Employment & Career Guidance: In Honor Reykjavik 2015

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Embleberry said:
There's nothing wrong with where you're at, we've all got different paths and move at our own pace. Write down your goals and keep at it, you will get there! Make the most of your remaining time at uni, join a student society! You'll make a lot of friends and contacts there which will be good for networking in the work force and it'll help in your job applications and interviews

I remember a couple years back when I was still a bit lost with uni and life in general, I kept looking back at people who I went to high school with to see where they're at now with life - an easy thing to do now when people advertise their whole lives on facebook... It made me feel inferior that I was only "a student studying while working part time in retail on the weekends" while there are guys who were dropkicks in high school who now run personal fitness businesses and some have their own facilities and have fun every weekend; or are DJs and so on. It was only after the point where I defined my goals, stopped comparing myself against others and decided on improving myself outside of study and work that I begun to see results and have the confidence in taking risks that have led to rewarding experiences.
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You're right, I think I'm my own worst enemy because I check in on what everyone else is doing. Overseas holidays, having Monday-Friday jobs, promotions. I dream of that stuff. What you wrote is what I needed to read at the moment. Everyone has their own trajectory. Things could definitely be worse.

Thanks
 
MegaBob said:
You're right, I think I'm my own worst enemy because I check in on what everyone else is doing. Overseas holidays, having Monday-Friday jobs, promotions. I dream of that stuff. What you wrote is what I needed to read at the moment. Everyone has their own trajectory. Things could definitely be worse. Thanks
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Hi MegaBob, it's WBW here.

Looks like you are on track buddy. :thumbsu:

You will soon have a degree and you have the dignity of earning money. Consider asking Bunnings' HQ for work experience related to your degree - eg accounting, or marketing, or HR.

And you can have a very cheap o/s holiday if you watch the airline sales: eg Vietnam is super cheap once you are there.

All the best :)
 
Embleberry said:
Great footage there! I like your website layout, nice and modern. Very slick! What are your webpage hits like for the blogs?

I noticed that you have most social media platforms there (have a FB like :) ) but Instagram is not listed with your other social media links. Instagram would be a fantastic platform to post short clips of Australian landscapes, city scapes and so on. Drones are the rage with freelance bloggers and travel bloggers, if you can get a share or plug from a couple of those it could really boost your follower numbers - especially if you have good content. I'm not too sure how well this will translate into business for you but potentially ad revenue or something. Public exposure is great nonetheless!

I was going to suggest you could get in contact with universities with UAV projects. In my final year project we were using thermography devices to analyse buildings and a drone with a thermal imaging camera was discussed but it wasn't feasible with the costs and privacy and health and safety concerns. However, the university did co-own a drone with an engineering firm and they had to hire an operator for a day to conduct a research project on a building in the CBD recently. I know that the university currently doesn't get too much use of the UAV for projects based in the city due to privacy and health and safety but they do use it for projects out in the sticks! Perhaps there is a market there where you can make their research projects and ideas more feasible?
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Funny you say this, just had an enquiry today about delivering training and certification to a University for an undergraduate program here in Darwin, great opportunity.

Cost of drone services are grossly over exaggerated from those outside the industry. People look at them with no experience and just say it's too expensive but it's not true. The start up costs can be high to purchase the equipment but there are very few overheads after this. I originally cut my teeth on Infra-red systems in aviation and have a liking for thermography, the IR camera I have on my drone for around $10k is an awesome piece of kit but its still a hard concept to sell to the sceptics.
 

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I posted the following as a thread in the Magpies Nest board, completely forgot this thread existed. Sorry!

Hey all,

Just curious, I currently work in Traffic Management but things arent exactly going my way in terms of getting enough work.

The job itself being casual listed means I could go weeks legally without a job.

I started working in Traffic Management/Traffic Controlling in March as my sister helped me get a position at the company she was at. Was. She's recently moved from the current company I'm at as she too had problems like mine and is now off at a much bigger and reliable company.

I know this might be a long stretch and possibly a tough ask, but would anyone here happen to work in Traffic Management or know someone that does and could help me get a position elsewhere with a decent hours? Obviously guaranteed can't be said as the job's forever changing.

Any help would be much appreciated!
 
100volt1 said:
I posted the following as a thread in the Magpies Nest board, completely forgot this thread existed. Sorry!

