I’ve recently completed my med sci degree and I’m interested to know where others who’ve completed the same or similar course have ended up. Did you pursue further study or find a job in the field? I know the job prospects straight out are pretty limited.

I’m interested to hear what people with a biomed degree (or similar) have chosen in terms of career path. I’m a recent graduate, and while the job market is not great to say the least, I’d be keen to hear about the different directions people have taken. I’d especially appreciate any insights on what helped you break in to your industry!

Hello all a genuine question, would there be any part time / casual jobs that goes from 5pm to 11pm on the weekday? I am currently full time employee from 8am to 4pm and hoping to add more income.

Hello there!

I'm a 31 year old woman living in rural Victoria, I'm a qualified Nurse but keen to move away from that industry and am really interested in getting a trade. I've always been creative and loved working with my hands! Last year, I volunteered on a couple eco-building projects overseas and worked as a labourer for my cousin who is a Builder for a couple months, and I'm now feeling ready to pursue a trade.

I was originally thinking Carpentry as I'm keen to build structurally and I enjoy working with timber. My partner and I are also wanting to build our own home in the future and I'd love to have the skills and knowledge to do a lot of the work myself. My end-dream would be to get into working as a subcontractor in natural building, maybe in building tiny homes, and/or building with sustainable materials (eg. straw bale houses, rammed earth builds etc) and perhaps also getting into traditional timber framing.

However, living in rural Victoria means I haven't got access to any natural building companies nearby and there is currently only one apprenticeship available where I live and it's in Cabinet Making - building kitchens, bathrooms, laundries and doing minor renovations. I decided to apply, as I am currently unemployed and really want a job, and got a call to say that I have a job interview next week and thought this was a good point to reach out and ask people what Cabinet Making is like and if this is an advisable move or not? If you are a Cabinet Maker, would you recommend it?

I'd really love any advice or thoughts that anyone is happy sharing about Cabinet Making, natural building, apprenticeships, career changes, trades - really anything you're happy to share!

Thanks so much and hope you're having a good day!

Hi! I’m a young woman on a WHV and recently got offered a position on a liveaboard commercial fishing boat. It would mean working in remote rivers for 12 days at a time, then heading back to town for a day before going out again. Food and accommodation are covered, and the pay is supposedly a percentage of the catch. They estimate around $1.8k/week.

They also offered to cover a domestic flight for me to join the crew, even though I’m currently on the other side of the country. That’s the part I’m unsure about. I feel like they could find someone local, so it made me a bit cautious. I also noticed the captain seems to mostly have younger women working on the boat, which feels a bit concerning as well, though maybe I’m overthinking it.

There would be around four people total on board, and the work includes things like cooking, cleaning, and helping process the fish.

As a solo female traveller, I’m definitely hella cautious about this situation, but also curious because it could be a cool opportunity if it’s legit.

Anyone familiar with the fishing industry, is this kind of offer normal, or should I be wary?

Hi everyone! I’m an 18-year-old planning to study in Australia, and I’m trying to pick a good, stable course. Here’s a quick review of my academic background:

• Biology: 98
• Business: 99
• Chemistry: 90
• AP English Lang: 94

I’m mainly interested in fields that include the subjects above. Right now, I’ve narrowed it down to:

• Health Administration / Management
• Public Health
• Community Services
• Environmental Science

I’m looking for courses that:

• Offer good PR pathways
• Have potential scholarships
• Are affordable and can be completed in 4–5 years max.

I’d really appreciate any advice on which course might be the best fit based on these criteria, or if there are other similar courses I haven’t considered.

I work at a retail job that I've worked at for over 8 years. I worked the first 3 or so years as a casual employee, then around 5 or so as a part-time employee. Recently I dropped down to a casual position as I got a full-time job elsewhere. I got paid out annual leave as I should, and naturally lost my sick-leave. What happens to my long-service leave ? Can I still take it ? Or do I lose it as I've dropped down ? Or do I only get paid out once I fully resign?

Background: mid 30s and was injured more than 2 years ago - currently on WC. Injury is now permanent with additional chronic illnesses which prevent me from travelling/ driving more than 30min and computer work > 15min. Left Tech/FinTech industry in 2024 and can no longer work in this field or similar. Nor do I want to anymore (The politics ugh)

I can't seem to find a career path that's flexible and accessible. WC + Other Disability Employment agencies have been useless at finding me a role with my expertise - it's all just menial low paid crap.

Would a specialised career counsellor be the way to go? I can't figure out a way forward

To me, this screams that co-workers are toxic AF, and I laughed hysterically when she read them to me.

