Seek for Help for future Job/Career

[louestah]

Hi, my names Louis and im 15 years old and in year 10 at school. In the next few weeks ill be choosing my subjects for years 11 and 12 and am still unsure of what I really want to do in the future. The first thing that I thought of was mechanical engineering which seems good for me as I like to work out how things work and love being hands on with stuff so it seemed like a good choice. My (unrealistic) dream job would be a professional downhill rider on the world circuit but that's highly unlikely to happen because of all the talented young riders who are coming through. Although I am highly capable of getting podiums at my state rounds I have no chance of getting into that type of career. My realistic dream job would be working on and developing bicycle components or even being a world cup bike mechanic if im lucky.

I'm putting this post up to ask for help for people to lead me in the right direction or give me advice to what I should be doing or aiming to achieve this, thanks in advance for reading this and hopefully giving me a few helpful pointers. Also ask me anything else about this if I did not mention it here. Thanks

 

[Wellsey]

Think about working in the bike tourism industry. Covers a lot of areas, guiding people, designing/building trails, trail advocacy, event organization and loads of other stuff.

 

[Knuckles]

Mech engineering is great........ Unless you dislike maths and physics as this is a major part of the job and the subjects you'll need most. Industrial design is another path if you are a more creative sort of person. The designer gets to create the item/component, while the engineer has to work out how to build it.

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[louestah]

Mech engineering is great........ Unless you dislike maths and physics as this is a major part of the job and the subjects you'll need most. Industrial design is another path if you are a more creative sort of person. The designer gets to create the item/component, while the engineer has to work out how to build it.

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Maths and physics are definitely things that I enjoy, so that's why I was heading towards mechanical engineering

 

[ajay]

Despite public belief, mech eng isn't all Maths, physics, and building machines. It will open your career opportunities immensely though. Good money, extremely varied work but be prepared to actually work. Long hours, high stress but if you get off on seeing a project through from concept to production, it's awesome

 

[charlieking97]

I was thinking the exact same thing last year, being in year 11 this year. My plans are pretty much identical to yours..scary. I was definitely looking for the hands on mechanical work. The subjects I went with for the 2 senior years are English (OP requirement), Maths B (2nd hardest in QLD = extension 1 in NSW i think, needed for most uni courses), Physics, Technology Studies, Engineering and Construction which is Cert not the broad OP. There arent many senior school courses to get you directly into mechanics, at least for me. Doing CAD work is great to have down on top of your hands on mech work. I probably should have done graphics/design to start of with, but it is a bit late to change now. I am doing a bit of CAD work by myself every now and then as it is an important part of most mech/engineering jobs.

Finding a job such as a world cup mechanic would be amazing, but there aren't just opportunities for such a job popping up every day. All I can say is focus on the MATHS + PHYSICS and you will get a good head start. Many people drop out of these because of the workload, but really shouldnt - Don't. Good luck mate.

 

[Ivan]

None of the Mech Eng's I know get to use there hands on a regular basis, most are chained to a computer. I'm sure some do, but in all the industries I've worked in that hasn't been the case.

So long as you do Physics, Advanced maths and English you'll be keeping your options open. Tee-ing up some work experience might help you focus your career goals a bit more.

Another thing to consider when choosing a career:

"Will I be able to do this job where I would like to live?" Some jobs are mostly Metro, some are regional and some are remote. It's worth considering if you want to remain close to friends and family.

 

[Knuckles]

Oh, how's your Italian. Brother in law is an engineer at Holden (at least for the next 2 years until they move all the design jobs back to the US), when he was at uni he somehow wrangled work experience at Ferrari. There are some seriously cool jobs in the industry if you are talented, dedicated and lucky.

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[valium]

somewhat unrelated, but a friend is an exploration geologist and I'm mad jealous.

 

[Knuckles]

somewhat unrelated, but a friend is an exploration geologist and I'm mad jealous.

Don't be, did it for a year when I first got my degree, you end up in some horrible hell holes with no support for months on end. Awesome money, but it's for the young guys. Got real sick in the arsehole of nowhere, in Papua and had to wait two weeks for the chopper out. I love my nice, boring lab job now.

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[ride_29er]

Like the posts before me, Maths and Physics will be your friends if you want to do eng. The higher the level of maths you do the better off you will be but dont be discouraged if you cant do four unit maths. heck I only did two unit and I got into engineering, but the higher levels will make it easier. If you do decide to do eng, from my experience first year is hard, but no matter if you do law or eng they make it this way to sort the good from the bad so don't be discouraged. just head down and bum up and get through it and you will be rewarded in second year.
Also practical experience is an excellent idea. If your anything like me I have a strong dislike to people that no the theory but cant put it to practical use, same for engineering, having the practical know how will help you understand the theory and put you a mile ahead of everyone else. As said before any mechanical job is fantastic, also CAD work is beneficial. I have done a fair bit of CAD work and it gives you that whole idea of the engineering process, thinking it through, making it work, drawing it up and the creating it etc. Also any mechanical work will again be good, i currently work in a bike shop and am fortunate enough to also be getting my hands dirty as well, working on the more simple workings of a bike gives you a good grounding for more complex ideas which you will come across as an engineer.
And from where i sit those pay checks that go with the engineering jobs out there might just buy me some very nice bikes.... :evil:

good luck to you in whatever you choose!

