Career change

[Hawk Dork]

photography, construction, Hospitality, construction.
Went to uni did nothing related to it
Mainly working for myself
Tip is learn to sell/bullshit and you can do anything.
Made more money buying and selling realestate than all my work combined.
Currently semi retired looking for one last biz
Doesnt matter what it is as long as it makes good money relative to labour imput.
I have looked at chemical wholesale,heavy engineering,even fast food franchise nothing has grabbed me yet.
Options are open not knowing is part of the fun.

 

[Power King]

I finished Yr 12 with NFI what i wanted to do, and I tried and dropped out of a couple of degrees (Nursing/Marketing) and various jobs. Could never find anything that i could see myself doing/enjoying even medium-term, let alone long-term. After spending most of my 20's in a drug-haze, I finally got my shit together, and did the best thing I've ever done, went back to TAFE and did a counselling diploma. Am now working as a drug & alcohol counsellor, and have continued studying (now doing a double degree- Psychology/Social Work). Really enjoy both the study and my job.

Would you describe yourself as a drug addict that got rehabilitation help, and is now helping others? If so, do you believe that having had a drug problem and now getting over and continuing to manage it gives you an advantage with regards to the type of counselling that you do?

Up to you in terms of what you wish to post.

 

[Running Wild]

Hi all perhaps you can help some one who is considering to seriously do a career change:

A bit about me:

I am living/working in the country and plan on moving to the city at the end of the year to continue my education.

At High School I unfortunately didn’t get good enough grades to get into University and had to spend two years at TAFE to redeem myself. I spent two years at TAFE studying IT thinking it was something I though t would enjoy. I was able to walk away with A cert 3,4 and Diploma of IT (Networking). The original plan was to get a few years experience in IT, save a bit of money and then go to University and get an IT degree. A few years turned into another few more years as I still wasn’t too sure if IT was for me and also a younger sibling was able to get into uni, so I thought I would do the big brother thing and support the younger sibling, and then go to uni when the sibling finished (I come from a single parent family so money is a bit tight). During my time working in IT I have managed to get anther TAFE diploma in IT and also a few industry certs (Microsoft etc).

After almost 5 years of IT I have decided that I do not want to do this anymore and want a more rewarding, higher paying and most importantly secure type of work. Let me explain that the type of IT work that I do is the operations side of things eg support, administration, maintenance etc

Since January this year I have begun studying part time while working a “Dual Diploma” sort of course which will get me a Diploma of Business Management and a Diploma of Human Resource Management. I have basically started doing this as I want to get into more of a business career and also thinking of maybe getting in HR. Additionally the extra diplomas I feel would also increase my chances of getting into university, and perhaps fast track my degree via RPL

I have been seriously looking at doing a Bachelor of Commerce and Majoring in Human Resources and Industrial Relations. My reasons for seriously considering this as a career is most HR jobs seem to have a nice 9-5 feel about them, and seen as a cruisy office job. I also like the fact that I will be helping people and also trying to motivate them and train them. From what I heard and researched a few months back was that HR jobs pay quite well ( I would be happy to be on 60 K and then eventually move to 80K).
I must admit HR and IR seem s like a more easier major to grasp and major then say finance or economics (my math is pretty bad from what I remember of High school) – another reason why I have decided to go the HR path.

However last week I bumped into an old manager (accounting back gorund) I used to work with and who I respect professionally and told him of my (possible) future study plans. He was shocked that I was thinking about studying HR at uni, and claimed that you don’t need university to get into HR – hence why HR is not a respected industry. Apparently the industry is unrewarding and pretty cut throat, with HR jobs usually the first to be outsourced/cut when bad financial times occur. Apparently the HR department is usually hated by employees and looked down on as a profession.
Basically those things about HR above are some of the reasons why I have had enough of IT.


At the end of this year I will be 25 with 5 years IT experience (Desktop support-System Admin) and four TAFE diplomas. I feel that time is running out for me and this is my last role of the dice to get into uni and complete a 3 year degree (2 if I am lucky and get RPL).

Right now this is how I am feeling in regards what to study:

70% Bachelor of Commerce (major in Human Resources and Industrial Relations).
10% Bachelor of Commerce (major in Business Information Systems)
15% Bachelor of Commerce (major in accounting) – money & job prospects seem real good
5% Not do uni at all and continue my “IT career”.