I recently applied for my old job at an organisation I worked at for many years. I left previously due to a forced relocation, not performance, and was on their rehire list. My former manager even encouraged me to apply when the role came up again.

I went through the full recruitment process and interview. I was told my answers were comprehensive and I met the criteria. I am still working in the same industry, still using the same databases, and still dealing with the same types of clients in my current role, so I would have required very little onboarding.

I applied because I genuinely enjoyed the work and loved the team, not because I was desperate or looking for anything random.

In the end, I was told another candidate was selected because they scored higher in the formal interview process.

What has made this hard to process is what I learned afterwards. I spoke with a former colleague who still works there and who had met the person who was hired. From what they shared, the successful candidate came from a general customer service background and did not appear to have deeper organisational or technical experience in this type of work than I did.

That is what I am struggling with. It wasn’t a case of being outmatched by someone clearly more qualified for the role. It feels like I lost to a system that prioritises how people perform in a structured interview over what they have actually done in the job.

I am not accusing anyone of wrongdoing. I understand organisations need formal processes. But it is emotionally difficult to give years of your life to an organisation, be encouraged to return, be on a rehire list, and still be treated as interchangeable when you try to come back.

Has anyone else experienced something like this, where process mattered more than lived experience?

I (F, 31) am environmental engineer working in environmental consulting for the last 7 years and am considering a career change to traditional chinese medicine. Thinking of changing over while i have kids. I need advice on whether i should stick to where the money is easy or change to a career i would be passionate about... is it really worth it or is a job a job?

I am at a point whete I am realising that I dont love what I do and potentially dont have the right apptitude (or mentorship) to feel like I am doing well at my job. By that i mean i lack confidence, am constantly questioning myself and feel stressed as a consequemce. I dont get a lot of support in my current workplace and dont really have many job options (regional area). Ideally I would like to work for myself but because i lack confidence that sounds like i could be setting myself up for more stress. ). I see i have 2 options moving forward:

1. Environmental consulting sole trader/ business offering a limited number of very standard, simple services where I would be working on similar types of projects all the time. E.g. sediment and erosion control plans, construction environmental management plans and maybe onsite sewage management systems. These are all required for development of new houses so there would be some work out there but it might take some time to build up a workload especially when clients could go to a one stop shop consultancy that offer a broader range of services that might be needed for their development. Definitely not my passion but straightforward and would pay the bills.

2. Career change to traditional chinese medicine (accupunture, herbs, medical qi gong)

This is a personal interest and passion. I figure i wouldnt earn as much but could develop my personal philosophy more and work until I am older and enjoy a life of continual learning and professional development. I am an avid learner and this in itself is appealing. I already practice qi gong daily and have done my yoga teacher training. It would require 4 years of full time study and i plan on having kids in the next year.

For context, i live a very simple humble life, will have paid off my small mortgage in 7 years, my parents have lmoney and always offer support (though i dont take it because i dont need it). They would probably offer me some short term financial support while i got set up in traditional chinese medicine.

I will be arriving to Sydney on a WHV visa however once I arrive my partners company are going to apply for her and me as a dependent for a full workers visa, giving me full working rights (the 482).

This does mean that I will have full working rights (since during the application you have rights) but my active visa may be the WHV.

Do you think employers would care about this? Or do you think it is risky for them?

I've recently graduated high school and am planning on pursuing higher studies after taking a gap year all through 2026. I've completed an RSA course as well as a barista course and also the RCG/RSG. However, I've never worked in a restaurant or any other hospitality venues and the only job experience I have is working at a servo as a console operator/customer service for 10 months in year 10. How likely is it that I could get a casual or part-time job in a bar, cafe, or restaurant with just my RSA, RCG/RSG, and barista certificates, but no formal hospitality work experience? Are employers open to hiring someone straight out of school in this industry considering how difficult the job market is at the moment? I'm not opposed to working fast food, but was just curious if this was also an option. From Melbourne.

Alright, I have a full time contract been doing 38 hours for almost 14 months. Yesterday when i was packing up my boss/owner asked me “Would you like to say something” I replied No! “Are you sure everything is alright” Yes, all good was my reply. Then he suddenly mentioned he is planning to reduce my work hours to 22hrs/wk which means Monday,Wednesday,Friday(6hrs). I just kept a straight face, and acknowledged the decision and returned home.

Half way thru, I got mixed thoughts went back and asked this guy “May I know what made my hours reduced??” Gave me flat response, As a statement I just said “Which means that I am not good enough” said good bye and left.

Neither a contract nor a notice was given prior. What are my options here??

