Need advice: Trip to Australia..... or finish school?

[chris2008]

Go, go, go!

The only thing I regret after 18 years in the corporate world is that I did not travel more and longer while still in the education process.
In your CV 6 months -1 year "in between" does not make a huge difference - if the qualifications are ok.

[Robert the Red]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chris2008 In your CV 6 months -1 year "in between" does not make a huge difference - if the qualifications are ok.

Except for jealousy on the part of the person interviewing you!

[bssc]

I work go. I can think of at least three people in my office who transferred to our Australia office and loved it.

[runchman]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy Notice a concensus here? A rare thing - take plan A and enjoy

I believe that is because many of us here are a bit further along in life, perhaps with spouse and kids and all that entails. Until you are in that (our) boat, you simply can't appreciate the beauty of being able to just pick up and go.

I didn't read the whole original post but I vote go as well.

- John

[Texas Proud]

I am another that says GO... and am an accountant... wished I had done something like that way back when...

And as the Aussie guy said, he missed the London experience.. I got it (though late in life and as an American)... but met a number of Aussies, Kiwis, South African who were doing a job stint.... some had been there 15 years on their 'one year stay'...

The one thing that you have to remember in saving for retirement is NOT to forego living TODAY...

[VoyT]

By all means, Go!

About 20 years ago, I was invited to visit friends who were living there temporarily. I was hesitant because I had a mortgage, car payment, etc, and scraping up the $1,000 for airfare seemed pretty daunting. Mentioned this to another friend, whose answer was: "Are you crazy? If you don't go, you'll regret it the rest of your life!"
So I found the $$ and went ... one of the best things I've ever done...

[DangerMouse]

Lilp, you probably will be able to find some temp accounting work there, however it is more likely to be readily available in more remote locations ie. Darwin. You may find that lower level accounting jobs won't pay much more than fruit picking or some other backpacker type of work. Check out seek.com.au which advertises a lot of jobs in Oz.

If I was you, I would not be too stressed out about being a late starter with your degree. I did not complete my degree until my late 30s and I have not found it has affected my ability to get a good job.

Go and have fun while you can. You should be able to earn enough from whatever work you do to sustain yourself. Meet new people, have fresh experiences and give yourself plenty of memories to keep you going through the years of employment you have in front of you.

[Zoocat]

You've likely already made up your mind to go. Australians are lots of fun! Have a fabulous time! The only caveat -- use your sunscreen!

[laurence]

I spent six months in Hawaii - allegedly going to school, but I stopped showing up to classes after week 2. It definitely delayed graduation, but now after nearly a decade in cubeland, I'm so glad I did it, as I know the opportunity for that type of experience is gone until I ER!

[Deetso]

I was in a similar position a few years ago. I took the wrong path- i kept going to school. Now Im 27- have a law degree and Im two years into my career. I have my student loans and jobs to look after and all i think about is how much I want to take an extended trip- but I cant.

Take the trip! which I know you figured out already.

My other advice- I cant quite tell- but from your original post I think you already have a degree. If you do- spend some time thinking about your real goals and make sure you want to keep going to school. Im not sure its worth it. Hopefully your time in Australia will help you figure that out. *

*caveat- if you dont have your BA/BS or whatever- get it- I am just skeptical of getting an advanced degree if you werent POSITIVE it is what you wanted to do.

[yelnad]

I say go!

By profession, I am a study abroad professional at a university, so my only questions would be "Why Australia?" and "What are your goals for this experience?"

Once I had your answer to those, I would probably have some other advice for you. You can PM me if you want.

[Caroline]

I don't think your choice is as black and white as you make it sound.

In my industry, people get laid off / move all the time. I've had several opportunities to take off -- I spent an entire summer white-water rafting once, after a "downsizing." And, if you're pulling down good money while you work, you can take very nice vacations while still in harness.

So go ahead and go, but don't think it's the last time for the rest of your life. If you LBYM when you are working, you have the flexibility to enjoy the world when you are not.

A third option you didn't mention was to find something you REALLY want to work at until you're 65. Given your distaste for the work you're preparing for, time spent examining a career-shift, rather than taking vacation, may pay bigger dividends long-term.

