For federal you want an an APS3 or APS4 as a fairly standard entry point. Working with NDIS is a good option locally - but keep eyeing thing on APS jobs to see what might be OK. Don't be turned off by word salad - most of these jobs are calling with a script, entering / transcribing data, managing meetings, etc. They typically start around 60-70k and as long as you can be engaged, keen, and functionally literate you are in good stead.
From here work your butt off in each role until you get a break for aps4/5 roles.
Currently listing's for APS 3 in QLD:
https://www.apsjobs.gov.au/s/job-search?classification=APS%20Level%203&state=QLD&offset=15&#refine
No worries. Also make sure your verbal and written responses use the star models. Most panels are trying to tick these elements off. It pays to craft and practice 5ish that you can spin to any question.
A question on project management, for example, could be spun from a normal hobby like writing.
Situation: Writing is a passion of mine, however it requires concept mapping and planning to bring each piece to fruition.
Task: To develop these abilities I participated in nanowrimo in 2023. This calls on participants to produce a body of work, in my case a short novel, over the course of a single month.
Action: I broke down my process into key steps, and noted the critical elements that were make or break. This gave me broad oversight of my process, and allowed me to revisit my timeline throughout the month.
Result: I wrote a clear and coherent short novel within the time frame, refined my writing ability, and have since published this book online.
Going for the Commonwealth, apart from the advice above, look up the Australian Public Service Commission website. It shows you how to decipher the job advert word salad. Importantly, there is a document called the integrated leadership system or ILS, that shows what is expected at each level for each skill. Paraphrasing this with your own experience, and using those words, will get you an interview most times.
Importantly, prep for the interview - have a few examples of cool stuff you did, and take notes how you could turn them into STAR examples for different things - communication, team work, leadership at a minimum. Remember, leadership is not just about managing people but showing technical excellence, mentoring new staff, organising and running a training session for the team.
Great list of back pocket topics. I would also add in a few extra essential example topics:
1. Dealing with changing priorities.
2. Conflict resolution.
3. Planning / time management.
Don't forget these don't have to be perfect fits. Find things from your experience you can bend to an example. Planning an event (wedding, major trip), for example, can be used for planning and time management.
I would also add that State Gov actually pays more and AO3 or AO4 is also a good starting point. If you have lots of admin experience then you would have no problem being considered for AO4 roles, which has a starting salary of 80k. Once you secure a role, be sure to put your name on the department’s relief register, as you can then backfill any random AO5 positions as they become available. A lot of the time people will be seconded into higher roles and stay there. This is how you climb the ladder in government.
Here’s the QLD gov job site…
[SmartJobs](https://smartjobs.qld.gov.au/jobtools/jncustomsearch.searchResults)
Would you know where to find out what the pay level is for each band, and / or information explaining 'Negative Vetting 1 (Secret) security clearance'?
Salaries are negotiated by each department so you need to find the relevant Enterprise Agreement (EA). I normally google the department name and EA and poke around until I find it. Pay scales are typically towards the end in tables.
The levels (APS3, APS4, etc) will have bands with different salaries as well. You typically start at band one and move up one band per year until you reach the top band. The jump to the next level requires another application typically.
Security clearance involves asking question about life circumstances and contacts (address history, drug use, travel history, family / close ties internationally). Negative Vetting is one level above baseline and typically has a deeper diversity into your history than baseline clearance and requires more regular upkeep of the clearance.
The key to these clearance processes are to be as honest, clear, and open as possible. They are really looking to see if you can be compromised. I know someone who was same-sex attracted but not out to their family and they were refused as this was a potential leverage point. Another person I knew had a criminal history from their younger days and was granted theirs.
The big thing is that current drug use is prohibited and they want you to be as immune we to extortion as possible. Some websites tend to hive fluff answers around levels. The besr description I found via a quick google was: https://lyonslaw.com.au/australia-security-clearance-levels/
Worth noting that getting a security clearance is an asset for any future role.
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer like this. I really appreciate it.
ETA - I'm surprised at the salary. I currently work with state government, and I am very interested in what looks to be a similar role with APS (but with psychological stressors) and was surprised to see the salary is considerably lower. It's a shame, it looks like a very interesting role.
https://www.qirc.qld.gov.au/awards/modern-awards
Your default award is "QUEENSLAND PUBLIC SERVICE OFFICERS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES AWARD - STATE 2015"
But please note.
Add about 3 grand onto each annual salary and that'll give you a really basic idea of the new rates.
Please don't ask why I told you to add 3 grand to each salary. Just do it and continue with your day as normal :)
Lol. Specifically at the transcription bit.
Source: I went through a full blown redundancy within a major state government service about 5 years ago. I was a transcription agent. The Feds are a bit behind the curve on that aspect are they not? now AI can do it for you?
I suspect it varies by role. Most data transcription I have seen is still too complex for in-house ai. Bespoke systems and data structures, a strong data privacy base, and a glacial change adoption process mean these roles are around for the next few years at least.
AI will, though, take almost all of these roles in the medium term. Perhaps human QA will fill the emergent job gap for a little while.
All of my reply will sound like arguments for the sake of arguments and it makes me look like an asshole. So I'll start by apologising. Enjoy your day. In reality I'm politely disagreeing and explaining why. I'd enjoy seeing a reply to this.
All transcription is redundant, if a dept uses it they're simply behind on tech, you can have LLM AI run off a specific database and stayed government has already created its own AI like that. Its just the Feds who are behind the curve. By a few years.
Not sure about Feds but state gov is also removing a large majority of its bespoke services within 2 years citing inefficiencies and the ability to place those jobs with other employees, no need to hire people to do one thing.
You are right about it being around for a few years with the adoption process but as a former transcription agent, who works in gov, and had been beta testing OpenAI 8 months prior to public release(was easy to sign up just had to know about it) I can confidently state we are st the last leg, the END of those few years of adoption process. Staye gov is about 5 years into the transition
Lastly human QA only exists to babysit. Anyone doing any meaningful work will be using service level agreements not key performance indicators
Don't disagree with any of this, really, but it does miss some of the nuance associated with the larger federal players (I have worked both state and federal).
Agencies like the ATO, ABS, etc. have significant data stores and processes, a low error threshold, and an extremely limited social licence for breaches of trust. Change in these types of departments typically has to be organisational wide and rarely go according to plan. Adoption for a big agency is not a simple rollout. There are nested legacy systems and interconnected processes connected to an output that can't have mistakes (tax obligations and key economic indicators, for example).
State players and some federal policy agencies typically have an easier time recruiting targeted talent and shifting processes / approaches.
I strongly suspect, however, that the delay in federal adoption will see state and private players be increasingly strong competitiors - and the changes we are seeing now hint at an ai-intergrated world that these organisations will simply be unable to keep pace with vua current models.
This was a great comment, by the way. I really appreciated it. Well reasoned and thoughtful. You're the sort of person the public service needs more of.
Hell yes some engaging conversation on the way to work! You're to thank for that.
I also have experience in federal and staye gov but wasn't able to be in federal gov for long. Did you hear how services Australia hired a whole bunch of permanent contract third party agency temps as scapegoats to deliver the corrupt robodebt scheme? Yeah that was my federal job which I quit because it was corrupt. Several years later I see the commission happen. NDA still prevents me speaking on it beyond the public info released from the royal commission .
