Career Advice for Unsure Early 30s Man

itsnotmeitsyou on 15/08/2021 - 00:00

I am looking for any advice people can give.

I'm in my early 30s in Western Australia and I have been working for the last 7 years in unskilled labour. I realise now that was not a wise decision for the long term and am looking at careers I can turn to. I'm not particularly fussed over enjoyment as I have gotten used to do boring jobs as well.

I attended University a while ago and partially completed a Software Engineering degree, 2 years I think. I did fairly well in the programming units, but there was a lot of writing which I disliked. I am considering working on my writing and just going back into that. I would have to restart the whole degree as it is past the 10 years mark.

I have a look on Seek occasionally and see so many job postings in the IT category and thought it may provide me a long term career.

I am also considering pursuing a mature age apprenticeship to become an Electrician. I have gotten used to doing hard work so I think the apprenticeship won't be too hard on me. With this career path, I can open up a business and be relatively secure.

As I'm in Western Australia, I considered jobs in the resource sector, but I am unsure whether I should pursue it at my age as I don't want to have to start again years later during a bust.

My parents will let me move back in with them during this period so I would not have to worry about most expenses during this period.

Thank you for reading. Please give me any advice you can. I'm open to most things. I do not have anything tying me down and dont foresee that happening until I have a stable career.

Education & Work

Comments

  • Muzeeb on 15/08/2021 - 00:02
    +7

    Your writing seems a hell of a lot better than other forum posters. Do you just dislike writing?

  • SF3 on 15/08/2021 - 00:26
    +4

    an Electrician

    IMHO, I’ll also think that might be a wiser choice than a programming career, mainly due to job competition and job offshoring :( . However, you could use your programming skills to build/maintain you own website’s business, rather than pay someone else.

    • barge-in hunter on 15/08/2021 - 08:50
      +2

      Totally disagree. Many large Aussie tech companies are screaming out for Australian based developers, because the effort it takes to ensure off shore/ESL teams actually understand the business requirements and context far outweighs the cost benefit.

      Feel free to check out LinkedIn. IT recruitment is going bananas

      • FIVEDOLLAR on 15/08/2021 - 10:03
        +1

        They're looking for people with experience

        • barge-in hunter on 15/08/2021 - 16:01
          -2

          For entry level software development jobs, it's not the case. Attitude and cultural fit wins hands down at the moment

      • jpl on 15/08/2021 - 17:35

        Not sure why other people neg you. What you said is also true. Giving you a +1

        I think the market is still full of companies that are trying to send development jobs offshore and at the same time those that got burnt are screaming out for Australian based developers.

    • itsnotmeitsyou on 15/08/2021 - 08:50

      Is that even with all the job postings? They have the highest number of job postings by far in $100,000 range and above.

  • rektrading on 15/08/2021 - 00:37
    +1

    Software Engineering degree, 2 years I think. I did fairly well in the programming units,

    Forget uni. Try here.

    What is Moralis Web3? Build and Ship Dapps Quickly
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTJMZ7tWJvA
    https://moralis.io/

    This industry is desperate for shadowy super coders. They pay well and don't care about your background as long as you can do the work.

    Watch the vids, get practising, join the hackathons, may be land a job or at the very least make connections.

    Good luck.

    • itsnotmeitsyou on 15/08/2021 - 08:51

      Thank you. I tried to find jobs related to this but couldn't find any.

    • freefall101 on 15/08/2021 - 12:46

      99% of employers won't hire you without experience and they won't hire into entry level roles without some kind of certification.

      I definitely wouldn't stake my career (pun intended) in building blockchain related apps. Could go well, could explode. If it explodes and all your coding skills are tied up in that, there's nothing to fall back on.

      • rektrading on 15/08/2021 - 13:08

        I wouldn't hesitate to hire a 13 boy that hasn't finished high school but can code with C, C++, Java, JavaScript, and Solidity.

        Degrees and certifications are good for people that want a FAANG job but not essential for devs that want a career in blockchain.

        Traditional coders are degree, job then build. Blockchain devs are build, build then job.

  • Quantumcat on 15/08/2021 - 08:17
    +1

    You can do a tafe course in programming, won't take as long as a degree and will be less writing as it is more practical.

    • itsnotmeitsyou on 15/08/2021 - 08:53

      Thank you. Are in the field? Do you think there a big disadvantage to holding a TAFE qualification compared to a University one?

      • 87percent on 15/08/2021 - 09:04

        I don’t think it means anything. I know people with Masters who are working in call centres, at the same time, I’ve recruited people with no degrees based off their work. (I don’t recruit specifically, it’s just part of my role)

      • Quantumcat on 15/08/2021 - 09:20
        +1

        There is a bit of a disadvantage but one that can be overcome. If you are motivated and care enough to work on software projects in your spare time, and/or contribute to open source projects, so you have a good portfolio, you should be able to get any job a Bachelor of IT or Bachelor of Computer Science graduate can get.

        And yep I am in the field

  • barge-in hunter on 15/08/2021 - 08:45
    +2

    I think there's probably a more lucrative mix of your skills tbh. Being a home sparky is one thing, but mixing that interest with even a basic understanding of systems and coding opens a lot of doors.

    Think home automation, home or small business battery/solar setups, security systems… The list goes on.

    Some of these will obviously take Tafe or professional development courses, but worth thinking outside the box in emerging fields.

    Software development though, requires absolutely no uni degree. There are plenty of intensive courses (think 6 months or less) that'll get you a job, then it's all experience and a commitment to self learning from there

    All the best

    • itsnotmeitsyou on 15/08/2021 - 09:01

      Thank you. Since there is roughly 6 months until the next semester, what do you think of self learning a bunch of languages and getting a first job in the field? Do they ask for degree at all? If I was to put in my CV my uncompleted software degree and put the dates i did it, would that be ok?

