I found the "Preparing for HSC" thread interesting, so I thought lets hear what peoples ATAR (or no ATAR) was and where it got you today :)
Where Did Your ATAR Get You?
[Deactivated] on 13/08/2021 - 13:24
Last edited 13/08/2021 - 13:26
Last edited 13/08/2021 - 13:26
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I got a low ATAR, worked for 6-7 years in hotels, went back to Uni as a Mature Age Student. I now have a PhD and a Permanent Academic job at a University.
My point is that ATAR etc means nothing 2-3 years out of school. If you have the desire and discipline you will find your way eventually.
What field are you in?
My PhD is in Ethics
ATAR means absolutely everything when you’re in High School wanting to enter a good course. Don’t let anyone tell you it doesn’t to make you feel better.
Not studying hard enough or picking the wrong subjects can mean years catching up to where you would have been straight after school, not to mention the course fees and uni debt you will rack up, and lost time.
I earned a 64.5 ATAR, missed out on all scholarships and ended up receiving an offer for my last preference (poor subject choice and not caring about getting a good ATAR). I ended up finding a degree I liked and 8 years later (still under 30) I’m earning over 100k in the field of digital marketing doing something quite niche, which has a lot of opportunities within.
14 years of University and counting.
74 ENTER got into teaching. Studied 3 years, took a break to be a missionary overseas, came back to complete 4th year and have now been teaching for almost seven years and ready to quit. Teacher in Victoria in 7th year salary is about 86k +super. I want to get into IT but don't know where to start.
Learn Python first as it's relatively easy to get started with and has good job prospects (especially in AI / machine learning).
Then learn JavaScript as it's the most widely used language in the world, and not much harder to learn than Python. Along with JS, you will probably also learn a bit of HTML and CSS, which come part and parcel with JS.
Once you have a good understanding of JavaScript you can use it to develop server based systems using NodeJS, or frontend applications using e.g. React.
Oh and you should also learn some basic SQL as it's the language most databases use to read and write data (it's limited, so basic knowledge of SQL shouldn't take too long to learn).
If you end up having good proficiency in the above, you will be an attractive candidate for modern IT developer / engineer roles.
I gotta learn how to bold my text first
Does R fit in anywhere or serve as a suitable sub on this route?
Maybe in data science but not much else. Even for data science I think Python is still a better choice as it is better than R for machine learning / AI, plus is also widely used in other areas like web development (which R is not).
There are a lot of tutorials on YouTube for the above (for free), otherwise you should be able to find low cost online courses which do the same but might be more structured.
86k after SEVEN years, wtf
It be what it be. Teacher salary is available online, widely documented. You can 'fast-track' the scale if you move into a principal class position but I have less than zero interest in that! A principal is a principal 24/7. They're not calling the classroom teacher if the school is vandalised on the holidays. They have to be the HR, the hiring and firing, the parent dramas (and only ever the awkward and serious ones), financial, ohs, maintenance…
I think on an 'hours worked' rate, a teacher is far better off.Agreed, I've seen some seriously overworked leading teachers, not worth it but that pay progression is crap.
My bro 99.9% PhD now earning $110k
Me 80.2% degree earning $500k😀😝😁
gota love the haters..
not about the piece of paper you hold but what you do after,.. i guess what others do after, is neg posts that makes them feel insignificant,.. or perhaps they feel im just not on enough to warrant a thumbs up… keeps me up at night these things. mmmmm enjoying a $200 steak scrumptious ill survive i guess.
Was that really warranted? Is this a soft spot? You got two negs for (I assume) sounding like a prick justifies their self worth by their income and degrades their brother's achievements to enhance your own .
And no,I wasn't one of the negs.
I didn't get the Atar I wanted, ended up getting around 88. My choices for Uni were all engineering at either USYD or UNSW and the cuttoff was around 91-93. I did well in my science and maths subjects which actually gave me an offer from my first choice. I'm about 5 years into worklife, where I work as a Project Manager in Land Development. The average salary at the moment is around $120-130K. Won't disclose my pay but it over 150k.
