My plan after high school was to go to uni and do a Bachelor of Science Degree, but, there was a thread a few days ago about how people with certain degrees were having trouble finding employment after graduation. So what can I do in Uni that is in demand (pay is not important), and is there anything in the field of Biology that is in demand? Also, according to that other thread (can't find link) engineers (I assumed this included civil engineers) are having trouble finding a job, yet a relative of mine who has a high position in the RMS says that they always have trouble finding engineers. Whats happening here?
Wondering what to do after HSC, what jobs are in demand?
sarmen2 on 03/04/2014 - 14:31
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Yeah, the thing about the Science degree that I'm concerned about is that I know after it I'll have to do another 1-3 year course.
coming from a Biological/Medical Science back ground.
Most graduates either end up doing honours then PHD and become academics/researchers (jobs are always 1-5 year contract based on grants.. not stable and if you don't get grant, you don't have a job) or leave the field altogether and end up in consultancy firms.
Others end up working in hospitals as techs/scientist but getting in is a lot harder these days with so many budget cuts.
Others graduates end up applying and doing medicine/dentistry as not only is the money better, the work is more in demand and stable
but yeah I don't recommend anyone doing science. too many cutback all round and uni only teaches you theory (unless you are willing to do research.. they love research students.. I call them free labour). Most workplaces want hands on experience.
cant +vote this enough.
same. I am in the same field. Never found a job with this degree. It's all about experience but no one gives you that first opportunity. Luckily i am working for the family business otherwise would be unemployed.
As an employed BioMedical scientist who is very, very lucky to have a job, albeit being paid way below my experience level:
I would suggest anything but a BSc - complete waste of time and effort unless you plan to tack on a PhD as well (add 4-5 years extra study at minimum wage - and by the time you finish that you'll need a PhD just to become a sales rep for a laboratory equipment company).
I recently started at one of the major laboratory equipment/consumable companies after spending years in research and hospital labs. I seriously doubt you need a PhD to be a sales rep. To be honest, they don't care what degree/qualification you have as long as you can sell stuff. Oddly enough, one of our best performing Sales Rep used to be a lawyer.
The problem is, what's in demand now may or may not be by the time you've finished your degree. An example, a lot of people jumped on the mining engineering bandwagon a few years ago when we had the boom, now we have a lot of graduates, but job opportunities are on the decline.
Want some serious advice? Simple- do what you love most.
I know WAYY too many people who chose career paths based on average salaries or being 'in demand' instead of what they were really interested in, and although they would be now classified as 'successful', they are stuck and miserable.
If you find a career path you really do love, dedicate yourself fully and attempt to become the best at it. If you're that good then somebody will hire you… unless it's an arts degree ;)
I think the biggest problem today is that too many young kids choose in-demand careers expecting it to be easy pickings when they graduate, and so don't put in the necessary hard work. What you need to do is find internships/cadetships/volunteer or do whatever you can to gain real world experience before you finish uni and go straight into that- the real world.
unless it's an arts degree ;)
Hey, drive-throughs need staff too…
So do cafes!
Yeah… I don't go to those cafes. The coffee sucks.
I like science subjects the most out of all of them at school, so yeah.
If its down to science & engineering, in terms of career paths, then I'd say engineering. As for which branch, it really depends on your interests. Job availabilty wise, there isn't so many for civil grads currently, and ICT seems to be on the rise again, though this may change in few years.
I recall UNSW have a flexible engineering degree, you get a taste of the different branchs of engineering in your first year, then choose a major based on your interest down the track.
ICT seems to be on the rise again, though this may change in few years.
Yeah, this is most likely going to change. From what I've been hearing in the industry, most programming/developing/web jobs are on the move to outsourcing from overseas (the opinion of my colleagues is that the remaining lifespan of lots of jobs is just a couple more years here)
Would you consider an applied science? A health science? I studied Radiography. Medical Radiation Science (radiation therapy, diagnostic radiography and nuclear medicine) claims to be in demand. Not so much with nuclear medicine, but radiation therapy and definitely radiography are quite easy to land jobs in and offers a lot of opportunity to work across Australia and abroad. Pay isn't too bad either ;)
Then you can do a postgrad in Sonography. Big bucks to be had.