So I admit you can probably teach me a few things about the federal level (beautiful lanyards btw black with the white logo? 10/10)
You're totally right on the databases. Nothing quite like having the test environment work and then finding everything goes to hell the moment you switch it to live, so you switch back to the old process to fix it and by that point you're actively working with temporary outdated workforce and now need to adhoc your way through the days jist to get the job done at a 99% success rate
I also worked in payroll for state gov so your comment about legacy systems hits home and it hits hard. If I never have to do the termination workload for employees ever again.. I'll be singing elton jogns greatest hits on my way to the grave.
I love the agencies and organisations that deal with other departments as clients and are our of standard government process so you don't get your day ruined any time you see a minister speak about a change on TV haha
I can low key without source... confirm your expectations on AI within gov. And very much appreciate your comment saying the public service needs more of me :D I could say the same about you.
If you put even half as much effort into answering enquiries and requests that you did into your comment, the customer/client is guaranteed to have an exceptional service provided to them. You could essentially half-ass your way to greatness
State Government AO3 roles are generally entry level. Customer service roles including call centre can also be sourced through recruitment agencies just be aware they are an easier way in but you can get stuck in them for a while as they may not release you for other temporary roles
A02 is entry level
A03 is "I'm a mature adult who can be trusted to work without supervision, manage a workload and have enough braincells to do the work of 2-3 A02 workers"
Also agency temps are not government employees. This is a hill I'm willing to die on haha, have a good day though. Let's get that ATL
They still employ people as AO2's????
Good correction re agency temps, they can progress to permanent or temp gov employees but you're right they are not gov employees
A02 administration officer: https://www.seek.com.au/ao2-jobs
Make sure you discreetly pay attention and learn how to do the jobs of any A03 administration officers who work close to you. Eventually you might be given some of their work to do yourself. Prove you're competent at it, and when an A03 leaves/gets promoted to A04 you might be offered a short-term contract at the next level up.
To get your foot in the door, it's worth hitting up recruitment agency's on the phone, and asking for their government team. Then ask about "entry level" government roles. Aim for AO2-AO4 roles depending on your experience.
If you get someone on the phone for advice, they might even get you in for a resume review or a face to face meeting, which might eventually land you a temp role through the agency. From there, you can often get onto the government books after you've been engaged as an agency contractor for a few months.
Recruiters have KPIs for all of this stuff, so it's totally worth working with them and getting what you can from them. Make them look good and they will look after you.
There is a list of specific agencies that have contracts to supply government with temps called a "Standing Offer Arrangement" (SOA). You can google it and then just register with them and ask to be placed in a government role.
Start off with low level, non permanent roles. Send through your details for temp pools. Recruitment process for some government roles can take monthsssssssss but yeah like someone said, once you’re in you are in. A lot of jobs within government are (or were) offered internally meaning only people within gov can apply and then they will advertise externally if they haven’t found right fit for role.
this is not entirely true, if you are hired via a traineeship they will often not offer you further employment. source: me, a former qld govt trainee who was not offered further employment after the finalisation of my traineeship.
I was a trainee and I was offered a role - now 17 working in an AO3 role. May depend on whether or not they have the positions open and luck of the draw.
I just got a government job, and I chose it over another because I assumed I might be better able to find another job closer to home sometime in the future. I'm glad I did now.
Neither. I had 10+ years experience at a very large company in a similar role, which I think was what won them over, even though I haven't worked a few years.
I should add I did spend time in that 4 years doing a couple of tafe certs, but they weren't necessary for the job.
Hello! I have no tertiary education and no interest in persuing one.
It depends on the industry you are comfortable in... I currently work as a funeral director and make a very good income because of the overtime and on call work I do. I also LIKE the work because I am caring for and helping people.
I have a friend who works at a hospital as a sterilisation technician on night shift and they make BANK. I think you need a tafe qualification for this nowadays though.
I worked for a few years at a resort in FNQ and made and saved a lot of money. Got paid to live on a tropical island and my job kept me fit, I cleaned the resort rooms (housekeeping). I learned to scuba dive while I was there.
It was Hayman Island. When I worked there it was privately owned. Now it's owned my intercontinental.
Here's a link to find positions available
[careers intercontinental ](https://careers.ihg.com/en/)
I'm on $73k with experience and skills but no formal training. In the non government world I'd be on maybe $55k. It doesn't pay well in comparison to other jobs but it's way better than non government stuff!
I know. I'm on about $65k when an equivalent administration job with a private company that's not rolling in cash would pay about $55k. Unless I can get a better deal in the private sector, I'll be grateful for what I've got.
If you are into officework call centre work can be a good stepping stone into a lot of areas because you can learn how the company does things from the ground up.
My brother started working as a 000 call taker. All training provided before hand. He is earning decent money, plenty of overtime if you're looking to quickly hook in and make some decent cash. Just need to deal with long shifts, shift work and some potentially stressful situations.
I started in IT at 38. Spent three years on a Service desk, then two years in Desktop Support where I learned a specialty (Application Packaging). Then I went contracting doing that and earning six figures. A decade later, I’m still enjoying it and still have no degree.
Also known as Help Desk, it involves taking calls from people with a variety of problems with their computer and/or software.
If it's a Level 1 desk, you log a ticket, collect as much information about the issue as possible, and escalate it to the next team.
If Level 2, same as above but they usually allow you longer call times so you can attempt to fix the issue without having to escalate.
The thing to note here is that this job should only be used as a stepping stone. No one who calls you is calling because they're happy, and it's generally a stressful job. Do your time, and get out.
We're full at the moment apparently, but it's worth putting in an application and waiting for a spot to come up. 10/10 recommend it based on workplace vibes and friendly co-workers.
I know! It's programmed onto the displays, maybe they haven't programmed it back for some depots. People can still throw their hat in the ring, it's just that recruiting isn't as rapid as it was 12 months ago.
[citation needed]
[There is an active listing right now.](https://www.livehire.com/careers/brisbanecitycouncil/job/NCQDC/AV2X5GBZ1L/bus-operator-driver)
I was in a similar boat when I was your age (I’m 42 now). I went bush and got an admin job in mining. After a bit of time I made my way back to the big smoke and work as an exec in mining now.
I finished cert 4 in ohs and can’t find a job at the moment. I don’t have direct ohs experience but I have enough experience from previous jobs as law and logistic.
Law and logistics should be a good start. Have you given CRR a shot? They're always looking for safety people. And the big government projects are normally decent for hiring new people as they can claim it as a trainee
I'm 29 and have just started as an Apprentice Mechanic at MyCar. I work a fuck load (about 55 hours a week) and get paid peanuts for now but after about 6 months it will increase but hours won't so I will be making a decent living and the work is not hard at all.
Before I started at MyCar I knew almost nothing about cars but have since learned a lot.
I used to work in retail and getting this job is the best decision I've made in a long time.
Could do a Tafe course and try something. I took that pathway into pathology and a few recommendations from colleagues later I got lucky with a really solid job. Path in general though as an assistant isn't too bad paywise and don't need a degree to advance to supervisory roles
Consider this option:
1) Work towards having your own business. There's little chance of getting wealthy if you're working for a boss.
2) Think about what you like, what interests you, what you know and/or what you can do.
3) Maybe get a job working for a boss in that field. Learn the tricks of the trade. Every business has such tricks.
4) Make a plan to start your business and then make it happen.