Hey all,

Just curious, I currently work in Traffic Management but things arent exactly going my way in terms of getting enough work.

The job itself being casual listed means I could go weeks legally without a job.

I started working in Traffic Management/Traffic Controlling in March as my sister helped me get a position at the company she was at. Was. She's recently moved from the current company I'm at as she too had problems like mine and is now off at a much bigger and reliable company.

I know this might be a long stretch and possibly a tough ask, but would anyone here happen to work in Traffic Management or know someone that does and could help me get a position elsewhere with a decent hours? Obviously guaranteed can't be said as the job's forever changing.

Any help would be much appreciated!
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All I can say is that Darwin seems to have been overtaken lately by traffic management. I've been amazed just how much traffic management has grown up here in the last 5 years, probably not much help to you but if you do want some company names I can flick them to you.
 
Hi just got a quick question hoping someone could help me that has been through a similar situation recently. Im thinking of finishing up at my work and am trying to calculate what my unused leave payout would be. Ive had a look on the ATO website and by their 'marginal rates' formula the figures ive come up with have me paying about 52% tax on my unused leave payout. Would this be correct or have i mucked up the calculations? Seems awfully high thats all.
 
The idea behind the higher tax assumes you are moving to a new job immediately, and therefore will be double earning for a period.

I.e. if you collect 3 months unused leave, but start a new job straight away, for the first three months you are theoretically earning twice your salary.

The 50% is designed to cover you in case you get pushed up a tax bracket by the double up, and possibly more money at your new job.

You'll get it back at tax time if you don't go over a bracket.
 
I guess some 10 years in retail has made me a huge cynic of people because I just had an interview for a smaller timber store (I work at Bunnings) that's more of a sales job than purely a retail assistant, if that makes sense. Creating clients and all that. Anyway, so I had an interview and while the person I was talking to was asking questions about myself and relevant skills and all that I swear 60% of what he asked were what Bunnings were doing and noting everything down. Asking about policies and rumours about the company and all that. I played naive and didn't answer anything I wasn't comfortable with but part of me is sure I was brought in just to get some information out of. Apparently I'll get a call next week letting me know if I made it to a second interview but geez I'm kinda sour on everything at the moment.
 
That said, I guess this whole experience of applying for jobs ad nauseam has kind spurred me on to pushing myself in another direction. I have a day off tomorrow so I'm thinking of heading down to the local council and seeing if I can volunteer some time there, get some networking up and all that. I'm sick of moving sideways from retail to retail again, some normality and a sense of progression would be nice.

I know I'm venting to no one in particular but it's kinda cathartic so yeah, probably not overly interesting to read.
 
MegaBob said:
That said, I guess this whole experience of applying for jobs ad nauseam has kind spurred me on to pushing myself in another direction. I have a day off tomorrow so I'm thinking of heading down to the local council and seeing if I can volunteer some time there, get some networking up and all that. I'm sick of moving sideways from retail to retail again, some normality and a sense of progression would be nice.

I know I'm venting to no one in particular but it's kinda cathartic so yeah, probably not overly interesting to read.
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How did you go with this?
 
Embleberry said:
How did you go with this?
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Just got the "I appreciate you coming down, but apply online" treatment. So begrudgingly I did. Never heard back, I should call them I suppose. I did however get another job that keeps me busy Monday-Friday for a local company who kit out amateur footy teams and school uniforms around the country. I applied for a sales role which I didn't get but was offered a factory role, so now I spend the week folding clothes and checking for imperfections (exciting as it sounds) and on weekends working for Bunnings. Uni starts in two weeks so I'll have a feeling of purpose again when that begins I guess.
 
MegaBob said:
Just got the "I appreciate you coming down, but apply online" treatment. So begrudgingly I did. Never heard back, I should call them I suppose. I did however get another job that keeps me busy Monday-Friday for a local company who kit out amateur footy teams and school uniforms around the country. I applied for a sales role which I didn't get but was offered a factory role, so now I spend the week folding clothes and checking for imperfections (exciting as it sounds) and on weekends working for Bunnings. Uni starts in two weeks so I'll have a feeling of purpose again when that begins I guess.
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It's good to hear you found something to do.

Have you joined any student societies? With uni starting it'd be a good time to join one and create a new network and friendships. That was one of the best things I did in uni after having a rough transition into student life.
 