Loads of different types of applied sciences you could look into, though. Health sciences are great IMO, if you love science and the idea of working to help people on a daily basis. It's an extremely fulfilling career path, but of course its a matter of personal preference re: whether or not that kind of work would appeal to you.
I agree with the belief that you should pursue something you genuinely have an interest in or passion for (that is channeled into a practical career). Day to day life will be so much more rewarding for you.
Sonography is definitely a growing field (cheap, instant, no radiation). Medical schools (in Australia) don't teach us how to perform ultrasound and so we will most of the time need a sonographer.
Physiotherapy is also something else that can be quite rewarding if you enjoy hands-on work!
And don't do pharmacy. Just look up whirlpool and there are enough threads related to that job market. And its getting worse, not better.
I've heard that radiography is a growing field, what was the initial degree you did before radiography?
There is no need for a prior degree :P
Thanks
Radiography is another field where too many graduates are trained and not all can find jobs at the end, is great once you get a foot in the door though.
Source: Radiographer with unemployed friends
And don't do pharmacy
I can't not stress that enough. Avoid Pharmacy, I studied it for three years and worked in it for five. I made the right choice and got out of it before it was too late. I changed to a Accounting stream and I now work as an Auditor. End of the day, I am on double the pay that my fellow pharmacy friends are on (even just as a working ant at the bottom end), in a stable job and don't have to meet targets of pushing generics or selling perfumes all day.
At the end of the day. Do something that you love and enjoy. Because you will be in that field for at least the next 10-15 years before you have a change up. Don't forget, even if you start one degree at uni, you can change things up and swap degrees. I was lucky enough that when I changed from Pharmacy to Accounting, the Universtity recognised my Pharmacy Units as Electives in my Accounting course. So I managed to cut Accounting from 3 years down to 1.5 years. I only ended up graduating at the same time that I had planned to. (Also, I found that it looked good on my resume, was able to say that I made a mature decision with my life and did what was right for me, whilst having a diverse background)
Pharmacists are basically glorified shopkeepers nowadays.
yeah that seems to be the thing doesn't it. :S
I disagree with this. Doing something you love is great as long as it has decent career prospects. There's no point in spending 3 years studying something you love then finding out you can't even afford to put food on the table when you graduate.
There's a reason people have hobbies.
As opposed to working in a career you don't enjoy, in order to make money to put food on the table and to continue living a life where you work a job you don't enjoy?
Seems a bit pointless doesn't it?
Fact of the matter is that you'll probably spend more time at work than any other activity you do in your working-age life (excluding sleeping). Why spend the majority of your time miserable in order for you to spend a small amount of it enjoying hobbies?
And the second point of my original post was that the OP needs to become highly proficient in whatever field they choose. If they are subpar or just 'average', then they'll have a hard time developing a fruitful career in any field. If you are the best at what you do, someone will hire you, or you'll simply create the job itself. And to become the best, you have to really love what you do.
Ask any pioneer in their field or successful entrepreneur if they saw a void in their field as a impediment.
I guess we differ in our opinions although I can definitely understand where you're coming from. Personally between no job and no income vs a job which I don't enjoy but pays the bills, I would choose the latter.
no job and no income
Well let's hope the OP doesn't choose a too-obscure profession then :)
If you do something you love and it pays jack, you will always be the poor one with no house/unit, a rustbucket car and very little money in savings.
In the meantime all your friends get to do other fun things while you are constantly watching your budget. As you age it gets harder.
Find a job that interests you, but also ensure that you have sufficient income to look after yourself.
There's a middle ground to be had somewhere.
It sounds like you are saying there is no point to life and people should give up if their interests do not line up with what will put food on the table.
The simple fact is, some interests will not be able to provide a living or quality of life, no matter how much you enjoy doing the work.
It sounds like you are saying there is no point to life and people should give up if their interests do not line up with what will put food on the table.
Those much wiser than I have pondered for thousands of years and still not come up with the meaning of life, so I very much doubt I will come up with anything either. But rather than see this as something depressing, I see this as completely liberating.
As it is, most of our lives will have little-to-no impact on the world. 80 years is but a minute speck on the timeline of the universe. So you know what, what we do will almost definitely not matter, so we may as well spend it doing whatever the f**k we enjoy and doing these as often as possible before we all cark it anyway.