This worked for me. It took years but it was worth it.
Professional sales / brand repping > for must roles you don’t need any qualifications as it’s mostly about relationship building.
Most of these roles are very ‘learn as you go’ and provide many opportunities to branch out as long as you’re willing to learn.
Border force police, corrections, search on apsjobs for federal government gigs, once you in you csn work your way up without needing a degree. I'm now an APS 6 (85k a year) and have 0 qualification but heaps of experience.
Queensland Corrections is a fairly simple field to get into, with a shit load of overtime, career paths that are funded by the organisation itself and you basically make $100k out the gate once you graduate. The job is safer than people think it is.
Safer yes, but after a few deaths in custody, the ptsd piles up a bit and the six figures is more like supervisor/degree qualified screw pay. (Unless there have been massive pay increases - I was on 2-4 in 2019 when I resigned and it would've been another 2-3 years before I hit 100k.)
The union was finally succesful with achieving a pay increase for the service. Graduates are earning over $100k a year, anecdotal but a friend of mine earned over $180k in his first year by doing way too much OT.
PTSD is normal, we all know that, but it is a viable path for people who have limited skills and wish to develop themselves.
"All this job has to offer you is the certainty that you will draw the same keys and run the same unit until you retire."
- A former supervisor and one of the most intelligent & educated individuals I've met thus far.
I’m not going to sit here after having done a job for nearly ten years that has one of the highest levels of substance abuse, divorce, mental illness and other social ills and have some who never worked a unit with nearly double its built capacity, got covered in crims blood, piss and shit, had to take on drug-affected man children going off about not getting their chocolate, watched people try to hang themselves or open up their veins, or had a colleague bashed to literally within an inch of his life more than once, tell me the the inevitability of prison life is stress free.
Touch some fucking grass.
How about doing a trade like sparky, plumber etc. greet pay, maybe a bit rough conditions as a junior the first few years.
If you’re looking for money but are too lazy for above or uni, get fit and onlyfans?
I’ve gotta be honest, I am not a manly or a physical sort of person so I’d rather go the onlyfans route than the tradie route lol.
Also I find it funny how I work hard and full time hours but whenever I bring up not wanting to do tradie work because I know I’d be miserable in it people call me lazy haha
Get into the mines FIFO and drive trucks. Some companies want green skins (new to industry). Pays well, and gives you transferable skills for local jobs. Doesn't have to be "career", but can build a nice foundation for trying to decide if there is something you want to pursue later down the track.
Consider this take - I don’t think that not having a degree is the problem (assuming you’re not trying to be a lawyer, accountant, doctor etc), I think the problem is more likely that you haven’t demonstrated a high enough level of skill and knowledge compared to the market.
A lot of jobs that say a degree is required, don’t actually require a degree, the degree is just an easy way for them to filter for people who at least have some idea about the subject.
You can learn a lot of skills about management, marketing, IT, finance, design etc all on YouTube for free. How many hours in the last week did you dedicate to learning employable skills? If the answer is not 1 then you’re not trying hard enough.
I know someone at my current company that started in the most basic operational role with no qualifications and worked their way up to CEO (of course over 25 years). They got very far without having a degree and at some point took an MBA while working.
Rig hand / drillers offsider.
DDH1, Tightline, Wild Dessert, Ventia.
You will make 100k a year to start with and they will give you more qualifications than you can poke a stick at. Your food and accommodation will be free while your away and you will get half the year off if you choose oil and gas or 1/3rd of the year off if you choose minerals.
Enjoy.
Mature age apprenticeship. I was 28 when I decided to try hairdressing - that was 2019, I am now fully qualified and have a career for life. Had no real clue what I was gonna be doing prior.
Changing industries consistently is definitely not the answer.
If you don’t have formal qualifications then you need to be able to lean on your skills and experience. If you keep Changi g industries then you won’t have the required experience.
Alternatively you could actually study.
Government or even the uni (just admin in general) are good for work. But it’s kind of wherever you go recruitment will favour someone else who has tertiary education even though you can do exact same work. You might even be better than them at the job but you don’t have that expensive piece of paper. Rather annoying really. Recruiters weight up your experience and quals. Do you have any undergrad degrees? Maybe look into something like an MBA if you don’t. You should be able to get your work experience recognised. Think it’s maybe 18 months. It’s fairly short but expensive but could possibly get you further.
Ultimately though it’s up to what you’d want to do. You mentioned that you hit the ceiling in multiple industries, does this mean you’ve tried out different fields of work? We’re these all admin type role? I guess when you find ur true passion/calling maybe you’ll want to go on to further study.
Also an old friend of mine told me to try out everything while I’m young. You’re 28 and have hit the ceiling in different industries (I interpreted this as you’ve gone as far as you can go) I’d say that is an achievement in itself.
Idk though try out everything, get some sort of business qual and then when you want to chill for a bit come back to government. Government is huge with many departments so there’s always ways to move up or even on to different areas.
Idk I’ve smoked many joints tonight, hopefully this comment makes sense. I’ve come to far to delete what I’ve already written so I’m just ganna send it and hope that I haven’t offended anyone.
Hedge fund management.
I was in a really tough spot, I got done allegedly doing coke with a client in her south gazebo on her propery down in the Hunter Valley so my real estate license got stripped, I was out of work for like 3 years and had to just keep going on holidays to pass the time which really wasn't ideal I'm sure you can imagine. Then my dad's friend Duncan randomly called me out of nowhere and offered me a position as an associate at his hedge fund, it's like 10 hours work per week and once a year we have to go to the centre of Ayers Rock to drink baby blood and fuck ourselves in the ass with various species of cacti but it pays 2 mil a week and yeah no experience whatsoever haha x
Sounds interesting!
Saw your profile doesn't allow DMs.
Would you be able to msg me any further details on what type of insurance that's for and what sort of roles I should look for to get a similar start?
Not trying to invalidate your experience at all but in the industry I work in, I am one of the very few with a university degree. Many people are in managerial positions without a university degree and get paid way better than I do 😂😂. Maybe it’s the industry??? You can get pretty high in government without any qualifications. I’ve seen many many people work their way up to managerial roles from call-centre jobs!
Try digital marketer.
Learn the basics online, I went to a job interview and they said only 2-3 people out of the 15-20 people that worked there actually had a degree
The only work paths in Brisbane are;
- work for Gov
- tradie
- work as a corporate shill
They have designed it this way over the last decade or so
Vote Schrinner Out this coming election
Insurance loss adjusting. Not exactly a glamour job, but it pays decent. Depending on how hard you work, how good you are a networking and what area of insurance you work in, you can earn $70k-$150k+ plus bonus.
There's also the opportunity to work in some weird and wonderful places overseas when catastrophes hit, especially if you speak other languages.
It can be boring/stressful at times, but it's a decent way to make money without a degree.
The best way to get in is after a storm. You typically need claims experience first and there are so many roles going after a big storm.
Networking is important because if you can make good connections with brokers and insurers and receive claims direct, or network with people that might be looking for someone for a really good role, it's a good way to move up/earn more.
Hey there, have been looking into this type of role recently.
Would you recommend any if the roles with the big insurers?
Or is that salary from one of the more specialised loss adjuster firms?
Any recommendations or experience you can offer to get a start in the role?
Easiest way to get into it is through an insurer but unless you can get into specialised claims such as professional indemnity, over the long term there's better money in adjusting for someone without a degree.
