22 Year Old Immigrant Looking for Long Term Direction in Life

LDaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 17:46
Last edited 13/09/2019 - 00:07 by 1 other user

Hello all. First off, I apologise for using broken english in this post.

I'm an immigrant got to Australia around 5 years ago. Since I had to started taking care of myself entirely from the age of 17, I know I won't have many advantages (provided rental, food, vehicle, etc…) compared to most of yound adults around my age. So now, it's sad to say but I have stepped on to the rat race. But still I would like to get somewhere in life in future. I'm currently living in WA.

I have no education. Haven't even finished high school yet.

I'm having a full time (7 days/week) job for a small business at the moment. Earning around $40k/annual. Couldn't ask much since I have no qualifications and it is an easy job too. Not bad.
EDIT: I have a partner, she is working full time at the moment too. Her earning around same as mine ($40k/annual). So total around $80k both of us.

We bought a residental property few months ago. Left with $30k right now in the saving account.

I am thinking maybe opening a small business and take it from there. The reason I consider business are my skill (as I have been a type of person who learn as I work for 4,5 years now. I'm not someone can do uni unfortunately.), my background (please don't take it offensive but it is a bit harder for me to compete with the other aussie peers for a position at work due to cultural differencesand some more other reason. So maybe self-employed would be good option I suppose?).

If anyone has any suggestions about what kind of business should I do, or what other way I can do to get further in life. Please share your thought. Any positive shared thoughts and helps are greatly appreciated.

Have a good one. Cheers.

General Discussion

Comments

  • coin saver on 12/09/2019 - 17:49
    +6

    Member since 1 hour 29 min ago don't feed the trolls.

    • [Deactivated] on 12/09/2019 - 17:54
      -1

      This is typical ozb material

    • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 18:01

      Sorry I don't get what you mean there.

    • HighAndDry on 12/09/2019 - 18:14
      +19

      But if OP is telling the truth, jeez what an absolute gun. 22 years old. Only in Aust for 5 years. Not even finished secondary education. Making $40kpa at a stable job. HAS A F'N PPTY. $30k in savings still. I want to believe.

      • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 18:21
        +4

        Thank you for your kind words. I just don't want to keep working like this until retirement. 7 days/week easy job wouldn't kill you but also it leaves you no time for hobby or anything though, let alone family, kids, etc..
        -sign-

        • HighAndDry on 12/09/2019 - 18:44
          -2

          No, if everyone was as hard working and financially responsible as you, Australia wouldn't have a debt crisis or a economic downturn or have people clamoring for Newstart increases.

          I agree with the trades - especially if you're business minded, you can hopefully grow the business so you won't fall into the usual trap of trades of being physically worn down and unable to do the work anymore 20-30 years down the line because by then you'd just be a business owner.

          • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 18:52

            @HighAndDry: You're right. I hope opening a business plan would be ok for someone like me. Although it is quite pricey just to open a business here as far as I know. Maybe I'll start small first.

          • outlander on 12/09/2019 - 19:10
            +11

            @HighAndDry:

            No, if everyone was as hard working and financially responsible as you, Australia wouldn't have a debt crisis or a economic downturn or have people clamoring for Newstart increases.

            Comedy at its finest.
            That's one thing that keeps me going as the world slowly edges its way towards oblivion: your fabulous commentary.

            • HighAndDry on 12/09/2019 - 19:12
              +5

              @outlander: Thanks but I mean it. Most people aren't in nearly as good a financial situation as OP, and he's had to come to a new country, learn a new language, missed out on free secondary education, and fight cultural biases.

              The difference being only that he's willing to work hard.

              • outlander on 12/09/2019 - 19:28
                +11

                @HighAndDry: Yes. Its quite impressive isn't it? It's a common trait among immigrants. Makes me wonder.
                Is it because he just tries harder?
                Is it because of isolation, the feeling that you need to work harder than everyone else to stay afloat?
                Or is because the people who have the strength to leave their home and move to another country seeking a better future are also the same ones who have the strength to work hard?

                Either way, it's commendable. Always more room in Australia for hard workers

                • DeafMutePretender on 12/09/2019 - 22:53

                  @outlander:

                  It's a common trait among immigrants. Makes me wonder.

                  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivorship_bias

                  Survivorship bias or survival bias is the logical error of concentrating on the people or things that made it past some selection process and overlooking those that did not, typically because of their lack of visibility. This can lead to false conclusions in several different ways. It is a form of selection bias.