And maybe, just maybe, some people will see this as a challenge and look to do something that WILL change the world. I guarantee you that these people will not be worrying about whether their career path will 'provide a living'.
Whilst yes, I agree that not everyone can do this, and we still need people doing average jobs to keep society 'functioning'.
But quite frankly, we have too many people telling our kids to be average, to fit within predetermined boxes and that they have only so many options. Instead, tell them to do what they really love, and tell them to do it to the very best of their ability, and who knows, maybe they will end up changing the world..
If you do something you hate and it pays jack, you will always be the poor one with no house/unit, a rustbucket car and very little money in savings…and you'll be unhappy to boot!
Fixed. :)
I've hired a few graduates over the journey and, honestly, I think that unless you were hiring for a specific role that required a unique kind of degree (doctor/lawyer etc) then generalist degrees are a 'tick in the box'. I don't think my HR staff went through people's academic records to understand/analyze the subject choices etc, they just said 'this one has a science degree' etc.
Work experience and demonstrated ability are more important. My son is in High school at the moment and there seems to be this desperation from teachers and kids to pigeon-hole people into stereotypical career streams. I guess it makes it easier to give advice. My experience is that the folks I've known that have done the best in life and had the most fun doing it didn't follow any 'path', they made a new one for themselves. Easy to say I know, practically, many of them started out in one of those 'streams' and then quickly jumped ship into something else when the opportunity presented itself.
My advice on the best and most rewarding career, unless you want to roll the dice and be an 'entrepreneur' (whatever that means), my recommendation is sales. Big sales, not mobile phones or used cars, selling enterprise IT solutions etc. Tough gig to get into but those with sustainable success rates that can close sales make very good salaries and big bonuses. You don't need a degree, just the ability to sell stuff! And it is awesome when you win as well!
As someone that started in nursing and is now back at university as a mature age student doing a physics / comp eng double degree, I agree with Johnn here.
Do what you're passionate about. Don't worry about the job as once you have any degree you'll be able to work somewhere (may not be ideal at first, but you'll get there).
The other advice I can give you is once you get 2 years uni under your belt, start looking at finding work. Look for places you want to work at and ask if they have casual spots, or even volunteer during the holidays. People love cheap labour and it gets your foot in. I work for an engineering company these days and we've had a number of people start off as uni students continue to work for us post degree.
A lot of the times the term "shortage" is used as a euphemism for "we don't like how much we have to pay these people and thus we would like a surplus of graduates to lower the cost". This is particularly true in fields like science and engineering.
You'll find if you go on in science and do more than just a stock standard degree you lock yourself out of any "basic" science jobs. They won't want you because it is deemed that you clearly lust for research and therefore would never commit long term to any technical position. Research jobs require lots of experience which like with every other job out there no one wants to give you a chance to get. Most science jobs are gotten through who you know.
Funny the OP mentioned RMS is looking for engineers…I thought they're getting rid of a whole heap of road engineers/designers and outsource it all? It was only in SMH the other week (or possibly last week even, my memory's a bit murky).
BTW, the differences between uni and high school are chalk and cheese so don't base your entire future on something that might not be representative.
They're getting rid of a lot of people and getting more people on contracts, but its mostly cutbacks with a lot of projects getting canned as well. A lot of Directors and GMs have gotten fired as well.
For the most part the downsizing at RMS is in relation to road maintenance and repairs. It's being called road maintenance contestability (a fancy wording for privatisation). This has been happening since 2012 (but has been quite absent from the media).
There have been quite a few engineering positions going recently at RMS however.
Consider that the majority of people now have a number of different jobs over a career, so whatever you train for now might be obsolete/in demand/over supplied in 15 years when you still have 30 years of work left!
In my own case I studied a vocational degree, got an entry level job in an unrelated field when I graduated due to my hobby interests, then got a cross-promotion to a different career path some years later.
Consider also there are many, many jobs that exist outside the uni qualification stream. I know some very high income people that, for example, took their PhD in radio magnetic interference to become very successful in telecommunications sales - a high paying job there is no uni course for.