Embleberry said:
It's good to hear you found something to do.

Have you joined any student societies? With uni starting it'd be a good time to join one and create a new network and friendships. That was one of the best things I did in uni after having a rough transition into student life.
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That is a good idea. There is a networking thing coming up next month I'm going to check out. Problem for me is that I study externally at Charles Darwin University, which is based in Darwin. I was thinking of studying with a local uni, but they don't offer what I'm doing externally. If I could work part time I would, but I need to keep getting money for the bills and trying to save.
 

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MegaBob said:
That is a good idea. There is a networking thing coming up next month I'm going to check out. Problem for me is that I study externally at Charles Darwin University, which is based in Darwin. I was thinking of studying with a local uni, but they don't offer what I'm doing externally. If I could work part time I would, but I need to keep getting money for the bills and trying to save.
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Oh okay. That makes things a little more difficult. Maybe check out if there's any clubs/societies that are located at both Charles Darwin and nearby to where you live. Alternatively, you could try joining a student society at a university near you :)
 
I forgot I posted a couple of times on this topic. Um, so yeah as an update my job slowed down to the extent that I got the "we'll call you" and that was like four weeks ago, so I think that's over which was kind of a blindsight but hey, it happens. I've been saving away so I'm living off that which isn't exactly ideal but I'm not struggling too much, just living like a hermit. Work slowing down coincided with a new semester at uni and knowing that work would drop off, I elected to study internally, and apart from the stress of having exams in three odd weeks it's been really enjoyable, kind of immersing myself in the whole uni thing I guess, going to functions and I joined the tennis club. I'm awful.

So yeah as a background, a few years ago I thought being an electrician (this is a tangent I'm sorry, it'll get somewhere soon) was what I wanted to do. Then falling off a ladder and getting bitten by a rooftop occupying possum scared me off a bit, anyway the approach I was told to use to get anywhere was to basically annoy everyone. I had a list of 40 odd companies I'd ring or drop a resume into every now and then to see if they wanted an apprentice or just someone to help out around the place so I could get some work experience. Some phone calls and visits went ok, I'd say 90% were shut down straight away, and some other interactions went yeah, not very well.

ANYWAY I'm just unsure in how to approach the same kind of thing in accounting. My uni does have various networking things it sets up throughout the year, but nothing planned until next year as it stands. But you know, I'd prefer to get started and some experience to my name sooner rather than later.

Do I have the same approach as before, in dropping off resumes to businesses around where I live, or is there a more formal approach I should take, like wait for intern/work experience programs to open up again? I guess I'm just naive in this industry and how to go about getting anywhere. I don't want to smash out most of my degree (although that is some time away) and not really have anything but my uni work to fall back on.
 
MegaBob said:
I forgot I posted a couple of times on this topic. Um, so yeah as an update my job slowed down to the extent that I got the "we'll call you" and that was like four weeks ago, so I think that's over which was kind of a blindsight but hey, it happens. I've been saving away so I'm living off that which isn't exactly ideal but I'm not struggling too much, just living like a hermit. Work slowing down coincided with a new semester at uni and knowing that work would drop off, I elected to study internally, and apart from the stress of having exams in three odd weeks it's been really enjoyable, kind of immersing myself in the whole uni thing I guess, going to functions and I joined the tennis club. I'm awful.

So yeah as a background, a few years ago I thought being an electrician (this is a tangent I'm sorry, it'll get somewhere soon) was what I wanted to do. Then falling off a ladder and getting bitten by a rooftop occupying possum scared me off a bit, anyway the approach I was told to use to get anywhere was to basically annoy everyone. I had a list of 40 odd companies I'd ring or drop a resume into every now and then to see if they wanted an apprentice or just someone to help out around the place so I could get some work experience. Some phone calls and visits went ok, I'd say 90% were shut down straight away, and some other interactions went yeah, not very well.

ANYWAY I'm just unsure in how to approach the same kind of thing in accounting. My uni does have various networking things it sets up throughout the year, but nothing planned until next year as it stands. But you know, I'd prefer to get started and some experience to my name sooner rather than later.