97.4 ATAR. Undergrad was not particularly productive and didn't equip me with any vocational skills. I was accepted into an honours year and my work saw me get accepted into a PhD, which I am still doing.
Was this what I saw myself doing when I was studying for the HSC? Nope. Would I do it again? Probably not, honestly. I'd apply for a different degree with a more defined career, skillset and income due to the rising costs of living. With that said, my HECS is paid off just from casual work and my research brings me into contact with some excellent academics and keeps me intellectually stimulated, but at this point I want to be done and earn a proper income.
What field is your PhD in?
Pharmacology and clinical trials. I won't get too more specific than that. I'm fortunate that I can transition into industry afterwards.
Just a reminder guys, take what you see on here with a grain of salt. Most people here aren't making as much as you think, just like how everyone on a certain forum (wh_____ol) is a 21 year old software engineer making 300k with a million in savings.
The IT industry is pretty highly paid TBH. I've seen people leave uni and get six figure salaries. I know engineers on 200k+.
I think the "grain of salt" is that there is a range. Just because a single software engineer is on 200k, doesn't mean they all are.
It's also the internet, anyone can be anything. That is why I tend to dislike these what's your age/net worth/super/income threads, as its just creating an unhealthy benchmark for people to compare themselves with others.
I dont agree with this. There are always highly paid and lowly paid people. IMO, an avg salary in Sydney / Melb should be around 100-130k these days.
Obviously there are highly and lowly paid people but the results on here tend to be skewed towards the high income demographic. People also like to over-inflate their income, at least its common amongst the people in my field.
There are literally statistics to tell you what average salaries are in different places.
Pretty sure I got in the 60's or very low 70's. Snr Product Manager, formerly a software engineer.
Don't let your ATAR limit you.
I got an 95.5 ATR and now an academic. Stressful job with lots of KPIs and no such thing as 9 to 5. I probably work about 60 hours a week just to remain competitive (for promotion). No such thing as overtime pay for academic in the EBA but the standard rate is OK and the super is fantastic. I also work with some really smart people, which makes the job more pleasant if not challenging. Can't stand working with/for idiots.
What field?
Business, but these conditions are pretty much the same across most fields at my institution.
I'm an academic in engineering so know what the conditions are like. The applications for promotion are especially bureaucratically brutal. Takes about as much work as grant application to write it up
@qvinto: Not just promotions but also annual appraisals. The academic portfolio I have to maintain for annual appraisal is 40 pages+.
What sort of wage? I personally couldn't stand being constantly stressed and working that much overtime, do you find it worth it?
Depends on your seniority:
Associate Lecturer: 70-95K
Lecturer: 96-120K
Senior Lecturer: 120-140K
A/Prof: 140-160K
Prof: About 190KNo overtime and the work is never done - there is always more to do and far too easy to take work home. What are the perks: when you are not actually teaching you have a lot of flexibility around how, where and when you work (but this does depend on the university and the discipline). While I work about 60 hours per week I am usually only on campus 3 days of the week and I do the rest from home. The downside is that this really eats into family time. And as I said, 17% employer contribution on super. Can't tell you whether it was worth it until I have retired.
Do you get extended time off during semester breaks? That extra super is definitely nice though.
@th123: Nope. Four weeks paid leave per year like most other people… time between semesters is usually spent (a) marking and finalising results, (b) updating teaching materials for the next semester, (c) collecting data, (d) writing research papers or (e) writing grant applications.
Got 98 ATAR, currently studying engineering and working at Maccas as a crew trainer. A big disappointment compared to my 5 friends who are studying medicine and are working in actual relevant jobs like hospital reception and pharmacy.
Dropped out in year 10 to go to TAFE and study IT (why do yr 11 + 12 stuff when I can go where I want now type mentality), as the course was part time I took up a job outside of those hours as a storeperson at a hospitel. Realised TAFE was boring and costing me money, work was funding my hobbies and dropped out to work full time. 9 whole wasted years I worked in that job before I got tired of being overlooked for acting positions and left to work at one of our vendors.