I guess if you want a suggestion, science and maths teachers remain in demand, I believe, and it is a useful job with great conditions, if you would enjoy working with kids.If you want a job that's "high in demand", look into the allied health professions. They are quite stable and with the ageing population, there's bound to be a position available for you in the future.
I should add, you may not find a job so easily, but it is more likely to be easier to find than say education or engineering.
education is tough to break into?
He means uni lecturer, which is being white anted by casual employment as opposed to traditional permanent positions.
Sorry, I meant doing a degree in primary/secondary education to become a teacher.
There are way too many graduates with an education degree but can't find a full-time position. Most end up with a casual or go into a field that's completely irrelevant to their education filed.
Go for anything that can't be outsourced, either by shipping the job off shore (lots of programming, database, etc work) or taken by 457 visa holders (areas where employers are crying out due to a perceived shortage, that's the next area to be targeted).
The middle to upper end of health care is a good area to look at. Nothing at the low end (taking care of nursing home patients, that's 457 territory), but diagnostics, scanning, physical work in a hospital that can't be done over an internet connection. People will always get sick so jobs are in demand.
Not sure I agree with this. Local programmers and database specialist are in incredible demand. For an experienced contract developer you're starting at $700 a day. Further, as digital becomes the core of corporate strategy, outsourcing will be less of a factor.
That aside,focus on what you enjoy, but ensure you can market yourself at the end. If your degree won't give you a job, then perhaps a degree isn't for you. Rember there are plenty of opportunities out there whether you have a degree or not.
Heh, not only are there more programming jobs than graduates, but Australia exports a lot of talent every year. It's not overly hard to graduate straight into a $100k gig at Microsoft in Seattle. Locally, there's Atlassian.
Actuaries!
Source: Posted by one (promise there's no subjectivity!)
I agree with this.
Although I wouldn't say they are in 'demand'.
It's just that it's so difficult to become qualified to be an actuary that you don't have much competition when it comes to finding a job.Source: Actuary in family.
You got me interested until I looked it up. ATAR of 95 is the lowest I saw for the course and Maths Extension 1 is a requirement for entry.
Would recommend Extension 2. Most of my Extension 1 friends either dropped out or graduated without being able to obtain their "exemptions" for Part I's and II's from the Institute of Actuaries of Australia
forever saving speaks the truth. While there is pretty muh no competition for jobs, out of the 500 that started the actuarial course in my uni, only 50 or so graduated with "exemptions" (which are the required qualifications) and out of the 50, i'd say probably only 20 ended up pursuing a career in the actuarial field. Most become prop traders or work in the risk department of a bank, or like myself in investments which all in all, you dont need an actuarial degree for.
An Actuarial degree isnt worth it unless you actually KNOW you want to be an actuary when you grow up. Otherwise, every other career avenue open to you with an actuarial degree can actually be pursued with a much less "stressful" degree (perhaps a straight Commerce). It is a very very hard course both in content as well as in getting marks. Why put your stress levels and your potential uni marks at risk over something you're not sure you want. I did, although I cant say I regretted getting an actuarial degree, as I've met some interesting people at uni and still managed to learn and develop as a person. That being said, u can probably do that in any other course in a good university.
My two cents is to not do it unless u know that you absolutely want it. Otherwise just do a straight commerce degree, get better marks which will put you in a better position to get internships and stuff, because in the end of the day youre mostly worried about getting employment.
Don't do pharmacy if you currently live in and want to stay in metropolitan Sydney unless you've got contacts in the profession already.
Source: Pharmacist currently doing further studies due to piss poor job market.
3D printing! that's what I would focus on if I was going into Science now. If you can't work on making body parts, there are will always be demand from many other industries. Another may be biotech fermentation - making medicines in vats from algae etc?
Nothing is stable anymore. And university is a waste of time. I still have no idea why I bothered for a pretty piece of paper you can get forged for a few hundred in Thailand.
Why not consider the defence force?.Get your degree HECS free and have a guaranteed job at the end?
If you're not happy with your pay after a fee years, at least you cam move to the private sector quite easily with both a degree and work experience behind you.
Is it still if your degree takes 4 years, it's 2x4 years + 1 (or 2) before you can be discharged?
