Career Options

The site I work at has finally managed to approve a 7days on, 7 days off roster. I have to admit, an equal time roster making an enormous amount of money might sound appealing, but it's not the job for me. I figure if you are going to spend a fair chunk of your life working, you may as well find the job that you enjoy. After driving trucks for 2 months, I know it's definitely not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I'm not sure I could even do it for a year. There are quite a few people that love it though, and also plenty who do it for the money and spend half of their life counting down until their break.

I met someone at a party on the weekend whose niece is keen on creative industries. She was pretty insistent on talking to me about mining, and what her niece should do in the industry. As much as some relatives and friends think they are doing the right thing for people trying to choose a career path, it does annoy me when they try and persuade them to a 'more secure', or higher paying job. If you love your job, that's seriously all that matters. In Australia we are pretty lucky, that in whatever options you choose, most people have enough money to survive. It is a hard decision to make though, when everyone says it is for the rest of your life. The reality is that you can change your mind as much as you want now. I'm only 22, and I've had a few different careers already. Admittedly, working the three jobs at once in retail, hospitality and a bit of tutoring wasn't really a career, more just a way to survive. I did really enjoy my 'gap year' in property management, but the career advancement options weren't there. I love mining engineering though, there are just so many options to specialise, or move into different areas.

If you are happy with your career, then I figure that's better than the money you might make in a different job. Personally, I think that it's pretty awesome seeing the trucks digging and dumping the dirt according to your plan, and seeing that it all actually works. I'll have to see which is better though - watching that, or a blast go off according to my tie-up design. I haven't managed to do that one yet. As long as it doesn't stuff up, I'll be happy..