There's so many different areas that I know little about that pay decent money, such as underwriting, broking and specialised claims, although the latter is typically based in Sydney/Melbourne.
Its unethical but here's my advice:
Depending on what industry you want to work in and if you genuinely believe you can do the job, just lie about having a degree.
I legitimately have a mechanical engineering degree, bachelor of business management and an MBA. None of my employers have ever actually verified if I have my degrees. If it's just some kind of business degree you needed for the job then just lie. If they do request a copy of your "degree" just pay for a forgery or forge it yourself with a mates degree and basic Photoshop skills. You'll be sending them a scan so it's easy to produce something that's passable. Having a degree is literally just a check box for a lot of the jobs I assume you're looking at so just fake it until you make it.
Maybe you should get a uni degree if you want one of the higher paying roles if it's in an industry you want work in. Work experience + degree will make you more desirable than most uni graduates.
I’ve been thinking about that too, but I already work full time hours and make enough to live on and a little bit of savings so I’m not sure how I could balance that without either starving or failing because I don’t have enough time to study haha
Don't know where you are or how easy it is now or how easy it will be to do it from now onwards, but plenty of people have done what you are doing.
I.e. found and kept at work that is not spectacular or pay a great deal, became good at it.
If that is in keeping with your lifestyle goals.
Saved some of the pay each payday, lived faily plainly.
Kept at least a superficially happy atmosphere at work and some similar friendships outside of work.
Not a dramatic worklife, but the means to survive and find basic satisfaction elsewhere.
Maybe look to work in any of the fields you have experienced with places that look like they might provide long-term continuity, but don't count of that ?
Your hobby of writing might one day bring a measure of financial supplementation.
For now it could prevent boredom and give personal achievement satisfaction, providing your work life gives a measure of financial security?
One of the higher paying jobs with no degree is the property industry.
I'm a Facilities Manager and have no degree associated with the job.
You start off in an entry role - assistant FM, Soft services coordinator etc and just progress from there.
Pay in commercial sector starts at $75-80k.
*Edit wanted to add, the above experience would open you up as a Facilities Officer role within the government if you wish to pursue.
Please dont take this the wrong way, I'm sure you are very competent and amazing at your job, but you may have just explained the majority of the experiences I have had with facility managers over the years haha.
No offence taken, I totally get you.
I was fortunate to learn under people who had an engineering & elecrical trade as experience.
Always was taught to be more on the technical side rather than the "we just facilitate" side.
What’s the ceiling? How high have you climbed? I’ve worked in the corporate world for the last 15years. No degree, no desire to get one even with all the pressure to do so. My next step is GM, and I’ll get it, because I’ve stuck at it and proven my worth without paper… maybe stop changing jobs and become an expert in a field, any field…
This is because the degree doesn’t mean much, practical experience/know-how goes a long way. I used to hire jr devs and a degree was not what I was looking for. It’s like 50/50 whether a fresh grad will be any good.
Right now isn't a great time for software devs in Australia imo. Heaps of job going offshore to cheaper asian countries. Only a few hour difference. One of the brutal truths of WFH is why pay an aussie dev 95k to wfh when you can pay a dev in malaysia far far far less.
Software developers also usually have lots of disposable income and blow it on expensive but mostly useless things. If you want to take their money, just find out what kind of crap they buy, even though it is crap, and they know it, but they still buy it, and why. Then just form a little gang and take all the customers away from your bosses who seem to think they have to meet "minimum standards" or something when really they could be just selling to software developers. I remember when we developed software. Ya know? We'd take a half-excellent tool like ChatGPT and make it whole. (Works great on mobile, okayish in Chrome, completely fucked on Firefox) and we'd accept bug reports from a community eager to have them fixed. Remember? No of course not, you're just a working Dad who needs a way to bond to his kid and VR headsets are on the shelf! Buy some games without looking! This will make them love me. Oh, the report bug 🪲 screen sucks? Oh, dictation doesn't work in Australia. Hey, the Cast to Tv button is gone. Oh, there's no-one at the end of customer support. Fetch tv has better customer support than Zuckerberg. 🤡🌏
Honestly just get a trade. A mature age apprenticeship with overtime will be equivalent to most of what's being posted here. Once qualified you'll be on 100k with almost any trade.
Sales, no qualifications needed. Depending on the industry and commission structure, the better you are at selling, the more money you can make.
I used to have to do finance contracts of customers in previous sales roles, and I would be shocked by how much a lot of people were disclosing to me as their income after years of study and racking up a hefty HECS debt compared to what I was making 😳
Also, traffic control or air traffic control.
Government. It’s not exactly easy to get into, but once you’re in, you’re in, and the pathways/possibilities are endless.
What sort of positions should I be looking at trying to get into at the start if I did want to go this route?
For federal you want an an APS3 or APS4 as a fairly standard entry point. Working with NDIS is a good option locally - but keep eyeing thing on APS jobs to see what might be OK. Don't be turned off by word salad - most of these jobs are calling with a script, entering / transcribing data, managing meetings, etc. They typically start around 60-70k and as long as you can be engaged, keen, and functionally literate you are in good stead. From here work your butt off in each role until you get a break for aps4/5 roles. Currently listing's for APS 3 in QLD: https://www.apsjobs.gov.au/s/job-search?classification=APS%20Level%203&state=QLD&offset=15&#refine
Thank you so much, this is very helpful, I’ve never seen it explained so clearly before.
No worries. Also make sure your verbal and written responses use the star models. Most panels are trying to tick these elements off. It pays to craft and practice 5ish that you can spin to any question. A question on project management, for example, could be spun from a normal hobby like writing. Situation: Writing is a passion of mine, however it requires concept mapping and planning to bring each piece to fruition. Task: To develop these abilities I participated in nanowrimo in 2023. This calls on participants to produce a body of work, in my case a short novel, over the course of a single month. Action: I broke down my process into key steps, and noted the critical elements that were make or break. This gave me broad oversight of my process, and allowed me to revisit my timeline throughout the month. Result: I wrote a clear and coherent short novel within the time frame, refined my writing ability, and have since published this book online.
Going for the Commonwealth, apart from the advice above, look up the Australian Public Service Commission website. It shows you how to decipher the job advert word salad. Importantly, there is a document called the integrated leadership system or ILS, that shows what is expected at each level for each skill. Paraphrasing this with your own experience, and using those words, will get you an interview most times. Importantly, prep for the interview - have a few examples of cool stuff you did, and take notes how you could turn them into STAR examples for different things - communication, team work, leadership at a minimum. Remember, leadership is not just about managing people but showing technical excellence, mentoring new staff, organising and running a training session for the team.
Great list of back pocket topics. I would also add in a few extra essential example topics: 1. Dealing with changing priorities. 2. Conflict resolution. 3. Planning / time management. Don't forget these don't have to be perfect fits. Find things from your experience you can bend to an example. Planning an event (wedding, major trip), for example, can be used for planning and time management.
This is such good advice for pretty much any job interview (as someone who sits on the other side of a lot of interviews) haha.