At least that was the case over a decade ago when I looked into it.
Yep, this is still the case.
I found that Australia is a particularly great country for finding jobs. Most countries believe in credentials, what's on paper etc. I also find that the great thing about Australia is they are open minded and employers are willing to hire capability rather than qualification.
If you don't know what to do and you really want the credentials from a University - do a Bachelor of Arts. From there you can do multiple things -
1 - Transfer into a different degree after figuring out which of the subjects gave you interest
2 - Keep the same degree but major in something that interests youMy brother did a double degree Business and Law. 5 years. He played poker professionally and paid his way around the world and back.
Recently got a job at a reputable bank because he wants credit history and a bit of security but he still plays when he gets home and makes more than he earns at the bank.
When he said to me - "My degree was a waste of time" I took it as good advice from the source from someone smart enough to finish such studies.
After high school - courses and hands on experience are what I was looking for from the start. Unfortunately I was young and still living at home and relatively still scared of my parents who laughed when I spoke about the idea of not going to uni.
I always found anything practical rather than theoretical was always a better way to learn something new and a better way to accomplish something in a job or even in general.
Uni will provide this depending on what degree you choose - but obviously trades and courses will provide it more.
Prac - hands on (trades, arts, technical etc)
Tute - hands off (papers, memorising, theory)I always found hands on was a lot more distracting (interesting) and enjoyable. I found memorising to be a bore and I didn't feel like I was learning, merely regurgitating. Obviously there are definitely parts of my studies that I picked up and were useful.
I am not saying PRAC is the best way to go about finding a good path - some people really do enjoy Tute and theory and papers and find a good path this way too.
Here's something else to think about. Let's take for example a 5 year degree.
5 years of full time employment with an average $45000 per year would have earned you $225000.
5 years of full time study would create a debt of $50000 approx (maybe more) depending on your degree. Unless you plan on getting your degree and avoiding HELP repayments by taking your credentials to go and work in another country - you will have to pay it back. Remember you will also pay for books / notes / stationary which will be the most expensive literature you will ever pay for in your entire life and then either shelf or try to sell on.
So really, there's a difference here of $275000 for those 5 years. Not only do you miss out on potential pay but you OWE money. Let's not forget about experience. 5 years of experience that you would gain in that particular industry might not be the same kind of knowledge as a 5 year degree, but it would be more experience than any graduate even if you started low and moved your way up.
All in all, it won't hurt you to take a step into the culture of university and studies but remember that time is valuable and at some point you should have an idea of why you're doing a particular degree and what you will do with it afterwards.
Bingo, uni is such an expensive decision to make at such a young age, although near impossible to find full time employment unskilled these days. Learn about life first then decide how you would like to contribute to society, study with purpose.
If you're in melbourne. Would suggest Melbourne university. Thier 5 year model is really good if you aren't too sure on a specialist degree. Can exit after 3 years with your bsc or continue study and have say a masters of engineering along with the bsc after 5 years.
Why not talk about what the degree will potentially bring you?
he makes the valid point that you can exit mid way through and still have that bit of paper to prove you did something
I know but what this young man is looking for is "Tell me what I should do and why" not "Tell me what I should do"
OP says "because you can exit early" but that's not really the WHY this young man is looking for.
Pretty much.
From talking to friends in uni and out of uni, pharmacy, radiography, engineering (any variant of mechanical) and health sciences are saturated and very difficult to find jobs.
I'd suggest doing a dual degree with commerce. It greatly broadens your job prospects in many fields you might not even have thought about (source: commerce/law grad).
I probably would but I think the atar was around 95, so yeah.
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/138259
Is this the link you were looking for?
Also, I am coming to the end of an engineering degree (electrical) and I am finding that work experience and jobs are hard to come by. Things change though =D
That's the one.
I had no idea what to do after Uni, had a boring job that was headed in an even more boring direction (accounting), so I went for a walk one lunchtime and joined the Army! Spent 15 years as an Army officer and had a ball. Managed to pick up another 2 degrees paid for by the government whilst there. Left a few years ago and I now work in the Defence Industry as a civilian. A far cry from where I started out. I never had any idea when I was younger that my current career/industry existed, so glad that I didn't stay in Accounting!