I worked there for only 9 months, being a small family business it was absolute hell, nothing I ever did was enough, I was apparently 'too helpful' and the toll it took on my mental health was significant, they dropped me just before Christmas with a family to feed, and they refused to provide a separation certificate so even welfare was tough to get - the final dog act in my view.
1 month later joined up at another healthcare organisation (private this time) as a storeperson for 1 day (yes, 1) before moving up to an admin type roll - just basic stuff with reporting, realised I loved it so much that I expanded on my skills while I could and essentially made myself a role that they didn't know they needed and moved up from there.. Fast forward 5 years and I'm now in a management position, running a team that works with data and spins up reports and offers strategic sourcing advice..
I laugh at the fact that I earn more now than the owner of that family run business.Back in the day, it was ENTER in Victoria (VCE) - 92. Not naturally gifted academically but what I'd prefer to label a fabricated score - that is through the use of tutors (English and Maths). Studied in a disadvantaged school, at least back then, these days it's pretty academically inclined and right up there with the more popular schools. Was really disappointed I didn't get into Melb Uni and ended up going to RMIT but felt quite salty about it back then and had an unhealthy obsession driven partly by brand and partly by peer pressure/envy of other peers/friends who did make it. Never made the most of my time at RMIT looking back, the whole obsession in comparing and not exploring what I actually enjoyed hampered my personal development and made life a bit miserable.
Low 99 ATAR. $100k+ grad role, exciting + impactful work.
Seen plenty of people however throughout my uni with better grades, much higher intelligence and/or higher ATAR end up in the same roles 60 ATAR no-name uni students end up at. It's all about keeping up your trajectory and work ethic throughout uni. Those who stop trying once they hit uni, or were spoon-fed too hard during high school (e.g. good private school) are the ones who end up "wasting" their ATAR and their potential.
Low UAI (showing my age) 66.50. The disappointment from my parents….was palpable.
Anyway, got into Uni with that, HD'd some subjects and transferred, made a mess with the choice of course, graduated anyway and now working in sales in IT and loving it.
Definitely ATAR can help you lead onto a path and open doors (obviously closed for me) but if you work smart and have work experience, you can move and go further.
People skills are important, so if you do invest in yourself, do some toastmasters to brush up on communication skills and follow the path onwards, doors will open up if you keep trying to open them.VCE high 80s.
Sat GAMSAT with no science background.
Now a MBBS and a specialist trainee. I get paid putting people to sleep (and waking them up later). Totally the career for me.Good luck with your registrar training! I've met some anesthetists while volunteering and they all love what they're doing.
How did you tackle the GAMSAT? I'm currently working as a psychologist but always have been interested in psychiatry.
Well I started with a study plan. I looked around pagingdr forum to get a sense of which resources were good. Vaguely recall seeing a list of recommended resources. Initially I just started reading books like "Organic Chemistry for Dummies" (not kidding - I still have this book). I took the Des O'Neil course back in the days. Watched a bunch of youtube videos when I got sick of studying or got stuck. The science bit is about building the layers up and I actually find this part of the GAMSAT to be more "controllable".
For Section 1 - just do lots of practices (I used MCAT resources coz loads of them). This section was very variable to me.
For Section 2 - I hired a english PhD to mark my essays, and I always write them to time.I sat the GAMSAT in March 2010 after about 4 months of prep. In hindsight this wasn't advisable if no science background but I got lucky somehow. Alot of the techniques from GAMSAT I carried over for my anaesthetic exams (which took me TWO YEARS to prepare for…GAMSAT is such a joke in hindsight).
I'm not sure how things have changed since but that doesn't matter. Have a good study plan and stick to it. A good study group helps. Stay the course and keep believing!
Thank you so much for replying to me and your advice was really helpful. I really appreciate it! All the best in your career.
Did not help me in my adult life at all - unless I want to brag that I went to Melb Uni?
In the end it doesn't really matter, there are alternative avenues for the majority of careers.
grew some, bought some.