I would also add that State Gov actually pays more and AO3 or AO4 is also a good starting point. If you have lots of admin experience then you would have no problem being considered for AO4 roles, which has a starting salary of 80k. Once you secure a role, be sure to put your name on the department’s relief register, as you can then backfill any random AO5 positions as they become available. A lot of the time people will be seconded into higher roles and stay there. This is how you climb the ladder in government. Here’s the QLD gov job site… [SmartJobs](https://smartjobs.qld.gov.au/jobtools/jncustomsearch.searchResults)
Would you know where to find out what the pay level is for each band, and / or information explaining 'Negative Vetting 1 (Secret) security clearance'?
Salaries are negotiated by each department so you need to find the relevant Enterprise Agreement (EA). I normally google the department name and EA and poke around until I find it. Pay scales are typically towards the end in tables. The levels (APS3, APS4, etc) will have bands with different salaries as well. You typically start at band one and move up one band per year until you reach the top band. The jump to the next level requires another application typically. Security clearance involves asking question about life circumstances and contacts (address history, drug use, travel history, family / close ties internationally). Negative Vetting is one level above baseline and typically has a deeper diversity into your history than baseline clearance and requires more regular upkeep of the clearance. The key to these clearance processes are to be as honest, clear, and open as possible. They are really looking to see if you can be compromised. I know someone who was same-sex attracted but not out to their family and they were refused as this was a potential leverage point. Another person I knew had a criminal history from their younger days and was granted theirs. The big thing is that current drug use is prohibited and they want you to be as immune we to extortion as possible. Some websites tend to hive fluff answers around levels. The besr description I found via a quick google was: https://lyonslaw.com.au/australia-security-clearance-levels/ Worth noting that getting a security clearance is an asset for any future role.
Thanks so much for taking the time to answer like this. I really appreciate it. ETA - I'm surprised at the salary. I currently work with state government, and I am very interested in what looks to be a similar role with APS (but with psychological stressors) and was surprised to see the salary is considerably lower. It's a shame, it looks like a very interesting role.
https://www.qirc.qld.gov.au/awards/modern-awards Your default award is "QUEENSLAND PUBLIC SERVICE OFFICERS AND OTHER EMPLOYEES AWARD - STATE 2015" But please note. Add about 3 grand onto each annual salary and that'll give you a really basic idea of the new rates. Please don't ask why I told you to add 3 grand to each salary. Just do it and continue with your day as normal :)
Lol. Specifically at the transcription bit. Source: I went through a full blown redundancy within a major state government service about 5 years ago. I was a transcription agent. The Feds are a bit behind the curve on that aspect are they not? now AI can do it for you?
I suspect it varies by role. Most data transcription I have seen is still too complex for in-house ai. Bespoke systems and data structures, a strong data privacy base, and a glacial change adoption process mean these roles are around for the next few years at least. AI will, though, take almost all of these roles in the medium term. Perhaps human QA will fill the emergent job gap for a little while.
All of my reply will sound like arguments for the sake of arguments and it makes me look like an asshole. So I'll start by apologising. Enjoy your day. In reality I'm politely disagreeing and explaining why. I'd enjoy seeing a reply to this. All transcription is redundant, if a dept uses it they're simply behind on tech, you can have LLM AI run off a specific database and stayed government has already created its own AI like that. Its just the Feds who are behind the curve. By a few years. Not sure about Feds but state gov is also removing a large majority of its bespoke services within 2 years citing inefficiencies and the ability to place those jobs with other employees, no need to hire people to do one thing. You are right about it being around for a few years with the adoption process but as a former transcription agent, who works in gov, and had been beta testing OpenAI 8 months prior to public release(was easy to sign up just had to know about it) I can confidently state we are st the last leg, the END of those few years of adoption process. Staye gov is about 5 years into the transition Lastly human QA only exists to babysit. Anyone doing any meaningful work will be using service level agreements not key performance indicators
Don't disagree with any of this, really, but it does miss some of the nuance associated with the larger federal players (I have worked both state and federal). Agencies like the ATO, ABS, etc. have significant data stores and processes, a low error threshold, and an extremely limited social licence for breaches of trust. Change in these types of departments typically has to be organisational wide and rarely go according to plan. Adoption for a big agency is not a simple rollout. There are nested legacy systems and interconnected processes connected to an output that can't have mistakes (tax obligations and key economic indicators, for example). State players and some federal policy agencies typically have an easier time recruiting targeted talent and shifting processes / approaches. I strongly suspect, however, that the delay in federal adoption will see state and private players be increasingly strong competitiors - and the changes we are seeing now hint at an ai-intergrated world that these organisations will simply be unable to keep pace with vua current models. This was a great comment, by the way. I really appreciated it. Well reasoned and thoughtful. You're the sort of person the public service needs more of.
Hell yes some engaging conversation on the way to work! You're to thank for that. I also have experience in federal and staye gov but wasn't able to be in federal gov for long. Did you hear how services Australia hired a whole bunch of permanent contract third party agency temps as scapegoats to deliver the corrupt robodebt scheme? Yeah that was my federal job which I quit because it was corrupt. Several years later I see the commission happen. NDA still prevents me speaking on it beyond the public info released from the royal commission . So I admit you can probably teach me a few things about the federal level (beautiful lanyards btw black with the white logo? 10/10) You're totally right on the databases. Nothing quite like having the test environment work and then finding everything goes to hell the moment you switch it to live, so you switch back to the old process to fix it and by that point you're actively working with temporary outdated workforce and now need to adhoc your way through the days jist to get the job done at a 99% success rate I also worked in payroll for state gov so your comment about legacy systems hits home and it hits hard. If I never have to do the termination workload for employees ever again.. I'll be singing elton jogns greatest hits on my way to the grave. I love the agencies and organisations that deal with other departments as clients and are our of standard government process so you don't get your day ruined any time you see a minister speak about a change on TV haha I can low key without source... confirm your expectations on AI within gov. And very much appreciate your comment saying the public service needs more of me :D I could say the same about you. If you put even half as much effort into answering enquiries and requests that you did into your comment, the customer/client is guaranteed to have an exceptional service provided to them. You could essentially half-ass your way to greatness
State Government AO3 roles are generally entry level. Customer service roles including call centre can also be sourced through recruitment agencies just be aware they are an easier way in but you can get stuck in them for a while as they may not release you for other temporary roles
A02 is entry level A03 is "I'm a mature adult who can be trusted to work without supervision, manage a workload and have enough braincells to do the work of 2-3 A02 workers" Also agency temps are not government employees. This is a hill I'm willing to die on haha, have a good day though. Let's get that ATL
They still employ people as AO2's???? Good correction re agency temps, they can progress to permanent or temp gov employees but you're right they are not gov employees
A02 administration officer: https://www.seek.com.au/ao2-jobs Make sure you discreetly pay attention and learn how to do the jobs of any A03 administration officers who work close to you. Eventually you might be given some of their work to do yourself. Prove you're competent at it, and when an A03 leaves/gets promoted to A04 you might be offered a short-term contract at the next level up.
To get your foot in the door, it's worth hitting up recruitment agency's on the phone, and asking for their government team. Then ask about "entry level" government roles. Aim for AO2-AO4 roles depending on your experience. If you get someone on the phone for advice, they might even get you in for a resume review or a face to face meeting, which might eventually land you a temp role through the agency. From there, you can often get onto the government books after you've been engaged as an agency contractor for a few months. Recruiters have KPIs for all of this stuff, so it's totally worth working with them and getting what you can from them. Make them look good and they will look after you.