That's awesome! I was a CO in the army reserves for a few years during uni and I loved it. Which corp were you in?
RASigs. Graduated from the Officer Cadet School of NZ as an Australian Army exchange student. I actually had some time in the Reserves (Infantry) as well and loved it. I hated my day job and loved my part-time job so I did a switch up.
Now I work as a BD Manager selling stuff back to the Defence Force. No school/Uni careers counselor would even know my industry existed much less know how to get into it.
In terms of opportunity, last week I was trying to hire general IT guys for consulting contracts. We were paying over $1K per day on 2-3 month jobs but candidates had to have Government Security clearances. In the end we couldn't find enough people. I guess my point is that finding a niche you like and burrowing your way deep into it is my best advice.
Do yourself some research using www.joboutlook.com.au and/or the publication Australian Jobs 2013 (2014 will be out in June.)
Obviously this is statistical data but it is still worthwhile having a good understanding of the numbers related to projected employment. It doesn't mean that you will be necessarily a suitable candidate for any position, or that the positions will be where you want them to be, but if you are after the research about this topic, as opposed to people's anecdotal experience, these two publications are a good place to start.
What you also need to consider is this message from some recent research I read (and I have deleted the link but could possibly find it in my archives if anybody wants a specific reference): That those job seekers who succeed in obtaining and sustaining full time employment have in general had four "contact events" in their pre-employment history. That means they could have done any of the following:
they may have had a part time job,
have done work exerience or an internship,
have done volunteer work,
have undertaken formal mentoring,
have participated in work place visits,
have done some work shadowing,
have formally investigated work places,
have participated in trade fairs and expos (as a presenter, a staffer or as a registered participant in forums and workshops,)
have made a commitment to developing contacts and networks,
have particiated in entrepreurial activities,
have shown experience of leadership and or teamwork,
and/or they have participated in community activities in a formal capacity eg as a leader, change agent, organiser etc.
It doesn't matter WHAT the field is that the school leaver/graduate wishes to move into, or indeed what field the experience has been in, it is this knowledge of "work" that makes them a more employable prospect, and which increases the likelihood that work, when finally obtained will "stick".So, as a careers adviser, I recommend looking into the statistical information about projected demand, carefully examining your own interests and aptitudes, and most importantly, having as much contact with the world of work as you can. Don't dismiss opportunities as irrelevant or boring or too hard - take advantage of every opportunity and actively seek to make yourself as appealing as possible regardless of whichever field you think you might like to enter.
Good luck with it
Study whatever you're interested in. Even if you don't find a job in that exact field, there are often skills that are easily transferable to other industries. For example, I studied environmental science but most of my working life has been with agricultural science. Once you get some decent experience in a particular industry, the significance of your qualifications drastically decreases.
Also, University is designed to advance your "thinking" ability, not your "doing" ability. Keep that in mind.
Since the dawn of time, people have done uni courses, and found it hard to find work in the field, This is nothing new.
I say do the course your heart wants to do! You never know the road you will go down :)
If you enjoy science I would recommend nursing. I have friends who are nurses and they can choose their hours and the potential for travel etc is really good. As populations age there will be more nurses needed as well.
As populations age there will be more nurses needed as well.
But don't go into aged care. That crap will make your hair fall out.
It doesn't really matter what you do, the universe is about 14 billion years old and in only a millionth of that time you'll be virtually indistinguishable from your most "successful" peer today.
Drug mule
We see u have some impressive skills,but unfortunately at this moment we feel HSC is an overqualification for this position. Thanks for applying.we wish u all the best
currently in my first year bachelor of health science. I want to transfer to marketing. Any thoughts on marketing?
Any thoughts on marketing?
Marketing, as in "would you like fries with that, sir?" ;)
combined with psychology?
You Will have fries with that!!
My nephew had been seeking an electrician apprenticeship for some time with no luck. His father, mechanic, has taken him on as a first year apprentice, hoping someone will take him on later as a 2nd year, as he really doesn't have enough work on. Not that you are looking for a trade, but I do seem to come across quite a few plumbing and carpentry trades positions being advertised in the last few years. Warehousing, stores type positions also seem to be on offer also. Teaching, medical/health and aged care positions are not likely to become redundant at any time in the future.
