Thread: How did you choose a profession/trade when you left school?

Sort of fell into it.
While at Boarding school I worked for my Uncle in a Menswear shop during school holidays.
On leaving school (year 12) I applied to join the Army, passed all the tests & medicals but the next intake was 6 weeks or longer away.
Being broke & bored I thought I thought I would get a job for 6 weeks then join the Army. So I got a job as a Screen Printing Hand, the pay was bad, the owner was Hitler on steroids' but it would do.
During that 6 weeks I discovered Girls & dunger old V8's, at about the same time the Screen Printers offered me an traineeship so I decided not to join the Army.
4 years later just after finishing the traineeship I put my motorcycle into a tree at a great rate of knots & subsequently did major damage to my shoulder along with other bits & could no longer comfortably pull a squeegee.
So, I went & sold Menswear for the next 9 years. On day SWMBO said I want to move back bush (we were both born in small towns) & next thing I know we are in Blackall managing a small Supermarket & having no clue what I was doing.
Then on to Karumba & a larger Supermarket for 3 years. Then I saw an ad in the paper for an assistant manager on big money on an Aboriginal Community, been doing that except managing ever since, though with a few changes of jobs along the way.
I am more "BUSH" than originally intended, been on Communities longer than intended & mainly quite happy about it.
Jonesfam

I went to a tech school as i loved working with my hands, we did the usual woodwork,sheet metal work, automotive, electrical and cooking.
I ended up doing a chefs apprenticeship because i considered the other jobs dirty and i worked on cars and bikes in my spare time so didn't want to do it as a profession.
I wished i had stayed on to a science based subject or electronics but my job as a chef took me all over the world so i cant complain - plus i never went hungry

I'd be no good as a chef - I hate cooking. In fact, I can't cook, not even eggs as you can see:

Rons cooking (1 of 1).jpg

When I was single, I ate out every night or my landlady cooked for me.

Fitting and turning i loved at school but glad i didn't take that up.

Finishing high school, with my best subject being physics, I started Science at Sydney on a Commonwealth Scholarship, intending to major in Physics. One of my school friends, also starting science, but on a teaching scholarship, pointed out that we needed to do an extra subject in addition to first year Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics (which were compulsory for the degree). This could be any other first year science subject, or, indeed, virtually any other first year course offered by the university provided you could get the timetable to work. He wanted to do geology, as he was interested in it, and talked me into doing it as well.

I found geology sufficiently interesting that by the end of the year I had decided to major in it. In the event, I ended up majoring in "Advanced Geology and Geophysics, double subject", which combined my physics interest as well.

It was a good time to graduate in earth sciences. I did interviews with the NSW Water Supply and Irrigation Commission (I think I got the name right), and also got an interview with an American geophysical contractor, Geo Prospectors. The first offered a job at ₤21week, based in an office in Sydney, the second ₤120/month working in the bush on a basis of six weeks on, six weeks off. Needless to say, I took the second offer, starting work in Brisbane for a few weeks until the field crew was assembled. My job title was "Computer". In the event, since I had done a year's surveying at uni, and they could not get a surveyor, my first job was to train a surveyor! (Got lost on the first day in the field!)

Was a Navy cadet during my school years, left and became a Muppet doing ATWL and ATC at Narimba.

Applied for early discharge to join my Father in his Hydraulics company and did that for over 12 years, doing Hydraulics/Pneumatics courses, engineering design courses etc.

Sea change 17 years ago saw me move to Whyalla and did a stint in the same field before moving into Steel making as a Scheduler.

Flicked over to Shutdown planning, MRP controlling (SAP) and into Grade Control in Mining. I’ve done RTO, project controlling on some big projects here. Ran haulage fleets and C&S sites.

Since started a few other projects, closed a few others down, rehabilitation management and now I’m Manager of the Supply Chain for our Mining arm.

None beyond joining the RAN we’re ever in the scope!

Originally Posted by JDNSW

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It was a good time to graduate in earth sciences. I did interviews with the NSW Water Supply and Irrigation Commission (I think I got the name right), and also got an interview with an American geophysical contractor, Geo Prospectors. .................................................. .

Pretty close John, It would have been the NSW Water Conservation and Irrigation Commission (WC&IC)

I had decided that there was little benefit in me proceeding beyond year 10 at school so applied for a plant mechanic job whilst still there and was unsuccessful. I did work experience as a sparkie and spent a couple of weeks crawling under houses and in roofs with one interesting job where I learned about three phase pump wiring but decided that wasn't for me either. The parental ultimatum of "if you cant get a job then you'll be off to TAFE kicked in and I did a year of Farm Technology at Orange Tafe. At the end of an eventful year I once more applied for the plant mechanic job with the Soil Conservation Service (and was unsuccessful again) as well as a jackaroo job with Twynam which I got, along with the apprenticeship intake for NSW govt where I was successful in getting both a plumbers apprenticeship and a radio mechanic apprenticeship. With the words of "electronics is the future, you'll never be out of a job" ringing in my ears I took the Radio Mechanic job with NSW Govt Stores.
3 Years of block release TAFE in Mayfield, Newcastle and a year of working later I got my trade and spent over 10 years until Govt Stores was eventually privatised and went broke, by which time I was pretty much a photocopier tech. I took the opportunity to work for Osborne computers until they went bust and did a couple of years working for a local computer place in Dubbo who did all the regional work for the multinational computer companies. That business was sold off and was starting to fail when the Canberra based boss of Digital Computer Corp asked me if I would consider moving there (for a substantial salary increase). I spent just under 10 years working for Digital/Compaq/HP before moving to the public service where I am today.
Its been an interesting career and I smile a bit when the pundits say that in the future careers will change every couple of years, I reckon mine has been continually evolving since I left school......
My very wise boss in Dubbo once told me that my future lay with government because they were the only ones who could afford to keep me trained, I reckon he might have been right :-)

Less than useful skills I have from my training:
I am a certified Artificial Inseminator (of cattle)
I can still time a Gestetner ink duplicator and replace the bands (a week in the workshop until I learned that one has indelibly impressed it in my memory)
I know how to repair an IBM3624 ATM (they were the ones with the one line display that you moved up and down so you could read it.)
I did a woolclassing certificate but never bothered to get my stencil. SWMBO is the classer these days as she did the course when TAFE told me my 20 year old training was no good for credit. I do what I'm told in the shed :-)


Regards,
Tote