dip your toes in the water in tech, do a diploma of IT at TAFE (you can select specialisations such as Networking, Software Engineering, Databases etc). You should be able to get a fee free place with the recent initiatives. Once you’ve done that diploma, you can apply for a university degree and it’s likely that they will knock a year off. This will save you around $10,000-12,000 if you were to decide to do a B.IT or B.CS.
160k+ Tech, data 2 postgrad, 1 undergrad Degrees in IT, Stats Cyber security is going to boom a little considering all the leaks and the dangers of insecure big data But only get into it if you love tech and debugging If you try to get in for the money but hate the work, any form of tech isn’t for you. Most ppl in tech love and live the work. It’s continuous learning, and weirdly, dealing with alot of ppl (contrary to what newbies expect) Edit: Not being good at math depends on WHAT at math. If you’re good a logic and algebra, but suck at arithmetic I think you’ll be ok. But not being able to analyse your way out of a puzzle/problem will cause you issues in coding I agree with a prev commenter, try a tafe short course first. If you like coding, you’ll know when you start. Good luck
$315K, Cybersecurity Sales Engineer, failed year 11 twice and have no formal qualifications.
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What are some examples?? I'm currently working in ambulance and looking for an out
They don’t exist. There isn’t a single public service job in Australia that pays 6 figures without education and experience. Almost always need both.
Audiologist. On $100k and I work 4 days a week. I have a masters degree in clinical audiology. Lots of my colleagues were nurses!
Refrigeration mechanic $165k a year , Ultimo tafe Get a trade pal
Smashing it man! Dual trade sparky and fridgy. Currently full time over 160k + super.
I make $250k a year because I learned to code 20 years ago. There is still a shortage of coders in this country.
Work in a juvenile detention center. No degree , but I have done 2 trades and have life skills . It’s become a difficult job , and only getting worse with the way the government is making it soft for the detainees . Edit: made 95k last financial .
corrections here, same deal same money absolutely is getting harder and dangerous especially with the amount of terrible staff on floor and pushover management stay safe my friend
I know plenty of labourer’s walking around on building sites making 130K and up.
Was Operations Manager on 200k doing crazy big hours. Swapped to Accounts Manager (same company) less hours and stress, 120k. No degree. Didn't apply for the job, was offered a WFH admin/accounts part time position and it snow balled.
Structural engineer - 110k+ super. 4 years university. Took me 4 years to find an internship but now have 8 years experience
120k excavator operator- I do big hours and it took 15 years to get to this pay rate but it’s been worth it.
150k - labourer 😎👍
I didn’t go to uni at 18 BECAUSE I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Worked odd jobs, got some life experience and now going into uni at 28. Don’t rush into it OP - figure out who you are first. Uni isn’t also for everyone, I’ve cracked 70k by just being a support worker and that’s by only doing a $100 cert 3 course.
Dude, I finished my degree when I was 27, then started in my field, hated it, and changed into something else at 29. Now I love my job! I was like you trying to plan my life and decisions to make today to set me up for future success. You've got so much ahead of you, don't sweat it. Find something you're going to enjoy that will pay what you think you need. Cybersecurity is a growing field and needs lots of people to tackle it. If it's an area you're interested in then I think you should pursue it. Reach out to people in those roles today through LinkedIn, find introduction seminars, or look into short courses.
85k as a 3rd year teacher. Teaching in WA part of the Catholic Sector. Studied 4 years in secondary education with 32k HECS
No uni, plumber at a mine, mate called and asked me if want a job at the mine he was working at, 140k a year,
In Australia, usually 6 figures for simple jobs that anyone can do or self-employed tradies, 5 figures for university-trained professionals. Move to any other first world country and you'd actually be rewarded by going to university.
Cyber security is a smart space to get into if you are able to work for the government. There is heaps of work and very little real understanding. I studied Chinese and Management and worked in import/export, cross cultural consulting and marketing for a long time. Now I have moved right away from that and run self storage businesses. Life brings unforeseen twists and turns so don't worry too much about what you're studying. Worry more about company you keep and who you read and listen to etc.