Before I ran into the old manager the HR choice was about 80%, and I didn’t even think of doing accounting.

If any one could give me some advice it would be much appreciated. Sorry about the long post.

 

[amf87]

Good thread this one. I really want do work in the sports industry which is why I'm doing sports event management at Uni, started my degree the year after i finished year 12, I finish the degree at the end of this year, but am quiet worried to be honest, as there are not a load of jobs available, and many organisations which i have applied for do not seem to be too interested in the degree. Anyone else experiencing similar troubles with finishing uni?

 

[Soups]

Good thread this one. I really want do work in the sports industry which is why I'm doing sports event management at Uni, started my degree the year after i finished year 12, I finish the degree at the end of this year, but am quiet worried to be honest, as there are not a load of jobs available, and many organisations which i have applied for do not seem to be too interested in the degree. Anyone else experiencing similar troubles with finishing uni?

The first thing I was told about a sports degree is you need to have a strong network and experience. So I guess the best advice is to get out there and get as much expierence as you can. Go out and meet people, volunteer to anything and get your name going around because when something major comes up you might just be the lucky one they call. I am currently doing a sports development course at TAFE (diploma) and was thinking about heading to uni afterwards and look at something like PE teacher or a development officer.

 

[Invigoration]

Hi all perhaps you can help some one who is considering to seriously do a career change:

A bit about me:

I am living/working in the country and plan on moving to the city at the end of the year to continue my education.

At High School I unfortunately didn’t get good enough grades to get into University and had to spend two years at TAFE to redeem myself. I spent two years at TAFE studying IT thinking it was something I though t would enjoy. I was able to walk away with A cert 3,4 and Diploma of IT (Networking). The original plan was to get a few years experience in IT, save a bit of money and then go to University and get an IT degree. A few years turned into another few more years as I still wasn’t too sure if IT was for me and also a younger sibling was able to get into uni, so I thought I would do the big brother thing and support the younger sibling, and then go to uni when the sibling finished (I come from a single parent family so money is a bit tight). During my time working in IT I have managed to get anther TAFE diploma in IT and also a few industry certs (Microsoft etc).

After almost 5 years of IT I have decided that I do not want to do this anymore and want a more rewarding, higher paying and most importantly secure type of work. Let me explain that the type of IT work that I do is the operations side of things eg support, administration, maintenance etc

Since January this year I have begun studying part time while working a “Dual Diploma” sort of course which will get me a Diploma of Business Management and a Diploma of Human Resource Management. I have basically started doing this as I want to get into more of a business career and also thinking of maybe getting in HR. Additionally the extra diplomas I feel would also increase my chances of getting into university, and perhaps fast track my degree via RPL

I have been seriously looking at doing a Bachelor of Commerce and Majoring in Human Resources and Industrial Relations. My reasons for seriously considering this as a career is most HR jobs seem to have a nice 9-5 feel about them, and seen as a cruisy office job. I also like the fact that I will be helping people and also trying to motivate them and train them. From what I heard and researched a few months back was that HR jobs pay quite well ( I would be happy to be on 60 K and then eventually move to 80K).
I must admit HR and IR seem s like a more easier major to grasp and major then say finance or economics (my math is pretty bad from what I remember of High school) – another reason why I have decided to go the HR path.

However last week I bumped into an old manager (accounting back gorund) I used to work with and who I respect professionally and told him of my (possible) future study plans. He was shocked that I was thinking about studying HR at uni, and claimed that you don’t need university to get into HR – hence why HR is not a respected industry. Apparently the industry is unrewarding and pretty cut throat, with HR jobs usually the first to be outsourced/cut when bad financial times occur. Apparently the HR department is usually hated by employees and looked down on as a profession.
Basically those things about HR above are some of the reasons why I have had enough of IT.


At the end of this year I will be 25 with 5 years IT experience (Desktop support-System Admin) and four TAFE diplomas. I feel that time is running out for me and this is my last role of the dice to get into uni and complete a 3 year degree (2 if I am lucky and get RPL).

Right now this is how I am feeling in regards what to study:

70% Bachelor of Commerce (major in Human Resources and Industrial Relations).
10% Bachelor of Commerce (major in Business Information Systems)
15% Bachelor of Commerce (major in accounting) – money & job prospects seem real good
5% Not do uni at all and continue my “IT career”.

Before I ran into the old manager the HR choice was about 80%, and I didn’t even think of doing accounting.