          • [Deactivated] on 13/09/2019 - 07:30

            @HighAndDry: the only hard work Australia is lacking is in parliament. If you are on Newstart you have to work hard at fulfilling their bs or they will cut you off

          • VictoriousBboy on 14/09/2019 - 14:11

            @HighAndDry: This is a ridiculous comment. It’s on par with “if you have a go, you get a go”.

      • profar on 12/09/2019 - 18:25

        I don’t get where 40k not believable when it’s around half of the Oz average salary !

        Might be in some outback run down town with the property.

        • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 18:27

          It's my bad actually. I forgot to mention I've got a partner working full time too. $80k total for both of us.

          • dasher86 on 12/09/2019 - 21:02
            +3

            @DaveT217: If you're working 7 days a week doesn't sound like you are making minium wage.

    • SpotTheOzzie on 14/09/2019 - 16:04
      -1

      Hey I dont have all the advantages you all have
      I have a house / land + 30k savings

      This community has a lot of people that love to play the victim card with 0 idea about social awareness

      • Cletus vandamme on 14/09/2019 - 17:28

        What are you even on about he's not allowed to save money? And how is he playing the victim because he's not in debt?

  • kahn on 12/09/2019 - 18:12
    -3

    I hear there's a vacancy for the role as the United States National Security Adviser. Seriously though, you'd want to speak with a career counselor.

  • onetwothreefour on 12/09/2019 - 18:18
    +3

    40k a year, paid a deposit on a house and has 30k left over? It's gotta be a troll post unless he didn't pay any rent or eat food for the past 5 years.

    • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 18:22

      Oh yes sorry I didn't mention up the post. I have a partner working full time too. Haha my bad

    • syousef on 14/09/2019 - 16:05

      Dear Pent^H^H^H^HBusiness Financial Review,

      You'll never believe what happened to me…

  • Randxyz123 on 12/09/2019 - 18:22
    +2

    How about the trades ? AFAIK you can still apply for various free TAFE courses in Vic though your profile doesn’t say your state so 🤷‍♂️

    Unis will be having open days soon, during the last set of yr 12 holidays. Go in, make an appointment and speak with a careers councillor and see if they can help guide you.

    • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 18:32

      Thank you for your shared thought. I'm living in WA at the moment. Not too sure if WA tafe does some free courses.

      • Kangal on 12/09/2019 - 18:57

        May I ask what your background is, just helps to get a clearer picture?

        PS: This sounds like a friend of mine from Ireland.

        • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 18:59
          +7

          I'm from Vietnam. Thanks for asking Kangal.

          • HighAndDry on 12/09/2019 - 19:13
            +5

            @DaveT217: They helps to explain the work ethic. Hope you're enjoying Australia so far.

            • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 20:04
              +2

              @HighAndDry: Thank you. It has been a rough but enjoyable journey for me so far. I am and will keep enjoying this country. :D

            • Resin on 14/09/2019 - 16:06
              -2

              @HighAndDry: You have obviously never been to Vietnam. I live there (and work there); the work ethic is poor majority of the time although it has improved. You do work long hours and there are few safeguards compared to Australia for employees. But realistically no one works harder than they absolutely have to. Very, very hard to find good staff across the board.

  • qwerty on 12/09/2019 - 19:17
    +2

    If you want the big bucks why not work in a mine - look whats needed qualifications wise and work towards them

    • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 19:28

      Thanks for your suggestion. Someone has told me about mining too. Would you know the availability of this kind of job at the moment? I heard it slowing down now. I will give this some good research anyway. Thank you.

      • arkie0 on 12/09/2019 - 19:37
        +1

        You really need to know people in the industry

        • qwerty on 12/09/2019 - 19:54

          You need a Hr license which takes you like 14 hrs if you already have a drivers license and maybe a first aid course and be able to do a physical and there are entry level mining jobs

      • follow on 12/09/2019 - 21:42
        +1

        Thiess are hiring apprentices at the moment.

  • outlander on 12/09/2019 - 19:19

    What sort of things do you like doing? Would you prefer a job that you didn't have to think too much about, or a job that changes every day?

    • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 19:32

      Very good question actually. In fact I'm working on the job which I don't have to think much at the moment. Not too sure I should keep working for someone else or saving and self-employ myself though.

  • salmon123 on 12/09/2019 - 19:34
    +2

    How did you immigrate as a 17 year old? Did you have some family sponsorship or something? AFAIK, there's no legal immigration pathway for a 17 year old (with no skills) to immigrate here.