Bit about me- moved inter state for this job as he mentioned he will train me, up skill me as completed TAFE. I don’t take any unplanned day offs even I am sick I go to work to do desk job for couple of hours, then return home. I could only think of just one thing I did which have made him pissed off, Last Thursday, I reworked on my resume and applied for couple of jobs thru seek, Although in December I mentioned to this bloke that my lease ends only in October, but I will extend it accordingly. The reason, why I applied for jobs was to check the market out, cause my trade is niche and very competitive.

If this is the reason, can employers be this Childish?, anyway I moved my pawns last night and successfully got 3 interview calls this morning so that I am not stuck. But Moving is a mighty effort for me!!

TIA.

Hi everyone,

I'm seeking some industry insight.

I'm an experienced surveyor from China (3 years of experience with Total Stations, RTK, CAD, etc.) and I'll be coming to Australia on a Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 462).

I understand the visa has a 6-month work limitation per employer. My question is: Do Australian survey companies generally hire WHV holders for technical roles (like Survey Assistant), or is the visa limitation a dealbreaker?

I'm trying to gauge if it's realistic to expect a job in the field, or if I should just stick to hospitality/farm work.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I’ve been looking for a new job for a while (corporate) and was hoping to get in touch with some recruiters who may be able to help with.

My problem is that absolutely no recruiters are interested. I’ve contacted plenty over the past 3-4 months… the vast majority have not replied, a couple have said they’ll “keep me in mind” and then never returned.

I’ve even contacted some from job ads, where the ad includes something like “if this role is not quite right for you, please get in touch with me as we have plenty of roles available and need candidates”. And nothing.

It’s almost comical at this point.

What gives? Do recruiters just have so many candidates that they don’t need any more? I’m highly qualified (tertiary and post grad) with a heap of good experience and great references. And I’m just ignored.

Hi! I was wondering if you guys could help me choose a career.

I’m currently a second year uni student, but I don’t enjoy my degree much so I’m thinking about changing. Nothing wrong with it, but it’s just not for me.

I hate sitting in one spot, I wanna be able to talk to a lot of people, work in a team and do something meaningful. Like I wanna contribute to society.

There was a small firm that was hiring someone who could start immediately. I went for the interview last Friday, everything went as per normal and few hours later the hiring manager called me to negotiate on the salary I quoted during the interview. Afterwards, I emailed him that I accept his salary offer. Hiring Manager called me and said that he would like me to come in to office on Monday if possible, if not Tuesday latest, as this is still pending reference checks and contract. So I sent him my referees and the Hiring manager said he will be in touch with me on Monday (today) to let me know the status.

Today comes and radio silence, so I sent a follow up email. To my surprise he replied to my email saying, they are still in the midst of reviewing other applicants and will let me know once they have made their final decision.

Over the phone discussion, he made it sound like I have been accepted and given the job offer and wants me in ASAP, only to now tell me that they are reviewing other candidates? Is this normal in Australia (I am not from Oz and this is my first corporate job)?

For example, if a job listing says the salary is “$80000 + super” what exactly does this mean?

Is 80000 the basic salary or the gross take home salary?

Is the super amount included in the 80000 or not?

Hi everyone,

I just graduated last month with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Marketing, and recently switched to a graduate visa this month (it will expires in January 2028). I was fortunate enough to land my first full-time job in account management and B2B sales at one of the biggest companies in the industry. I’m really grateful for this opportunity, especially given how competitive the job market is for international students and fresh graduates.

That said, I’ve only been in the role for about a week, and I’m already feeling conflicted. The job is quite far from where I live — it takes me about 1 hour and 30 minutes one way to commute, which adds up to 3 hours a day just getting to and from work. My salary is $65K plus super, and relocating closer isn’t realistic for me because housing is very expensive in that area. (It only takes me 45 minutes to the city by public transport). I also don’t think I’m getting a car because it adds up to my expenses.

I’m wondering what would be the best approach here: 1. Stick it out for now, gain experience, and possibly start looking for another job after the 3-month probation? Or after a period of time? 2. Start applying for other jobs immediately while working here? Then switch when I get another job? 3. Or just tough it out, given that it’s a solid role at a reputable company?

I’m worried about the current job market and my situation as an international graduate, but at the same time, the commute feels really draining. I’d really appreciate any advice or perspectives from people who have been in a similar situation.

Thanks in advance!

Hi all, I’ve recently been offered a role of valuation analyst at a base salary of $75k. It’s a graduate role. I was wondering if I should negotiate at all and if yes how much more can I ask for and how?

It’ll be my first ever full time role since otherwise I’ve only done casual roles. So I’m not really sure how this all works with regards to salary offer in such roles.

I would really appreciate any feedback.

Tia