If any one could give me some advice it would be much appreciated. Sorry about the long post.

-I typed up a decent reply to this and my comp crashed, can't really be bothered dishing it up again.

I personally wouldn't major in either of the two you seem keen on (I'm studying commerce now) in support of what the friend you bumped into advised you.
Do a core subject of commerce, something that is everlasting and always has a position in the business world. The two you are considering are more modern day fluff subjects, BIS especially. Even if you don't finish up directly working in Accounting for example, it is a traditional area of business and is held in very high esteem.
HR and BIS can be sceptical and don't have ideal paths carved for them. BIS especially is constantly changing and the best way to craft an employee in this field is actually in the workplace, not through study. It sounds good in concept, but most businesses would much rather take someone would studied a core business subject and clearly had decent IT knowledge and then craft them (or someone who majored in Programming or another more highly regarded field of IT), as opposed to picking up a bits and pieces student of the field.
Studying in HR/BIS is cute in concept I believe, but I think you are much better off doing something that will always have value, get your foot in the door of a HR job and then from there they will foot the relevant costs to hone your skills in management and what not. Again if you prove the essential core skills the business you work for will worry about training and developing you in the minor areas of HR.

In your case I'd major in accounting, maybe finance as it seems you have a interest to combine your IT knowledge with business and these are two subjects essential to the core of business. Especially with your background, you can prove a decent IT background, you have studied and have experience in the field. Another degree in something like Business Info (I've studied subjects in this vein, they are very simplistic, attempt to cover multiple areas without mastering any) isn't really going to add to the resume you already have, it just comes across as a bit of a filler.

As I said before (and someone else mentioned in the thread) you don't necessarily need to follow the path of your degree, it even sounds as if in your post you think an Accounting degree means you are stuck doing peoples tax returns for the rest of your life. The other thing is though, you are clearly motivated by money which is a good desire to have, but definitely shouldn't be the strongest. You only mention accounting because of its money capacities (same with HR). If you end up studying HR specifically (which is an area I see as being quite restrictive) and find out you don't enjoy it, I think you'll find yourself in a shit house position.
Where you go from here should be motivated by your intent to work in a field you find challenging and intellectually stimulating first and foremost, or you are going to be back here in the same position in ten years.
This adds more reason to studying a core business subject in my mind, because down the track in you do get caught out again, falling back on finance/accounting/law etc leaves you far more adaptable in your future moves.

Anyways good luck mate, make sure you research your next move well though.

 

[Invigoration]

The other thing is you are never to old to study, time is well and truly on your hands at 25. Constantly studying and expanding your resume of skills is vital in my opinion, the world of business evolves at a rapid pace, studying is just one of the main ways to make sure you keep up.
I wouldn't stress that the ship has passed you by at 25.

 

[hamG]

Interesting thread. I am a staunch believer everyone should take a break from studying after yr 12, work something simple & social enough that it gives you the option of attaining youth allowance while studying.

I was burned after yr 12, was told I either study or work full time so I hit tafe and studied computer systems, it was complete shit (engineering maths? yeah right) and I dropped it after the first semester and went into multimedia. Did a cert II then started a diploma, but was falsely failed after first year (idiots!) and started working full time (fixed this up though so I have a cert IV at least). After one year working full time in this I needed something different so I did a adv. diploma in business (legal practice), basically law @ tafe. I did pretty well and decided I would have a crack at uni now so I applied for law, enviro science & psych. Got into enviro science and graduated last year.

I am still working in multimedia right now

Low level enviro jobs are boring and limited. I want to join the army as an enviro health officer, that would be something tough and ultimately very productive.

 

[X_box_X]

After year twelve in 2004, I went to TAFE to do Professional Writing and Editing and, even though writing is still a passion of mine, my career has taken a completely different direction. I actually didn't even complete that course due to personal issues.

I decided to do an apprenticeship as a pastry chef and after completing my second year, I couldn't handle the hours any more and didn't have that big of a passion for it.

Then I did a Sports Massage certificate last year, followed by a Sports Trainer Level 1 course. Currently working at a local footy club on Saturdays, and I do massage from home on the side.

For the past sixteen months I have also been working as a labourer to get me by, and recently I started a second job after getting myself a gaming license and a RSA certificate, so I'm working in a gaming venue.