      • barge-in hunter on 15/08/2021 - 09:14
        +1

        I'd still recommend some courses for 'self learning', so you have some projects/a portfolio to demonstrate your skills. They don't have to be Tafe courses though, plenty of private companies run them and are well regarded.

        I'm suggesting courses from a group like this to get you started, and an example or two in your portfolio (mock websites/free work for a small business or charity).

        https://generalassemb.ly

      • Quantumcat on 15/08/2021 - 09:26
        +1

        If you don't have a degree you'll need a portfolio to show you know what you're doing. Personally I would recommend studying something. You can't expect to get a job with no formal qualification and no experience. Plus you will learn a lot faster with a structured course than random internet tutorials. Self learning is difficult and slow.

      • RockyRaccoon on 15/08/2021 - 10:12

        Learn to touch type while waiting.

        Getting your basic skills up will be critical.

        If you cant get your ideas out of the head in a timely fashion you will just get frustrated.

  • jpl on 15/08/2021 - 12:46
    +4

    If you want to get into IT you can still get in without a degree as long as you can do the work.

    The first barrier is to prove that you can do it or know someone that can put you in.

    Let me share some experiences on how people get IT works without a formal degree.

    Packaging yourself

    Without a formal degree, forget about Seek and the online job website. Trust me, you don't even want to waste your time there.

    You'll need to sit down and think of what you did well during the previous two years in Software Engineering. Brush that up and package yourself well. For the sake of example, let's assume "home automation" is something you like.

    So now you know "home automation" is the area, @Quantumcat's advice is good.

    If you are motivated and care enough to work on software projects in your spare time, and/or contribute to open source projects, so you have a good portfolio

    Github is a good place to start. A new project or contribute to someone else's project. By doing this, you get your profile to the public. For example, pet's automated feeder project, dog's automated training toys, that also linked to Amazon/Google or Apple

    Finding the Hidden Jobs

    Hidden jobs are jobs that are not advertised. There are many reasons why companies not advertising these jobs ( we are not covering this here).

    Just want to share with you where to find them.

    1. Quote @rektrading "join the hackathons, maybe land a job or at the very least make connections.". Lots of new startups or people intending to start to join hackathons. Talk to people and find their needs, and what you can offer to their needs. Don't join any hackathons because you will be wasting your time. Just go to then one of your interest areas, "home automation". Talk to people, listen and give examples of your public work "Github"

    2. Tech Seminars - Connections, connections and connections and also sell (talk about) your public work.

    3. Online forums - target the companies that sell "home automation" products. Join the forum and help people that have problems with their products. If you can write a script or patch that will improve their products, put it up on GitHub and share it with their customers. Don't be surprised you get a job offer without even being interviewed.

    4. Startup pitch competition. There are often competitions for people to pitch their ideas. If you win, that's good, but the objective is to look for companies that need tech founders or tech staff. You will find it easier to sell yourself while munching the organiser's sandwich and pizza with a beer, than going for a formal interview.

    Good luck.

  • Ghost47 on 15/08/2021 - 13:36

    but there was a lot of writing which I disliked. I am considering working on my writing and just going back into that.

    Is there a mistake here? Why would you go into writing if you disliked it?

    • Quantumcat on 15/08/2021 - 15:55
      +1

      In a software engineering degree there may still be subjects that involve essays like IT Ethics, human computer interaction, project management, etc

    • Quantumcat on 15/08/2021 - 15:57
      +3

      Wow that sounds great. Quite similar to the government IT apprenticeship (work 2-3 days a week as an APS2, study at tafe/CIT 2-3 days a week), but a lot better paid

      • itsnotmeitsyou on 16/08/2021 - 15:08
        +1

        Thank you. I have found information about a digital apprenticeship being offered by the government. Sadly, I've missed the cutoff point for next year's intake.

    • AussieDaddy on 15/08/2021 - 22:13

      Is the cadetship offered by 42 Adelaide or is it a separate program? Have a link for that? I am stuck in a job I don't like and would be happy to do that program. I make about 70K a year, working 6 days a week every other week or two weeks, including weekends, so 60K a year for working 3 days a week and 2 days studying would be more appealing to me.

      • Quantumcat on 16/08/2021 - 16:36
        +1

        Wow I wonder why he deleted it?

        • AussieDaddy on 16/08/2021 - 18:42

          Damn! I should have bookmarked the site. Do you remember what it was?

          • jpl on 16/08/2021 - 20:14
            +1

            @AussieDaddy: The website is https://www.42adel.org.au/

            But no where stated the 60K a year working for 3 days.

            • AussieDaddy on 16/08/2021 - 20:25

              @jpl: Cheers. Yeah, was looking for that part last night and couldn't find it, hence my question. Either that doesn't exist, or it was supposed to be a secret or something. If that existed I would definitely go for it. Bloody stressed in my current job.

  • brad1-8tsi on 15/08/2021 - 16:43
    +2

    Go for the sparky role. Try and find something that will lead to getting your HV quals.

    Great money. Steady work.

  • Icecold5000 on 17/08/2021 - 09:41
    +1

    OP hasn’t actually secured a apprenticeship yet so it more of a pipe dream. They should come back when this is actually an option.

  • rektrading on 06/09/2021 - 06:40

    Devs looking for work? There are plenty of jobs out there if you have the right skills.

    https://twitter.com/stse/status/1434318496150687750?s=19

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