JOB CHANGE ADVICE Electrician/Paramedic

• 

  Donaldhump on 01/02/2016 - 17:56

  working as an ambo would be a good job, not going to be outsourced, but you wee shit you can only imagine, and would be depressing. I think either of those paths are good for you, if you enjoy being in your feet.

  I work in an office and it can get pretty boring, but would hate to stand up all day in the same breath

• 

  red-hot on 01/02/2016 - 18:00

  Paramedic would be really good, but you'd have to LOVE helping people.
  Maybe, to test the waters, why not try volunteering at your local hospital Emergency Department, and see how you like it?

• 

  mskeggs on 01/02/2016 - 18:33

  +1

  My sister-in-law is a paramedic in NSW. She says they are graduating more than can be employed, so be cautious, you wouldn't want to do a long course then not be able to get a job.
  My friend is a sparky. He liked it, but got sick of climbing through ceilings on stinking hot days. So he did a desk job for a few years.
  He eventually went back to it, specialising in outdoor electrical work, garden lights etc.
  I don't know how you would go getting an apprenticeship at your age, but I know there are schemes to help older apprentices.

  • 

    airzone on 01/02/2016 - 20:53

    My brother ~mid 30's threw in the towel at a security gig and picked up an apprenticeship as a mechanic at a car dealer. 2 positions open, 2 older guys (him and a late 20's) and a bunch of 17 - 18yo's. The young guys didn't stand a chance compared to the perceived tested reliability of the older applicants - the challenge was convincing the boss that the massive pay cut was OK.

• 

  elvino on 01/02/2016 - 19:03

  +1

  My wife did the Bachelor of Paramedicine back when it was first starting out. As part of that, they also had to do 100 hours per semester of ride-alongs (not sure if its still the same). Note that the Degree doesnt guarantee a role at the end of it (as mskeggs mentions above).
  My wife already knew that she wanted to be a paramedic before starting, having done some ride-alongs to begin with.
  In that respect I would highly recommend doing some, even just to get a feel for it = get your feet wet.
  It is a great job, and extremely rewarding, she loves it (most of the time).
  Just remember that for every one of those baby delivering, life saving jobs, there is 5 times the amount of overdoses, domestic violence, abuse and time-wasters. You need to be prepared for anything and everything!

• 

  altomic on 01/02/2016 - 20:12

  +1

  Electrician - you're older so you can do an accelerated apprenticeship so you can get your qualification in faster than a paramedic. you can earn decent coin, there is rarely any blood and the hours will be relatively normal.

  • 

    gonga on 01/02/2016 - 21:33

    +1

    I looked in to this 4 years ago in QLD. Electrician was one of the few trades where there was no accelerating, it was 4 years no matter what. As far as I know it is still the same.

• 

  edwdl on 01/02/2016 - 21:15

  +1

  I'm just about to start my Graduate Year as a paramedic in Vic.

  Getting a job now is pretty difficult as there are WAY more students graduating from Uni than there is work. To give you an idea, i finished in 2014, did my interviews early last year and i got offered a job in Dec and only just starting in the coming weeks.

  I also applied for QAS, and went through their recruitment process, which also took many many months (didn't finish the process as i got a job in Vic, process took ~6 months).

  As said above, you'll have placements throughout uni. In Vic it's about ~360 hours over the 3 year course, not too sure what it is like in QLD.
  The course itself was probably the hardest Uni course I've done (I've studied science/applied science/s). But if you have a curious mind and have a thirst for learning and you're prepared to get out of your comfort zone, it should be alright.

  You have to really like to help people, even if at the end of the day you may not get any recognition for it.

  It is truly a rewarding job, but have to consider if you think you are resilient and if you can handle high pressure else it will all catch up to you and burn you out. Also ask yourself if you can handle long shift work hours long term.

  Just my 2c, feel free to PM me if you have any questions.

• 

  Ryanek on 02/02/2016 - 08:27

  I've got to say, every morning when I buy my coffee from the local cafe there's usually a pack of paramedics getting ready for their day. They're all young, sociable and look like they enjoy their work. Looks like a pretty good work environment. It also helps that the Government is investing in huge ambulance hubs where all these guys can rock together http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/new-super-ambulance-stations-for-w…

• 

  Candour on 02/02/2016 - 08:29

  it seems from arts interests you are moving to other skill sets; the defence forces could welcome you as an officer and pay you to train in management without further study. a career and good pay with a pension at 45. the ongoing reports of harassment and bullying of huge proportions in the press over decades and the entrenched culture and people involved is a worry though.

• 

  [Deactivated] on 02/02/2016 - 15:55

  +2

  If you choose the paramedic route, volunteer at St John to get experience. Also consider volunteering with the SES or RFS to get emergency service skills.

• 

  littleDealFish on 02/02/2016 - 17:56

  +1

  Thanks for all the replies guys :) very informative! also did not consider the volunteer side of things. It's a great idea!