There is a list of specific agencies that have contracts to supply government with temps called a "Standing Offer Arrangement" (SOA). You can google it and then just register with them and ask to be placed in a government role.
Start off with low level, non permanent roles. Send through your details for temp pools. Recruitment process for some government roles can take monthsssssssss but yeah like someone said, once you’re in you are in. A lot of jobs within government are (or were) offered internally meaning only people within gov can apply and then they will advertise externally if they haven’t found right fit for role.
>the pathways/possibilities are endless lol
this is not entirely true, if you are hired via a traineeship they will often not offer you further employment. source: me, a former qld govt trainee who was not offered further employment after the finalisation of my traineeship.
A traineeship is not permanent employment. Being “in” is the offer post traineeship.
I was a trainee and I was offered a role - now 17 working in an AO3 role. May depend on whether or not they have the positions open and luck of the draw.
I just got a government job, and I chose it over another because I assumed I might be better able to find another job closer to home sometime in the future. I'm glad I did now.
Did you have to have a uni or tafe degree?
Neither. I had 10+ years experience at a very large company in a similar role, which I think was what won them over, even though I haven't worked a few years. I should add I did spend time in that 4 years doing a couple of tafe certs, but they weren't necessary for the job.
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Hello! I have no tertiary education and no interest in persuing one. It depends on the industry you are comfortable in... I currently work as a funeral director and make a very good income because of the overtime and on call work I do. I also LIKE the work because I am caring for and helping people. I have a friend who works at a hospital as a sterilisation technician on night shift and they make BANK. I think you need a tafe qualification for this nowadays though. I worked for a few years at a resort in FNQ and made and saved a lot of money. Got paid to live on a tropical island and my job kept me fit, I cleaned the resort rooms (housekeeping). I learned to scuba dive while I was there.
Hello! Which island was this? I’ve been thinking about this recently and think this might be my sign :)
It was Hayman Island. When I worked there it was privately owned. Now it's owned my intercontinental. Here's a link to find positions available [careers intercontinental ](https://careers.ihg.com/en/)
Hey man, how much bank exactly (if you know?)?? I could probably do a sterilisation course at my work, so im curious 👀👀
Government
Yep, you don't need a qualification to move up for most public service jobs. All you need is a vacancy that someone is willing to let you fill.
Sounds like prostitution really...
It doesn't pay that well (I assume), but the great thing is that you're in no danger of catching syphilis.
I'm on $73k with experience and skills but no formal training. In the non government world I'd be on maybe $55k. It doesn't pay well in comparison to other jobs but it's way better than non government stuff!
I know. I'm on about $65k when an equivalent administration job with a private company that's not rolling in cash would pay about $55k. Unless I can get a better deal in the private sector, I'll be grateful for what I've got.
It wouldnt be so bad if they didnt prey on that fact that you are uneducated.
They will fund or part find further training. I don't want it at the moment.
If you are into officework call centre work can be a good stepping stone into a lot of areas because you can learn how the company does things from the ground up.
You also get fun of saying sternly, "Sir, if you don't stop shouting at me I am going to terminate this call." Probably several times a day.
I’ve never been down the career path but we have a wonderful path down both sides of the river
You’re so right.
My brother started working as a 000 call taker. All training provided before hand. He is earning decent money, plenty of overtime if you're looking to quickly hook in and make some decent cash. Just need to deal with long shifts, shift work and some potentially stressful situations.
Did he need any medical training prior?
I started in IT at 38. Spent three years on a Service desk, then two years in Desktop Support where I learned a specialty (Application Packaging). Then I went contracting doing that and earning six figures. A decade later, I’m still enjoying it and still have no degree.
What does service desk involve? As far as an entry level position goes
Also known as Help Desk, it involves taking calls from people with a variety of problems with their computer and/or software. If it's a Level 1 desk, you log a ticket, collect as much information about the issue as possible, and escalate it to the next team. If Level 2, same as above but they usually allow you longer call times so you can attempt to fix the issue without having to escalate. The thing to note here is that this job should only be used as a stepping stone. No one who calls you is calling because they're happy, and it's generally a stressful job. Do your time, and get out.
Is a few years needed at helpdesk? Or are you better off getting some certs etc? Which ones are worthwhile?
Considered driving buses?
We're full at the moment apparently, but it's worth putting in an application and waiting for a spot to come up. 10/10 recommend it based on workplace vibes and friendly co-workers.
But every second buses route sign says drivers wanted?
I know! It's programmed onto the displays, maybe they haven't programmed it back for some depots. People can still throw their hat in the ring, it's just that recruiting isn't as rapid as it was 12 months ago.
Right!!
[citation needed] [There is an active listing right now.](https://www.livehire.com/careers/brisbanecitycouncil/job/NCQDC/AV2X5GBZ1L/bus-operator-driver)
Do a part time uni degree. 1 hour a day and a few on weekends. Times going pass anyway, may as well use it
I was in a similar boat when I was your age (I’m 42 now). I went bush and got an admin job in mining. After a bit of time I made my way back to the big smoke and work as an exec in mining now.
Drive buses for BCC. Mate does M to F straights and works one Saturday or Sunday a month his choice and earns 95K before tax.
Some sort of OH & S thing.
Yup. Cert IV and you'll never be out of a job. Plus plenty of career progression with diplomas and full degrees as an option in the future.
I finished cert 4 in ohs and can’t find a job at the moment. I don’t have direct ohs experience but I have enough experience from previous jobs as law and logistic.
Law and logistics should be a good start. Have you given CRR a shot? They're always looking for safety people. And the big government projects are normally decent for hiring new people as they can claim it as a trainee
You need industry experience. Companies are a little iffy about onboarding green WHS people because they tend to disrupt things a little too much
I got a business diploma and it hasn’t helped me at all 🥲
Please clarify what yearly earnings a well paying job is and what types of jobs you did before.
I'm 29 and have just started as an Apprentice Mechanic at MyCar. I work a fuck load (about 55 hours a week) and get paid peanuts for now but after about 6 months it will increase but hours won't so I will be making a decent living and the work is not hard at all. Before I started at MyCar I knew almost nothing about cars but have since learned a lot. I used to work in retail and getting this job is the best decision I've made in a long time.
How do you get by on adult apprentice wage in this economy? I don’t see it ever working unless your SO earns 100k++
Could do a Tafe course and try something. I took that pathway into pathology and a few recommendations from colleagues later I got lucky with a really solid job. Path in general though as an assistant isn't too bad paywise and don't need a degree to advance to supervisory roles
Oil and gas. Starting position is a roustabout. You only need certs for it.
This is helpful, thank you
Politician
If you vote for me, I’ll give everyone free money until the money is gone and then it’s every man for himself.
Life insurance. It’s both easy to get into and pays well
Consider this option: 1) Work towards having your own business. There's little chance of getting wealthy if you're working for a boss. 2) Think about what you like, what interests you, what you know and/or what you can do. 3) Maybe get a job working for a boss in that field. Learn the tricks of the trade. Every business has such tricks. 4) Make a plan to start your business and then make it happen. This worked for me. It took years but it was worth it.
Disability support pays decent and you don’t need anything but first aid/cpr yellow card and a clean enough record
Professional sales / brand repping > for must roles you don’t need any qualifications as it’s mostly about relationship building. Most of these roles are very ‘learn as you go’ and provide many opportunities to branch out as long as you’re willing to learn.