Do I have the same approach as before, in dropping off resumes to businesses around where I live, or is there a more formal approach I should take, like wait for intern/work experience programs to open up again? I guess I'm just naive in this industry and how to go about getting anywhere. I don't want to smash out most of my degree (although that is some time away) and not really have anything but my uni work to fall back on.
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It's good to hear you've become more involved with uni life. I definitely found I enjoyed my studies more when I spent more time on campus hanging out with friends and enjoying whatever shenanigans are happening on campus - if there was not much happening then well that was the queue to get cracking on assignments etc lol

For accounting, finance, professional services internships/vacation work/graduate programs they generally open around mid/late February - esp for the big 4 accounting firms and mid tier accounting firms. Banks, financial services and corporates in general, open applications at various times throughout the year but it's usually July/August for these guys. As an FYI, the corporates do have finance & accounting arms so that's another place to look but they are extremely competitive with only 1 or 2 positions. The accounting firms take on huge classes of interns (of which many get the nod for the graduate programs).

Looking at local accounting firms is a good place to start for your first professional experience. For me, heading into the office and asking the receptionist if the firm hires an accounting intern or junior accountant is a good start. Dress well (white shirt, slacks, formal shoes should suffice - add a suit jacket if you'd like), be respectful and courteous if you have to wait, be nice to the receptionist since they will be the source of the firm's first impression, whatever the receptionist's response leave your CV/resume with them and you never know if the phone will ring. (You can even ask about a short 2 or 4 week work experience gig over the summer if you're okay with something like that)

Do you know where you want to be after uni? As in, is a big city gig in an accounting graduate program what you want? Or do you desire to live out in the suburbs/country side and work in a local accounting firm or perhaps, finance/acct department of a local business? There's pros and cons of both. The graduate programs are great places to build a network and get some training straight off; however, generally speaking, you may not be given a lot of customer facing opportunities, you may not be given as much responsibilities and may be left to do a lot of the grunt work (not necessarily a bad thing). Working in smaller organisations you are likely to get more responsibility and work on more complex projects/tasks earlier on. You will learn and grow quicker as a result. Those are some trade offs in a general context, but your managers and the team you work with etc will be factors in how that all plays out.

If you are planning on applying for the big 4 accounting firms internships/vacation work programs then I suggest you apply within the first week of them opening next year. The earlier you apply the higher the likelihood of you making it into the interview stages. My experience and theory is that HR are more flexible with who they hire and offering the 'talent' internship offers early when there are a lot of positions vacant. Once the list starts filling up then they will be more selective.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions!
 
Embleberry said:
It's good to hear you've become more involved with uni life. I definitely found I enjoyed my studies more when I spent more time on campus hanging out with friends and enjoying whatever shenanigans are happening on campus - if there was not much happening then well that was the queue to get cracking on assignments etc lol

For accounting, finance, professional services internships/vacation work/graduate programs they generally open around mid/late February - esp for the big 4 accounting firms and mid tier accounting firms. Banks, financial services and corporates in general, open applications at various times throughout the year but it's usually July/August for these guys. As an FYI, the corporates do have finance & accounting arms so that's another place to look but they are extremely competitive with only 1 or 2 positions. The accounting firms take on huge classes of interns (of which many get the nod for the graduate programs).

Looking at local accounting firms is a good place to start for your first professional experience. For me, heading into the office and asking the receptionist if the firm hires an accounting intern or junior accountant is a good start. Dress well (white shirt, slacks, formal shoes should suffice - add a suit jacket if you'd like), be respectful and courteous if you have to wait, be nice to the receptionist since they will be the source of the firm's first impression, whatever the receptionist's response leave your CV/resume with them and you never know if the phone will ring. (You can even ask about a short 2 or 4 week work experience gig over the summer if you're okay with something like that)

Do you know where you want to be after uni? As in, is a big city gig in an accounting graduate program what you want? Or do you desire to live out in the suburbs/country side and work in a local accounting firm or perhaps, finance/acct department of a local business? There's pros and cons of both. The graduate programs are great places to build a network and get some training straight off; however, generally speaking, you may not be given a lot of customer facing opportunities, you may not be given as much responsibilities and may be left to do a lot of the grunt work (not necessarily a bad thing). Working in smaller organisations you are likely to get more responsibility and work on more complex projects/tasks earlier on. You will learn and grow quicker as a result. Those are some trade offs in a general context, but your managers and the team you work with etc will be factors in how that all plays out.