    I guess there is the whole refugee thing, but even that would require a decent amount of cash (plane ticket, tourist visa, etc or paying people smugglers and roughing it out on a boat for a few months).

    • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 19:57

      It is a long story back then. I came here with my parent. Although we had to loan out quite a large sum of money for the visa application. But it's a good thing that my family has paid off the debt now. Starting from sctrach.

      • salmon123 on 12/09/2019 - 20:32

        I'm having trouble reconciling your story with a typical migrant story AND the quality of your written english.

        A 17 year old migrant who didn't finish high school probably wouldn't be able to write as well as you do … where did you learn to read/write English?

        My suggestion would be to finish high school and go to university. You could be done and dusted in 4 years and have a job paying 80k in 7 years. With all the government support available and casual work opportunities for students, your lifestyle probably wouldn't change drastically either.

        • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 21:02

          Well I learned english back from Vietnam (although the english I learned are quite impractical back then). Then I just keep improving day by day now, mostly from workplace where I see lots of customer everyday, especially when it comes to taking phone calls and emails from customers. Beleive it or not, they still get pissed at me sometime though :D

  • SydStrand on 12/09/2019 - 19:47
    +1

    Good on you for grasping opportunity with both hands, and being self-aware enough to recognise your limitations.

    You already own property, while half the mid-20 uni grads I know are indefinite Newstarters.

    If you have a head for business, identify a niche in the market, preferably one you have pre-existing interest or knowledge in, and work from there.

    • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 19:59

      Thanks for your encouragement. I'm still deciding if business is right for me. Of course it is high risk high reward kinda thing.

  • arkie0 on 12/09/2019 - 20:07
    +4

    Keep learning and improving your English. Pretty much every job and also running any business, you'll need to interact with other people. Finish the high schooling if possible.

    Depends on the business but you usually an need a bit of capital to get it going, getting a business loan is possible too.

    My suggestion would be to keep saving up and pay down the home loan as quick as possible, you can always redraw equity from it later on to finance the business. Not sure what your work is now, but you need to find some work that will give you the skills to actually be able to run a proper business, such as a trade apprenticeship, restaurant/bakery if you want to open your own, retail sales. I'm assuming you don't have much skills at 22, work but you need to find someone to teach you.

    5 or 10 years down the track then you can think about opening a business. At 30 you're still really young, and you will have another 20-30 years to build up the business.
    - Trades are always good as a business, lower on the skill spectrum - painter, mower/gardener, cleaner
    - Restaurant, Viet food is awesome. Or look into a franchise - roll'd
    - Retail, you can open your own 2$ shop or lotto agency

    My suggestions are based on what I see the immigrant Vietnamese community doing, mainly because they come from a similar starting point as you.

    Or.. just keep doing what your doing, pay down the house. You could probably pay off the loan by 30 at the rate you are saving, from there look into investing into property, shares, proper education for your kids.

    Regardless of which option you choose you will probably still do 7 days a week.

    Chúc may mắn

    • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 20:54

      Cảm ơn (thank you) Arkie0. Greatly appreciated for your reply. I guess doing trade/retail would be the best solution for me. Although I don't have someone to teach me doing business, I gradually learned the way business running (building connection with customer, dealing with suppliers, and just getting myself into basic business stuffs,etc…. ) but it is always better if I have someone who can teach and guide me though :( Thanks for your help again Arkie0. Best of luck for you too.

      • ihbh on 12/09/2019 - 22:13

        I had far more advantages than you at 22, but you have a lot more maturity, life experience and a far stronger work ethic. Your command of the written language is impressive for someone who came here at 17.

        Can you start a business like the one you're working in? That would be a low risk option.

        I don't recommend drawing down equity on your principal residence to finance a business - there is too much accumulation of risk; if the business goes under, you could lose the home and that could lead to relationship problems and so on.

        • DaveT217 on 12/09/2019 - 22:49

          Thanks for your advise ahbh. Yes I will keep that in mind. Definitely I would prefer doing the same type of business I'm currently working. Of course I guess it depend on the market at that time too. The best I can do now is save and wait for the oppotunity to arise then take a shot haha.

          • ihbh on 13/09/2019 - 06:28

            @DaveT217:

            wait for the oppotunity to arise then take a shot

            That's the way. Don't try to force it. For example, be aware of the challenges franchisors face "buying themselves a job".