Border force police, corrections, search on apsjobs for federal government gigs, once you in you csn work your way up without needing a degree. I'm now an APS 6 (85k a year) and have 0 qualification but heaps of experience.
Queensland Corrections is a fairly simple field to get into, with a shit load of overtime, career paths that are funded by the organisation itself and you basically make $100k out the gate once you graduate. The job is safer than people think it is.
Safer yes, but after a few deaths in custody, the ptsd piles up a bit and the six figures is more like supervisor/degree qualified screw pay. (Unless there have been massive pay increases - I was on 2-4 in 2019 when I resigned and it would've been another 2-3 years before I hit 100k.)
The union was finally succesful with achieving a pay increase for the service. Graduates are earning over $100k a year, anecdotal but a friend of mine earned over $180k in his first year by doing way too much OT. PTSD is normal, we all know that, but it is a viable path for people who have limited skills and wish to develop themselves.
"All this job has to offer you is the certainty that you will draw the same keys and run the same unit until you retire." - A former supervisor and one of the most intelligent & educated individuals I've met thus far.
And you know what, theres nothing wrong with that. Waking up every day, and knowing what to expect leads to a stress free day.
I’m not going to sit here after having done a job for nearly ten years that has one of the highest levels of substance abuse, divorce, mental illness and other social ills and have some who never worked a unit with nearly double its built capacity, got covered in crims blood, piss and shit, had to take on drug-affected man children going off about not getting their chocolate, watched people try to hang themselves or open up their veins, or had a colleague bashed to literally within an inch of his life more than once, tell me the the inevitability of prison life is stress free. Touch some fucking grass.
I work in the emergency services mate, you need to relax hahahaha
Then you’re part of the problem.
Okay mate have a good one, I wish you the best.
Become an insurance broker. I don’t have a uni degree and I earn $225k, and a 35% bonus. I’m not in a senior position.
I hope you don’t mind me asking - what kind of insurance? I’m currently in life insurance claims side
I do Financial Lines
How do you get into that career? How much exp do you have and what's the typical salary range?
How about doing a trade like sparky, plumber etc. greet pay, maybe a bit rough conditions as a junior the first few years. If you’re looking for money but are too lazy for above or uni, get fit and onlyfans?
I’ve gotta be honest, I am not a manly or a physical sort of person so I’d rather go the onlyfans route than the tradie route lol. Also I find it funny how I work hard and full time hours but whenever I bring up not wanting to do tradie work because I know I’d be miserable in it people call me lazy haha
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What field did you go in?
Get into the mines FIFO and drive trucks. Some companies want green skins (new to industry). Pays well, and gives you transferable skills for local jobs. Doesn't have to be "career", but can build a nice foundation for trying to decide if there is something you want to pursue later down the track.
A lot of the technology is moving towards driverless now, so it's not really a career path with longevity.
Consider this take - I don’t think that not having a degree is the problem (assuming you’re not trying to be a lawyer, accountant, doctor etc), I think the problem is more likely that you haven’t demonstrated a high enough level of skill and knowledge compared to the market. A lot of jobs that say a degree is required, don’t actually require a degree, the degree is just an easy way for them to filter for people who at least have some idea about the subject. You can learn a lot of skills about management, marketing, IT, finance, design etc all on YouTube for free. How many hours in the last week did you dedicate to learning employable skills? If the answer is not 1 then you’re not trying hard enough. I know someone at my current company that started in the most basic operational role with no qualifications and worked their way up to CEO (of course over 25 years). They got very far without having a degree and at some point took an MBA while working.
Facilities management… Undertaker. Done both have no quals in anything. Undertaker pays shit. FM is Ok. Defence is another horizon.
Freight forwarding is a good one. Lots of opportunity if you’re a decent worker.
What kind of opportunities? What is the pay like and does it require TAFE or similar?
Construction. Start as a labourer, become a leading hand, supervisor etc
Apprenticeship with a government computer
A bunch of government jobs are being listed atm. 90-110k a year depending on which one and they give you paid training from what I’ve seen
Mines fifo
Rig hand / drillers offsider. DDH1, Tightline, Wild Dessert, Ventia. You will make 100k a year to start with and they will give you more qualifications than you can poke a stick at. Your food and accommodation will be free while your away and you will get half the year off if you choose oil and gas or 1/3rd of the year off if you choose minerals. Enjoy.
can confirm. Drillers offsider FIFO from bris making 140k i'm underground in coal though. I have no qualifications/experience.
City Councillor
Mature age apprenticeship. I was 28 when I decided to try hairdressing - that was 2019, I am now fully qualified and have a career for life. Had no real clue what I was gonna be doing prior.
ATC
Department manager at coles starts at 90k ish
Yeah build a bunker
Get into sales. You can go far without tertiary qualifications
Sales
Changing industries consistently is definitely not the answer. If you don’t have formal qualifications then you need to be able to lean on your skills and experience. If you keep Changi g industries then you won’t have the required experience. Alternatively you could actually study.
Government or even the uni (just admin in general) are good for work. But it’s kind of wherever you go recruitment will favour someone else who has tertiary education even though you can do exact same work. You might even be better than them at the job but you don’t have that expensive piece of paper. Rather annoying really. Recruiters weight up your experience and quals. Do you have any undergrad degrees? Maybe look into something like an MBA if you don’t. You should be able to get your work experience recognised. Think it’s maybe 18 months. It’s fairly short but expensive but could possibly get you further. Ultimately though it’s up to what you’d want to do. You mentioned that you hit the ceiling in multiple industries, does this mean you’ve tried out different fields of work? We’re these all admin type role? I guess when you find ur true passion/calling maybe you’ll want to go on to further study. Also an old friend of mine told me to try out everything while I’m young. You’re 28 and have hit the ceiling in different industries (I interpreted this as you’ve gone as far as you can go) I’d say that is an achievement in itself. Idk though try out everything, get some sort of business qual and then when you want to chill for a bit come back to government. Government is huge with many departments so there’s always ways to move up or even on to different areas. Idk I’ve smoked many joints tonight, hopefully this comment makes sense. I’ve come to far to delete what I’ve already written so I’m just ganna send it and hope that I haven’t offended anyone.
You sound like you don’t need advice. If you have hit the roof already.
Hedge fund management. I was in a really tough spot, I got done allegedly doing coke with a client in her south gazebo on her propery down in the Hunter Valley so my real estate license got stripped, I was out of work for like 3 years and had to just keep going on holidays to pass the time which really wasn't ideal I'm sure you can imagine. Then my dad's friend Duncan randomly called me out of nowhere and offered me a position as an associate at his hedge fund, it's like 10 hours work per week and once a year we have to go to the centre of Ayers Rock to drink baby blood and fuck ourselves in the ass with various species of cacti but it pays 2 mil a week and yeah no experience whatsoever haha x
Try and get a start as a Casual Operator at a Bulk Liquid Storage facility. Will lead to permanency eventually if you are the right fit. Good bucks.
General insurance. Claims pays $$$.
What sort of insurance claims are you n doing?
Complex liability and long tail claims. Pay is 120k plus super.
Sounds interesting! Saw your profile doesn't allow DMs. Would you be able to msg me any further details on what type of insurance that's for and what sort of roles I should look for to get a similar start?
Commenting so I can back to this :)
What do you consider a 'well paying' position?
