What am I gonna do?

Im due to finish Yr12 in 3-4 weeks and I still have NO idea what im going to do next year or the rest of my life.

Ive tried Mechanics, loved it but im not sure if I could cut a full apprenticeship and work as one for the rest of my life plus ive been given advice to not get into it by a cousin who went through it all (and was very good at it) and is now an accountant and loving it.

I like Electronics and all that, but my intelligence level doesnt allow me to do something worthwhile in the industry.

What I want to know is some decent jobs/careers with involve alot of hands on and spacial thinking (mechanic like).

[bindi]

Don't see it as the decision for the rest of your life. Barely anyone at 40 is still doing what they were doing at 20 I have heard that you go through 3-4 career changes in your life (I can vouch for that).

Just do what you want to do now... you'll change your mind as you get older anyhow.

Jobs with a hands-on approach - Gigolo :evil_laug

[b2tf]

First up, dont sweat it!

I finished my HSC 2 years ago and only now (like literally this past week or so) have I decided that Im going to go and do a course in Events Management and become qualified in it. The All Ford Day brought that on! :

Best bet is to get yourself an easy job for now - one where you just do the job, get paid for it and go home. Dont go for traineeships straight up because you'll only get sick of them and decide its not what you wanna do - wasted exercise.

[Feathers]

My parents said there was no point going to uni if I didn't know what I wanted to do. Just to go for the sake of saying "I went to uni, I have a degree" is pointless.
And expensive.
I've been out of school 5 years now, and though I'm still working at the same place I was when I first left school, I know it isn't what I want to do.
I just don't know WHAT I want to do, so until I work it out, I figure I'm in a decent paying job, and I may as well stay there.

All of the girls I knew from high school went to uni, now have huge HECS debts, and can't yet get into the industry that they wanted.
So they work part time here and there, and still have debts to pay.

I started working full-time as soon as I left school, and I was able to save enough money to buy my car outright. I wouldn't change my decisions after yr 12 for anything.

[TZENU]

I finished my VCE in 2000... Went to uni and half completed a degree in network computing before switching to accounting 2.5 yrs ago....

Who know what i will be doing in 10 years time... like people have said rarely do you see someone in the same career as what they chose when leaving school!

[klawsterfobik]

I agree with what has been said. Straight out of school (literally 3 months after) i did a pre-apprenticeship panel beating course, i enjoyed it; but didnt think i could do it fulltime. Then i did a pre-apprenticeship course in auto mechanics, again enjoyed it; but didnt think i could do it fulltime.

Ended up working at Macca's for 10 months til i got offered 2 days work working for the council. Worked my *** off while i was there, got seen by the supervisor working when everyone else had knocked off a bit early for smoko, and im still there over 12 months later. I now drive a street sweeper fulltime, and really enjoy it, and earning a heap more money than i ever thought i would.

Just go with the flow mate, put yourself out there, and do what you have to. a job isnt a career unless you want it to be.

BTW, id be happy to stay working for the council in one way or another for a long time coming.

[blue fairy]

Don't stress it. Just find yourself a full time job and take it from there.
I have worked in many industries - mainly finance and insurance and decided 12 months ago to change into a completely unrelated field.

I took a risk - and luckily I love it.

As said earlier in this thread - what you do at 20 will most likely not be what you are doing at 40.
Work is about getting money to fund your out of work life. Just find work that you kinda enjoy and pays well.
Start there and life will take you about as different opportunities arise.

[XA Coupsta]

Yeh some good advice here - and the first is dont worry that you dont know what you want to do !!!

My opinion?

Get a trade - or some sort of skilled job. This country is heading into a major skills shortage right about the time you should be coming out of perhaps a traineeship or apprenticeship. Good $$$$ would be coming your way. You might be then able to turn something into your own business/company/etc and retire early!

[xa bird]

Originally Posted by Falcon_Awesome

Im due to finish Yr12 in 3-4 weeks and I still have NO idea what im going to do next year or the rest of my life.

Ive tried Mechanics, loved it but im not sure if I could cut a full apprenticeship and work as one for the rest of my life plus ive been given advice to not get into it by a cousin who went through it all (and was very good at it) and is now an accountant and loving it.

I like Electronics and all that, but my intelligence level doesnt allow me to do something worthwhile in the industry.

What I want to know is some decent jobs/careers with involve alot of hands on and spacial thinking (mechanic like).

Whatever you decide stick with it, (don't just chuck in trades courses like a lot of young people do these days). I am a printer by trade and hated it bored me to tears but I hung on to the finish and glad I did, not that I was not good at it just being indoors all the time is not for me. I now work outdoors and cover 500km radius from home fitting conveyor belts and love it, But it is very dirty and hard, heavy work. Some of the things you need to decide are; inside or outside,dirty or clean, long hours ? and what are the longterm opportunities for your carrer and can it be used as a stepping stone as your skill level grows, even some of the bad jobs can give you skills you need to be a good employee, and with some of the youth nowdays that is hard find remember no matter how much of a pain your boss may be he is stiill teaching you skills to better yourself, even if he does not know it.