            • DaveT217 on 13/09/2019 - 11:15

              @ihbh: Yes definitely. Thank you for your advise. :D

  • HardlyCharly on 12/09/2019 - 22:45

    Only you can find the answer to that question inside of yourself.

  • MsBin on 12/09/2019 - 23:13
    +1

    Here’s the wonderful thing about emigrating to Australia- here it’s not about what you HAVE to do to make a living, but about finding something that your skill set is GREAT for that will help you to determine your future path in life.
    Money is amazing (lol Oz Bargainer 4 Life) but it means nothing if getting up every morning is for nothing, or just for a paycheck. Good luck with your choice.

    • DaveT217 on 13/09/2019 - 13:36

      Definitely MsBin. Thank you for your kind words.

  • Kendigg on 13/09/2019 - 09:00

    $30k savings????? Most pay cycles I don’t even have $30 left! Why do you think I’m here doing every competition?!

    • DaveT217 on 13/09/2019 - 11:12
      +1

      To be honest, I'm living the life that most people at my age would not want to. Minimize hanging out, saving, cut back debt, and try our best to spend the least money possible unless we have to. Most people told me that I should enjoy life, YOLO, etc…. but I'm not complaining though.

      • emoticon on 14/09/2019 - 18:32

        You have a girlfriend and $30000 in savings… you’re doing better than a lot of people, ozbargainers included.

        • DaveT217 on 15/09/2019 - 00:13

          Thanks for your encouragement. Indeed I'm very lucky to have a girlfriend willing to went through all this with me. :D

  • mhasan on 13/09/2019 - 09:34

    With your age, I would be working two jobs, 12-14 hours a day, 5 - 6 days a week. Save money, do some travelling, travelling teachers a lot, I know back in Asia it is much cheaper to do a property business.

    • DaveT217 on 13/09/2019 - 11:07

      You're right. Business in Asia countries has some advantages compared to in Australia. I not saying which is better. It's depending what works for your particular situation. I'm keeping my mind open right now. Let's see what will come up in the future.

  • [Deactivated] on 13/09/2019 - 13:06

    I have a close friend who received refuge in Australia. Never finished highschool and worked very demanding jobs.

    Now in his 40s, he is the supervisor at work earning close to a six figure salary, house all paid for, two car household, both less than 10 year old. Two kids.

    It's not glamorous but in many ways, I don't mind what he has. Everything is relative from your starting point and he has taken his family out of a hellhole and well into middle income Australia.

    • DaveT217 on 13/09/2019 - 13:35
      +1

      Thanks for sharing this insprirational story Tshow. I'm sure your friend had went through a lot in his early years to get to his current life. It's always good to hear when someone finally get what they deserved after all the hard works. Please pass my wish good luck to him and of course good luck for you too. Cheers

    • ihbh on 14/09/2019 - 19:51

      he has taken his family out of a hellhole and well into middle income Australia

      Obviously everyone has their own values. He is now well into middle income Australia and into the rat race, until he reaches retirement age or perhaps earlier.

      Perhaps on his death bed, he might have wished to spend more time with his family, etc. and maybe was only a one car household and so on.

      • [Deactivated] on 14/09/2019 - 19:55

        I'm sure rat race is better than mysterious death by Viet Kong.

        I am not a refugee so I cannot speak with any authority but I cannot imagine someone at their death bed thinking, "OMG, the rego for the two cars went up again. Life in the village after the farm was ceased by the communist would have been better."

        Maybe…

        • ihbh on 14/09/2019 - 20:03

          I meant once you've got things starting to be good, be happy and try to have more leisure time and ease back on work vs trying to push up the socio-econ ladder too hastily - not easy when all you've know is hard work. Acknowledge different people have different drives and goals and things aren't continuous in life (e.g. can't work 4 days instead of 5 readily).

          • [Deactivated] on 14/09/2019 - 20:59

            @ihbh: Fair enough. I'd say that many young people are underworked and think a 4 day week starts at 30.

            Completely agree that people need to have a life outside of work.

  • ozbjunkie on 13/09/2019 - 22:27

    Welcome to Australia and good work so far saving and living within your means.

    Trades pay well in Australia if you're keen to start your own business, and TAFE isn't at language reliant as University.

    There are cultural barriers to success in Australia, but everyone loves working with a cheerful and friendly person. Be nice to everyone, but if they try to take advantage of you, don't be afraid to politely decline to do business.