[Brat]

I'll tell you why I think Australia is a good choice for someone in the accounting profession: their economy is well prepared for the economic development anticipated for Asia. They are one of the few developed nations who has fixed their national financial house. They don't have huge unfunded liabilities. If I were a young person who could emigrate to AU I would do so in a flash.

Of course it doesn't hurt that by-in-large Australians are great fun to be around.

Right now I am trying to decide whether to buy EWA for FXA for our IRAs.

[Moemg]

I vote go .You may never get the chance again .I still regret not backpacking across Europe .

[lil_p]

Wow you guys/girls bring up some good points. I actually don't have a degree already. I have a business diploma, and am working on my accounting diploma (done April 2008) and then onto the degree. After high school I did a semester at college and realized I had no idea what I wanted to do. I went on to work in the airline industry for a few years. Basically by the time I was 23 I had been laid off twice, once by a bankrupcy and then having my call centre outsourced. I knew that I didn't want to keep doing what I had been doing and went back to school and here I am.

I'm not 100% what I even want to do now. I did very well in my accounting class and that led me to the accounting diploma. I like it and I do fairly well in my classes, but I'm burnt out so I am taking 1 or 2 classes this summer to unwind and get ready for that final stretch (for the diploma that is). I try to imagine myself doing some sort of work that I enjoy so much that I don't mind being there but nothing comes to mind. I figured its best to be heading forward in some direction, rather than tread water, so here I am in school. I figured it's best to work on something and make some ground financially doing something I don't mind until I realize what I want to do. If I never realize what I was meant to do work wise, it's okay because I would have the financial groundwork set out to retire early and now worry about work or money. Perhaps I will spend more time this summer thinking about what I really want and try to head in that direction if one comes to mind. I know that I want to be able to spend time with family and friends, be financially independant, travel a bit, and basically enjoy the time I am here.

The reason I chose Australia was the ease of getting a work/travel visa there. The Great Barrier Reef and some other destinations have always intrigued me, so I thought, why not?

[Caroline]

Quote:

The reason I chose Australia was the ease of getting a work/travel visa there. The Great Barrier Reef and some other destinations have always intrigued me, so I thought, why not?

I telecommute to Megacorp from my home in California, but the company has offices all over the world and I have teammates I've never met on the east coast, in Europe, and South America.

This led me to think that I could move my little operation anywhere I wanted to and still be employed. I'm thinking Ireland for a year, which is near my mother's family and close to travel sites in Europe. Maybe New York or Chicago for another year, Australia and New Zealand after that, and so on and so forth.

Would some middle ground like this work for you? What if you finished the degree, then got a job with a Megacorp that allowed you to move to various locations on a regular basis, or allowed you to telecommute? You say that you're willing to work whilst traveling -- why not get the degree first so you'll be working for top dollar in Australia instead of for peanuts?

My strong feeling, along with everyone else's, is that if I were you I'd take the trip. But there's a lot to be said for sticking it out, getting the hard part over with, and making choices with a solid work / financial foundation underneath you. Yes, you might get trapped by the "golden handcuffs" and have a hard time traveling as much as you'd like. On the other hand, I know a lot of folks who decided to drop out and turn on back in the 60s who are struggling now, or who had to finish that degree 15 - 20 years later under adverse circumstances and with poorer work prospects when they graduated.

I compare your situation to backpacking. Yes, I have to take a break every so often as I hump my load toward my destination. But I never take more than 5-10 minutes at the most, because it is SOOOO hard to start back up once you've lost your momentum.

Good luck to you no matter your choice, and keep us posted!

[Jay_Gatsby]

I think he should finish up his 4-year degree and then go to Australia. Yes, he's burned out and needs a break, but a week or two without worrying about his job and school will go a long way towards rehabilitating his psyche. A long break from school and work at this point may have the opposite effect of what's intended. Many people take six months off AFTER graduating to find themselves. Isn't it a tradition in Australia for young people to do a "walkabout" after they graduate and before they settle down with a job and a family?

I'm all for taking an extended time off before launching into the world of career and family, but I'd do it with more foresight than the thought you might regret not doing so at some distant point in the future. With a degree, he might even be able to find permanent work in Australia, which would give him the unique experience of putting down roots in a foreign country and look great on a resume. Essentially he could kill two birds with one stone -- career experience and international travel.