Good luck

[MotherNatureVer2]

I was going to suggest a trade of some description as well ..... at least after the apprenticeship part you are qualified & can fall back on it in needy times .......

I was a Hairdresser at 20 left it for office jobs and now am back at it in a semi part-time set up as my own boss ....... a win win situation all round & it only was 4yrs of my life ..... without it my kids wouldnt be eating right now :P

[Psycho Chicken]

Take it easy for a year or so. Get a job, do a few basic TAFE courses or what not to fall back on, then go from there.

I started out with what I wanted to do, put a half arsed effort into it, switched to something else and now I'm going back to the original plan, 2 years later.

[rodderz]

I was in the same boat in Yr 12... we were told to pick our chosen 6 courses in order of preferance of what we wanted to do the following year. I chose a few horticulture and landscaping related ones then a few more to fill the gaps. Did well in my grades but the subjects I did downgraded my final Tersiary Entrance Rank so my 1st few choices needed a higher ranking.

Ended up getting a course I'de never heard of before (one of the fill the gap ones), but decided to do it anyway and got into the field, now pretty close to having my own business going. Hang in there, I would suggest the most interesting to you for course, or a trade that interests you. handy part of being in the trade, you can get work on the side and more money, plus get things done cheaper for yourself. Also good business starting opportunities too

[Tote]

Electrical Trades, the maths isn't really that hard, easier than electronics and you have a wide range of choices of career from working in heavy industry to domestic.
Carpentry, If you like working with your hands, you will have the ability to get one of life's biggest investments on the cheap i.e. a house.
Regards,
Tote

[scotty_d]

I mucked around during my HSC purely due to the fact I didn't set myself any goals. I got pretty average marks and didn't even apply to any uni courses. This reulted in me being completely lost around this time last year, in the exact same position as you.

I ended up getting an apprenticeship as a mechanic as I saw it as an oppurtunity to set up a base for a career. There are so many things I can do once I finish my trade. I am even considering Mechanical Engineering at uni. Iwouldn't even contemplate being a mechanic for the rest of my life. There just isn't enough money in it. Not for me anyway.

My point is even if you don't go as well at school as you wanted to all is not lost. There is always a different avenue you can take to get to where you want to be.

The HSC isn't the ultimate test in your life.

[WizBang]

Eletrical apperenticeships aren't hard (I did it ) if you can count and not colour impaired then your right and there is good money in it even more in the fibre optic side of it too as there isn't many people inti and I can name my own price these days plus there is heaps of after work cash jobs

[RegSpec]

If you love cars and dont think you can handle a mechanics life, why not consider a career in Ford spare parts?
Did spares for 16 yrs before buying my business and I was never out of work.
There are trade qualifications available for spares now and good parts guys shouldnt have any problem finding a job.
Depending on your talent or preference there are opportunities in the areas of management, parts interpreting and warehousing so at least you get a bit of variety and experience and possibly a company car or ute.
Maybe worth considering....
Oops,nearly left out the best bit, parts for your car at cost price :thebirds:

[JC]

Electrician or plumber would have to be 2 of the highest paying trades jobs (both get call out fees etc) and both would satisfy your hands on and spatial requirements. Electrician is not quite as dirty, so would get my vote.

Looking back nearly 20 years (I left Year 12 in 1986), I finished school in the top 15% of the ACT, so I went to uni for a year and passed one subject out of eight. I was also working part time at a servo as a console operator - when the day operator quit, I took the job and quit uni. I did that job for about 6 months, and then got into the public service on a temporary contract as courier delivering mail to parliament house etc. I sat the PS test (don't think they run it anymore) and became a paermanent public servant. Moved up the ranks quickly enough, then decided to study at TAFE for an Accounting diploma - half finished that, but it got me at least one promotion (always looks good if you have studied or are studying - finishing study can help too!). Left the public service after 10 years and joined an accounting software company and traveeled halfway around the world in 3 years, rejoined the public service and am now a manager of a team of about 20 people in the IT software development field - and I love it.

The point of all this? I am doing a different job now to the one I started in nearly 20 years ago, and I really enjoy what I do. Don't discount the public service as a career - it is, and always will be, an organisation that you can excel in if you want to, you get the chance to try different things while learning new skills, and it pays pretty well. But's it's no good if you want to be your own boss. Just remember that there is a department to cover almost anything and everything that contributes in one way or another to society.

Also, to help you make a better choice for yourself - check out this site. It shows what skills and attributes you require for a particular job, or field of work.
http://jobsearch.gov.au/JobExplorer/default.aspx
And yes, I built that.

I was installing a car cd player today and realised that its something that I enjoy doing and am reasonably good at. Is there any jobs around in which I could do that?

Thanks for your great advice everyone, its much appreciated and its settled me down abit, im not stressed now. Im not too keen on doing more education because im struggling to get motivation at the moment (well, all year really). So for the time being it looks as though it will be a job or traineeship/apprenticeship in the short run. Ill just ride it out for now.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Falcon_Awesome

I like Electronics and all that, but my intelligence level doesnt allow me to do something worthwhile in the industry.