    I'd also offer that you're young, and it's a long game, if you keep working, saving, improving, paying your mortgage, and keeping yourself in good spirits (i.e give yourself credit for your slow and steady progress, appreciate the fact you have a partner and you're working on building a life together) - I think it's all going to end up ok.

    Finally, rich or poor, there are happy people who live all different lives. Don't worry if you don't see yourself making it big, you're doing better than 80% of people living paycheck to paycheck and unable/unwilling to buy a property.

    TL/DR

    go to TAFE and become an electrician or plumber and start your own business.

    If you don't want to study, start a business as a house painter or even a cleaning business, if you can get enough employees, you'll make a killing.

    • DaveT217 on 14/09/2019 - 12:12

      Thank you for your shared thought. I agree with you about being a happy and grateful person no matter what the situation is. Of course there are few people hard to deal with, but most of people I met and worked with are very nice and respectful. I'm quite leaned into trade or retail kind of business after all of your wonderful advises. I will try to keep my head up at the moment and wait for an opportunity. :D

  • AncientWisdom on 14/09/2019 - 11:31

    You need to find out what you're good at doing (hopefully also enjoy doing). You didn't tell us what's your current job…

  • Herbse on 14/09/2019 - 13:03

    It sounds like you're better off than most people thanks to a lot of hard work.

    If you want even better, finish high school qualifications. Get a tertiary education and take advantage of any Industry Based Learning programs they offer. Then work towards getting a job in that role and work your way up.

    • DaveT217 on 14/09/2019 - 14:29

      Thank you for the advise Herbse. All the best. :D

  • funnysht on 14/09/2019 - 13:37

    depends on what business you're experienced in i guess? it's difficult to find one but you can lose quite a bit of money if it goes backwards and since you just bought a property it's not a good idea.

    try maybe a small business like property cleaners etc- something where you don't have to spend much to start up i guess, and maybe something you can work on after hours/weekends so yu don't have to quit your job. Anyway goodluck.

    • DaveT217 on 14/09/2019 - 14:28

      I'm totally agree with you on starting small first. I don't expect to success on the first try but as long as it doesn't bankrupt me, I'm willing to learn. Sometime you win, sometime you learn. Thanks for the suggestion Funnysht, best of luck.

      • funnysht on 14/09/2019 - 19:37

        It's good to always keep working with stable income whilst buying for business because then you can claim on tax (im not an accountant but not too sure if this is correct) but say put your business under both your wife and yours so that you can claim tax invidually e.g for 40k you can claim up to 10k before tax threshold thing, but if both your names are on it then maybe you can each claim 10k so much larger.
        But if the business goes south and worst thing is if you need to call bankrruptcy then both of you may be down the drain lol so probably.
        anyway im not an accountant i just know basic tax stuff so disclaimer this may be completely wrong lol.
        make sure you write everything down in diary e.g. petrol costs to attend business etc, if you run business from home some home costs too.

        the other thing you can do depending on which country you're from is opening up hostel, i know one person who has done this they opened up a hotel in a developing country and are making $$$$. Guess you need a lot of capital though. If we could go back in time go to iceland lol- due to the GFC property was cheap as i think, and if you had bought some properties and converted them to basic hostel, now you'll rich AF, SO MANY tourists in iceland…

        also ppl are worried about recession and property bubble next year so keep these in mind —___—

        • DaveT217 on 15/09/2019 - 00:09

          Your comments are spotted on. I also seen lots of people making tons of money by investing properties in my home country. Some property even went double in price in just 2 months :| Crazy aye.

  • bazingaa on 14/09/2019 - 13:47

    Teach me master! Congratulations on your success

    • DaveT217 on 14/09/2019 - 14:24

      Thanks for the kind words. Good luck with you too. :D

  • [Deactivated] on 14/09/2019 - 14:19
    +1

    Bored teenager or Dailymail ‘journalist’ looking for racist remarks to write an outrage article about.

  • Charybdia on 14/09/2019 - 14:47

    Have you considered a good pyramid scheme?

    • DaveT217 on 14/09/2019 - 15:17

      Would you mind explain it for me? Thank you.

      • funnysht on 14/09/2019 - 19:40

        it's illegal mate. or unethical at least..

  • Eeples on 22/09/2019 - 13:09

    I always recommend Forklift driver, council traffic controller, garbage collection; as jobs requiring a short course of training, reasonably good pay and next to no formal education.

    But, in your case, I would recommend education; try a Tafe course.

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