 

[AG]

This thread is a good read so far. I'm having trouble picking a career path. I'll have my Bachelor of Commerce in three weeks and I can't decide between Finance, Accounting or IT. Most people I speak to advise Accounting as a good core skill for the business world, mainly due to the high demand for accountants. One option is to start CPA course and start out as a junior accountant or book keeper at a firm. Finance, I'm not sold on. I don't really enjoy the guess work of valuing and forecasting company’s earnings but if you're good at it, it seems to be a rewarding industry. IT is another industry I'm interested in but what path within IT I don't know. My best subject at Uni was in Database Design but I'm not sure about the demand for a very specific role within the industry.
I'll probably take the next 6 months to completely suss out my options. I’ll just keep doing my general labour job while I still enjoy doing it. That’s another thing that confuses me; I enjoy my current lifestyle of working outdoors and doing physical work. I am finishing work at 3 and going for a surf in the afternoon, but I won’t be able to do that once I start a standard 8-9 hour job. I love it at the moment but I definitely don’t want to be doing this in a couple of years. Most people have told me not to rush into something unless I'm fully committed and fairly certain I want to do it. I’ll just wait and see what happens. Glad I’ve almost finishing studying though, I’ve been nonstop for the past week and a bit. A word of advice, anyone who considers studying long distance, it’s actually a lot harder than you’d think. Not having the routine of going to lectures and tutorials can stuff you around. I am finishing my degree from Monash University in Melbourne and thought it would be fairly straightforward. The End.

 

[Invigoration]

This thread is a good read so far. I'm having trouble picking a career path. I'll have my Bachelor of Commerce in three weeks and I can't decide between Finance, Accounting or IT. Most people I speak to advise Accounting as a good core skill for the business world, mainly due to the high demand for accountants. One option is to start CPA course and start out as a junior accountant or book keeper at a firm. Finance, I'm not sold on. I don't really enjoy the guess work of valuing and forecasting company’s earnings but if you're good at it, it seems to be a rewarding industry. IT is another industry I'm interested in but what path within IT I don't know. My best subject at Uni was in Database Design but I'm not sure about the demand for a very specific role within the industry.
I'll probably take the next 6 months to completely suss out my options. I’ll just keep doing my general labour job while I still enjoy doing it. That’s another thing that confuses me; I enjoy my current lifestyle of working outdoors and doing physical work. I am finishing work at 3 and going for a surf in the afternoon, but I won’t be able to do that once I start a standard 8-9 hour job. I love it at the moment but I definitely don’t want to be doing this in a couple of years. Most people have told me not to rush into something unless I'm fully committed and fairly certain I want to do it. I’ll just wait and see what happens. Glad I’ve almost finishing studying though, I’ve been nonstop for the past week and a bit. A word of advice, anyone who considers studying long distance, it’s actually a lot harder than you’d think. Not having the routine of going to lectures and tutorials can stuff you around. I am finishing my degree from Monash University in Melbourne and thought it would be fairly straightforward. The End.

Why didn't you attend a University in Sydney?

 

[AG]

Why didn't you attend a University in Sydney?

Something about the credit points not matching up. I had 4 subjects left if I just did it over the internet, but if I went to a Uni here then I would have to do 1 or 2 more depending if I went to Macquarie or Sydney. Wierd isn't it.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

How has Uni working over the internet worked for some people? I'm still 2/3 years from entering Uni, but was interested to read you can do some courses online. Asked my Dad about it and he said it's better to meet the teachers face to face & discuss future job opportunities, plus you take it in quicker if you listen & read the material. Thoughts?

 

[AG]

How has Uni working over the internet worked for some people? I'm still 2/3 years from entering Uni, but was interested to read you can do some courses online. Asked my Dad about it and he said it's better to meet the teachers face to face & discuss future job opportunities, plus you take it in easier if you listen & read the material. Thoughts?

It's more the routine of going to lectures and tutorials that makes you study and keep up to date with the work. I've had a job during the day and then I have tried to get into the routine of studying every night. The thought of getting my degree and the opportunities that will come from it, is enough motivation to get me through but because you don't to have to go to tutorials, mentally you tell yourself you can do the work whenever. Eventually the work starts building up and you fall behind. I'd definitely advise studying at a uni as opposed to online. Follow your dad's advice. Plus you meet new people and make new friends. Creates a network of potential job offers because people you meet during the degree or within the Uni can hook you up with interviews and meetings.

 

[Colin D'Cops]

Makes sense. Cheers AG.