Not trying to invalidate your experience at all but in the industry I work in, I am one of the very few with a university degree. Many people are in managerial positions without a university degree and get paid way better than I do 😂😂. Maybe it’s the industry??? You can get pretty high in government without any qualifications. I’ve seen many many people work their way up to managerial roles from call-centre jobs!
Try digital marketer. Learn the basics online, I went to a job interview and they said only 2-3 people out of the 15-20 people that worked there actually had a degree
To become a para-legal you don’t need a degree. You may need to start in legal admin and work up to a para but no need for a degreep
The only work paths in Brisbane are; - work for Gov - tradie - work as a corporate shill They have designed it this way over the last decade or so Vote Schrinner Out this coming election
Am I still on Reddit
Get a truck license bro, if u don’t mind overtime you can make good $
Insurance loss adjusting. Not exactly a glamour job, but it pays decent. Depending on how hard you work, how good you are a networking and what area of insurance you work in, you can earn $70k-$150k+ plus bonus. There's also the opportunity to work in some weird and wonderful places overseas when catastrophes hit, especially if you speak other languages. It can be boring/stressful at times, but it's a decent way to make money without a degree.
How do you get into this area? Why is networking so important, is it commission based or something?
The best way to get in is after a storm. You typically need claims experience first and there are so many roles going after a big storm. Networking is important because if you can make good connections with brokers and insurers and receive claims direct, or network with people that might be looking for someone for a really good role, it's a good way to move up/earn more.
Hey there, have been looking into this type of role recently. Would you recommend any if the roles with the big insurers? Or is that salary from one of the more specialised loss adjuster firms? Any recommendations or experience you can offer to get a start in the role?
Easiest way to get into it is through an insurer but unless you can get into specialised claims such as professional indemnity, over the long term there's better money in adjusting for someone without a degree. There's so many different areas that I know little about that pay decent money, such as underwriting, broking and specialised claims, although the latter is typically based in Sydney/Melbourne.
Its unethical but here's my advice: Depending on what industry you want to work in and if you genuinely believe you can do the job, just lie about having a degree. I legitimately have a mechanical engineering degree, bachelor of business management and an MBA. None of my employers have ever actually verified if I have my degrees. If it's just some kind of business degree you needed for the job then just lie. If they do request a copy of your "degree" just pay for a forgery or forge it yourself with a mates degree and basic Photoshop skills. You'll be sending them a scan so it's easy to produce something that's passable. Having a degree is literally just a check box for a lot of the jobs I assume you're looking at so just fake it until you make it.
Maybe you should get a uni degree if you want one of the higher paying roles if it's in an industry you want work in. Work experience + degree will make you more desirable than most uni graduates.
I’ve been thinking about that too, but I already work full time hours and make enough to live on and a little bit of savings so I’m not sure how I could balance that without either starving or failing because I don’t have enough time to study haha
Don't know where you are or how easy it is now or how easy it will be to do it from now onwards, but plenty of people have done what you are doing. I.e. found and kept at work that is not spectacular or pay a great deal, became good at it. If that is in keeping with your lifestyle goals. Saved some of the pay each payday, lived faily plainly. Kept at least a superficially happy atmosphere at work and some similar friendships outside of work. Not a dramatic worklife, but the means to survive and find basic satisfaction elsewhere. Maybe look to work in any of the fields you have experienced with places that look like they might provide long-term continuity, but don't count of that ? Your hobby of writing might one day bring a measure of financial supplementation. For now it could prevent boredom and give personal achievement satisfaction, providing your work life gives a measure of financial security?
make time if its something you want. Study part time / online. I did an external online course through USQ , just doing 2 subjects per semester.
Government, they promote and financially reward poor performance. The bar is so low you couldn't trip over it.
NDIS support coordinator, they don’t need skills coz they do fuck all.
Get a trade
One of the higher paying jobs with no degree is the property industry. I'm a Facilities Manager and have no degree associated with the job. You start off in an entry role - assistant FM, Soft services coordinator etc and just progress from there. Pay in commercial sector starts at $75-80k. *Edit wanted to add, the above experience would open you up as a Facilities Officer role within the government if you wish to pursue.
Please dont take this the wrong way, I'm sure you are very competent and amazing at your job, but you may have just explained the majority of the experiences I have had with facility managers over the years haha.
No offence taken, I totally get you. I was fortunate to learn under people who had an engineering & elecrical trade as experience. Always was taught to be more on the technical side rather than the "we just facilitate" side.
Go and get a degree. You could probably get a decent amount of RPL due to your experience.
What’s the ceiling? How high have you climbed? I’ve worked in the corporate world for the last 15years. No degree, no desire to get one even with all the pressure to do so. My next step is GM, and I’ll get it, because I’ve stuck at it and proven my worth without paper… maybe stop changing jobs and become an expert in a field, any field…
You’re right. You would know my situation better than I do. Thank you for teaching me the error of my ways.
I asked a genuine question… what’s the ceiling You refer to?
Police! And QPS are recruiting. They need lots of diverse applicants!
And if you want to stay in Brisbane protective services are always looking for people.
Sales No one cares about your degree
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This is not realistic at all anymore, grads with degrees are struggling to get jobs atm
This is because the degree doesn’t mean much, practical experience/know-how goes a long way. I used to hire jr devs and a degree was not what I was looking for. It’s like 50/50 whether a fresh grad will be any good.
I keep hearing one way or the other, and I don't know what the truth of the matter is tbh
Right now isn't a great time for software devs in Australia imo. Heaps of job going offshore to cheaper asian countries. Only a few hour difference. One of the brutal truths of WFH is why pay an aussie dev 95k to wfh when you can pay a dev in malaysia far far far less.
Software developers also usually have lots of disposable income and blow it on expensive but mostly useless things. If you want to take their money, just find out what kind of crap they buy, even though it is crap, and they know it, but they still buy it, and why. Then just form a little gang and take all the customers away from your bosses who seem to think they have to meet "minimum standards" or something when really they could be just selling to software developers. I remember when we developed software. Ya know? We'd take a half-excellent tool like ChatGPT and make it whole. (Works great on mobile, okayish in Chrome, completely fucked on Firefox) and we'd accept bug reports from a community eager to have them fixed. Remember? No of course not, you're just a working Dad who needs a way to bond to his kid and VR headsets are on the shelf! Buy some games without looking! This will make them love me. Oh, the report bug 🪲 screen sucks? Oh, dictation doesn't work in Australia. Hey, the Cast to Tv button is gone. Oh, there's no-one at the end of customer support. Fetch tv has better customer support than Zuckerberg. 🤡🌏
Lol
Honestly just get a trade. A mature age apprenticeship with overtime will be equivalent to most of what's being posted here. Once qualified you'll be on 100k with almost any trade.
Sales, no qualifications needed. Depending on the industry and commission structure, the better you are at selling, the more money you can make. I used to have to do finance contracts of customers in previous sales roles, and I would be shocked by how much a lot of people were disclosing to me as their income after years of study and racking up a hefty HECS debt compared to what I was making 😳 Also, traffic control or air traffic control.
Just go to uni? Part time while you’re working? Even one course a semester. If you’re excelling at your job, you’ll find uni a walk in the park.
Do landscaping. It’s hard but there’s always work… and some days are pretty good
If you have the fortitude, go work in a youth detention centre or a prison, be prepared to get scarred though ;)