If you like electronics and dont wanna do something like engineering (it's a pian and not that many jobs out there), than you could look at being a tech. You need to be skillfull with your hands and a good problem solver.

[donkeylover]

Go into an apprenticeship now while your young.I got a job in the textile industry when i was 18 and i was bringing 20,000 pound a year home when people on apprenticeships were getting about 8,000 pound a year but now ive moved here i cant find a job like that.If you do a trade no matter where you go you will get work.I wish i could go back a few years:-(

[M14A-Mclaren]

Originally Posted by Falcon_Awesome

I was installing a car cd player today and realised that its something that I enjoy doing and am reasonably good at. Is there any jobs around in which I could do that?

Auto Electrical. I'm in my first year of a Auto Electrical course at polytech and thats the exact sory of thing we are doing. You should look into as a option IMO.

[brenx]

I agree while your young select a trade and go for it. You at least can work for yourself down the track if need be.

I finished my VCE and took a year off everything but part time work. Basically having my VCE meant I could get nothing but crappy low paying jobs ($250pw). I worked at Target and tried various other companies/jobs. Thirteen to be exact. I know wished I'd studied some more and set myself up for a $80,000pa+ job instead of studying @ TAFE for a year to get qualifies for a job that totally screws you up physically. I'm pretty sure with my pay rises this year I'm on 51,000->53,000pa gross this year. Earned $48k last year and have had 2 pay rises since, due for another in Jan 06.

I work as a carer for the Dept of Human Services. It pays well but it physically destroys you. I'm employed permanent part time to the southern region. Which basically means although I work in a Community Residental Unit (CRU) I'm not permanent to that CRU. They can move me round as they please which is BS.

My wife was in the same situation as I. I got her into TAFE etc. Got her into the same field as me. Now because of work she is deemed to have lost 52% of her mobility. She has a completely screwed spine and shoulder. I'm not too far off with my back either but I'm semi retaliating. I submit paperwork if I feel the slightest of pain or discomfort.

I quite often see young men/women in my field working very hard. I tell them too ease up as they don't feel it now but in 5-10 years they'll know all about it. Speaking from expeirance ;)

I'm due for long service leave in April 06. I've been there 10 years yay. I'm planning to go and get a truck license, get some laser eye surgery and go from there.

I'm so over my job.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by Falcon_Awesome

I was installing a car cd player today and realised that its something that I enjoy doing and am reasonably good at. Is there any jobs around in which I could do that?

Go see your local Strathfield store or whatever the equivalent is and hand in your resume.

[mcflux]

After year 12 I was at a loss for what to do. I'd set myself up to go into the air force through all of high school (streamlining into maths & science), and then near the end of year 12 I realised that I didn't really want to join the services anymore.

What I did was I immediately applied for a place in a uni course, then deferred it for a year when I was accepted. I was jobseeking in the meantime and did a traineeship for 12 months. There wasn't too much study (*cough* ANY) involved in my traineeship, and although the pay & hours were pretty crap, it gave me a taste of full time work, starting from the bottom, etc etc, without study clouding my vision.

After that year I decided to go to uni and do engineering (not the course that I deferred from actually!). OK in retrospect I got/am getting screwed through this course due to Monash University's complete inability to manage ANYTHING, such as classes I've "failed" but in fact passed (this has happened multiple times: in one case I scored a distinction!), prerequisites required for future classes that you were advised "wouldn't be a problem" previously which might mean you have to stay an EXTRA year at uni, having no course adviser anymore, sometimes having up to THREE classes clashing at once, not having our own designated study area (we get booted from room to room), et-cetera, but I personally think that's just a case of sustained bad luck.

So if you choose to go to uni, avoid Monash Gippsland (for engineering). :P

You're just about to complete year 12. You've got a looooong summer ahead of you. That'll give you plenty of time to think about what you want to do. Still not sure at the end of summer? Take the year off. No matter what you do, you'll get a clearer idea of what you want to do as time progresses.

Think of it this way: You might not be able to say "I want to do THIS.", but you'll be able to eliminate the "I DON'T want to do THIS" career options along the way.

Don't be concerned about the future at this point in time, even though it's only natural to be so because you're approaching the end of a certain phase in your life (school/high school). And don't be overly concerned about your ENTER score.

A mate of mine scored 64, scraped in to uni, quit a year later, worked at a hardware store & Maccas for a couple of years, and then scored an awesome electrical tech traineeship with Siemens (I think it was that crowd) which takes him interstate. He loves it, & the pay is great.

So have fun this summer! Or earn some coin ;) Or both!

-Dave-

[phoon]

Why dont you look at an apprenticeship as an Injection Moulding Technician. Qualified people in this field are as rare as hens teeth and pretty much can ask there own price once finished apprenticeship. I have a 1 tradesman just out of his time and I pay him $60K per year just so he wont look elsewhere, the other more experienced guys are on more. This is for a 38 hr week.

[xdclevo]

Time will tell, and there is no easy answer. I have only had one job, which i got when i was 17, and 15 years on and still happy in the same job. I now manage the outlet i work for and have a company car too. Nice and comfortable, but it does me. Make sure you are happy is the key. Don't stop till u are.