I remember this saying a teacher told me when picking senior subjects
1. Pick subjects you are interested in.
2. Pick subject s that will help your career goal. Eg physics for being an architect. ( if you wanted to be an architect.
3. Pick subjects you are good at.I thought that was a good summary.
Thanks for all the comments, still really confused but whatever.
Also, are there any jobs available in video game design or programming? Also, with corporate office jobs any degree will get you in, won't it?
The videogame industry cratered years ago, and Australia got it worse than most. Stay away. There are still horror stories floating around regarding predatory, for-profit videogame colleges (the ones that advertise at train stations, on late night TV and in Empire). Pay several thousand for a barely accredited degree to work in a field that largely doesn't require pieces of paper and is in the toilet.
As for everything else, my advice is to be good at what you inevitably choose to study. The economy isn't like it was in the late 90s, almost every field is contracting. Just keep your head above the water and you'll find work as long as you're the best or near it. That said, be pragmatic and study something substantial yet flexible. Don't study yourself into a corner with a degree that has only one possible employment route.
i second this. unless you are willing to go to another country as the australian game industry is pretty horrible.
Have to agree with this.. had a friend who worked for 2 gaming companies that eventually folded. the Industry is too small for this here
mate do what u love at uni. you will find a job or few more skill do different job.
I'd suggest not worrying about what's "in demand" - it really doesn't matter.
Consider that you'll be competing in a vastly different market place three years from now. Market forces you see today, are unlikely to be the same ones you see in three years.Look for a career, not a job, and study what you enjoy doing. As long as it's not 'Arts' you really can't go wrong. There will always be sufficient employment for 'good people'. If you love science, do that. If you love engineering, do that. Just don't become another drone who heard that XXXX is going to be the next hot field to be in.
P.S. - some personal experience. I enjoyed doing IT work, I went to Uni and got a degree in that. I've been working in that space for 8 years now and I still enjoy it. Make pretty good living too.
Agree
A good option if you like children, is to combine it with a teaching degree. That, you can possibly still in work in Biology, or fallback to a career in highschool Biology…Of course, I must add, not everyone is suited to be a teacher.
Don't do engineering
As a 2013 science graduate, I never expected to land an awesome job straight out of my bachelor and now i have started my Masters of Laboratory Medicine - which is basically Pathology type stuff (2 Years)
My uni claims (and i talked to a lot of graduates at the open days that confirmed) that this course has a very high job after graduation rate, because they send you to a laboratory somewhere for at least 6 months for experience and most of these lead to jobs.
My advice to you is do what you enjoy. Part of the uni course will be exploring what you like to do. I went in thinking Medicine - but that idea rapidly changed by 2nd year as i grew interested in the laboratory/pathology side of things.
Keep in mind that especially in science you will be in first year covering very broad subjects and that they may not really interest you - but this rapidly changes into second year as you pick subjects that lead in the direction you want to go in - at least thats how it worked with my uni anyway (Melbourne Uni) (eg i know a bit about marine botany but seaweed really doesn't interest me).But above all if you find yourself way out of your interest zone then dont be afraid to change courses/uni or drop out all together. I know people that hated what they were doing and had the most miserable three years of their life.
Adding on to Pyrock, I am a 2013 commerce graduate working in banking. Definitely agree that in first year you do very broad subjects that may not interest you. For me it was Business Stats, Management and Micro/Macroeconomics. Only when I started to choose my majors in second year (accounting and finance) and the corresponding subjects did I really start to enjoy my studies. So my advice - persevere in first year and choose the subjects in 2nd/3rd year that you'll enjoy. Simples!
Truck driving.
Why? its an aging profession, the average age in the industry is 54 now, and drivers (especially actual drivers, not steering wheel attendants) are in huge demand. A few years experience and you can write your own ticket to just about everything. Not overly difficult to be in the 100k+ range within a year or two, if you did FIFO 150k +
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Generally science degrees not coupled with another degree lead to jobs in research/academia - which means further study(postgrad).
Graduate engineers are a dime a dozen, experienced engineers, however, are harder to come by. I was a graduate engineer who happened to luck out and get into a decent job within a stable industry. Many of my uni mates weren't so fortunate.