If you are planning on applying for the big 4 accounting firms internships/vacation work programs then I suggest you apply within the first week of them opening next year. The earlier you apply the higher the likelihood of you making it into the interview stages. My experience and theory is that HR are more flexible with who they hire and offering the 'talent' internship offers early when there are a lot of positions vacant. Once the list starts filling up then they will be more selective.

Feel free to PM me if you have more questions!
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Thanks for that comprehensive response, I really do appreciate it :)

I started internal study in second semester and as you said, most programs look at people in the start of the year so it's been a bit quiet at this stage. There was a CA program I applied for but that got shut down pretty quick unfortunately. I'm still quite naive to the whole industry so everything is quite new to me in regards to the environment. I think I want to live the life and work in a big firm, but I've read a few horror stories of accountants more or less living just to work when they start out so I might burn myself out, I genuinely don't know. My real end goal is to end up in Melbourne, and a good thing with accounting is that there's potential to work anywhere so ideally, I can land some type of internship or at least work experience that would hold me in good stead to perhaps get somewhere in the future. In all honesty I'm not too fussed where I start out, if I get out of retail and factory work that's an achievement in itself.
 
So I applied for a casual customer service role with the ATO just before Christmas, and after a video interview (awful things, hate them), and a reference check they've just sent me some very official looking paperwork asking me to submit scans of proof of identity things. I'm hung up on how they signed off on their emails to me, saying delays in responding would lead in delays in getting an offer and also saying they're looking forward to having me on their team. But I haven't actually had any contact with anyone yet, nothing in person anyway. Surely this horrifically drawn out process has a ways to go yet.
 
Kinda torn where to go to at the moment.

Still at uni (one year to go) but my study has slowed down because I managed to get a job as a junior accountant. That started last July, and for the first few months it was alright I grew to absolutely hate it. Had a whole mental health thing going on. It was awful. It started when one day I was happily working away and then I got called to a downstairs office where the partner and manager pretty much told me I suck and am slow and all of that good stuff. Honest to god it blindsided me so I was a bit shocked about it all, then the next three months I was still there until July where they said "we're calling it, leave at lunch, don't make a scene when you get back upstairs". I know this reads poorly but I tried my best but for whatever reason I just didn't work out there.

So, all of a sudden I didn't have a job and started panicking, so I reached out to someone I used to play soccer with back in the day who happens to be a partner of another firm in town. Sure enough, I have a job and I've been there for five weeks. So far so good. Undergrad pay still sucks but what can you do. Of course when I was miserable at my other job I applied for a casual role for the ATO, I think it's like a call centre job for general enquiries. Not exactly rocket science but, BUT pays $34 an hour, which according to my accounting experience is slightly more than the $18 an hour I'm making at the moment.

This is where I dont know where to go. My prior accounting experience has soured me on the industry as a whole, and as I'm turning 30 next year I'm not sure if I'm young/naive or just too cynical these days but I'm struggling to justify waiting another year to finish the degree, get paid very slightly more for that, then study for another couple years doing what I heard is an extremely difficult course in Chartered Accountants for another couple years, and then maybe get paid decently for doing all of that.

The alternative is the ATO Grad program, which looks pretty good, I know a few people have done it and they're still there years later loving whatever they're doing now. An 8-4 workday sounds amazing to me but I know it's hugely competitive to get in. So I'm not sure whether to stick out accounting making $550 p/wk until I graduate, and seeing if I can tough out the CA program, or take the casual ATO job which doesn't have guarantees of steady work, but lets me get uni done quicker and I can't imagine that job would be more difficult than what I'm doing now, and then I have public accounting and ATO experience on my resume if I want to go down that path. Problem is if I take this ATO job, I'm obviously walking away from a admittedly small, but steady income and I'm not sure if I'll get into public accounting again if I leave now.

It's just 36k which 9.5% includes super isn't as attractive as 54k full time equivalent (which I know I won't get but it's what's on my offer sheet) + 15% super. It's just throwing up do I want short term gain and potentially get better from there or keep slogging it out and hope things drastically get better in the future.
 
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MegaBob work for enjoyment not the $$.
You have an opportunity to work, (albeit casually at this stage) in an environment you know other people have enjoyed.
Depending upon your hours you might be able to pick up other work too.
You may also pick up steady work if you are good at this job.
I've always believed we spend far too much time at work to be doing something we don't enjoy.
 
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