 

[wilddemon]

I'd have a good hard think about whether some poor asian bloke will be doing your job for a fraction of the price in the future. Nothing against the poor asian bloke, just consider whether it is likely all the jobs will get exported and your pay prospects plummet.

 

[Cypher]

I'd have a good hard think about whether some poor asian bloke will be doing your job for a fraction of the price in the future. Nothing against the poor asian bloke, just consider whether it is likely all the jobs will get exported and your pay prospects plummet.

Well that's a bit cynical.

This could happen to most jobs so the important thing is to keep your skills relevant and up to date in what ever field you go into. You need to both be a specialist as well as have generalist skills to remain flexible in your working life.

You need to keep a weather eye open to changes in your industry. For example I work in local government in NSW. It is highly likely that the councils will be amalgamated in the order of 6 councils into 1. That is a lot of redundancies. But I have at least 3 years to skill up or skill out; fight for a job in the new super council or find work elsewhere.

Sometimes you don't get notice and the company you work can collapse or your job gets 'off-shored', but generally you do hear of things before they happen.

As a young worker I wouldn't worry too much at this stage about losing your job, but you should get it into mind that you don't stop learning when you finish uni - you need to keep fresh and current.

 

[ride_29er]

Yes, there is more concern for some jobs more than others being deported off shore to cheaper labor in china. But some how I dont see this affecting engineers that much. Yes some jobs will go off shore but i dont think that governments and councils will hire some Chinese man to help build and manage their new rail way line...
An Australian Chinese man yes but that kind of work will always be done here in my opinion.

 

[Cúl-Báire]

The beauty of an engineering degree, particularly mechanical is it’s a versatile degree that will offer countless career paths into mining, construction, process, design, facilities management, and so on… To give you an example I’ve worked with a number of people with mechanical engineering degrees that aren’t working in an engineering capacity but rather as project managers, design managers or facilities managers within the construction industry.

Having fucked around in school and wasted a good couple of years studying IT at Uni before deciding I wanted a career in construction (and having to study Construction Management as well), I’d recommend working your butt off for the next few years, obtaining your degree and going from there – there is plenty of work the world over. I’d also recommend joining a professional association such as Engineers Australia as they offer resources, etc… which you may find helpful.

 

[Xavo.au]

Don't be, did it for a year when I first got my degree, you end up in some horrible hell holes with no support for months on end. Awesome money, but it's for the young guys. Got real sick in the arsehole of nowhere, in Papua and had to wait two weeks for the chopper out. I love my nice, boring lab job now.

What is your job Knuckles?

I'm 2nd year BSc BA doing a dual degree in Geology and Environmental Management. I'm seriously considering some work with a trail building or some other mountain biking company - maybe National Parks advisory or something...

 

[louestah]

Thanks for all your help guys

 

[Stewiee]

Hey mate,
It's good you're thinking about these things now before it's a bit too late. I'll agree, engineering degrees are very versatile, and not just within the engineering field, but there are engineers that end up in investment banking because of their problem solving ability and high end mathematical skills.
Since you're doing the NSW syllabus (I believe), it would be good to do at least 3 Unit math and chemistry (helps with knowledge of materials and their properties). I found that HSC Physics really didn't help me at all as university physics is far too different to even benefit from HSC.

If you find that you want to work with your hands more than you do want to study, engineering may be very limited compared to engineering science diplomas offered at TAFEs/colleges. However, most of what I say is from what other people tell me and what I am experiencing in uni myself (I'm studying mech eng/commerce for anyone wondering), so go to open days, find out for yourself if it's something you want to go into.

Hope I can shed some light on the impact of your subject choices from high school. To be honest, there are no prerequisites for engineering (at UNSW anyway) for a reason. It's just recommended to have a good mathematical foundation so you don't struggle as much in first year.

 

[tc2233]

I'm currently doing engineering at university (mining). My advice is dont believe everything universities tell you on open nights etc. You have to remember universities are a business and are going to say all sorts of bullshit to get your money. When it comes to engineering shortages, I would be calling them skill shortages rather than shortages of graduates.

This shouldn't effect you too much because it sounds like you have a bit of a natural engineering problem solving aptitude with your interests in fixing mountain bikes, but the unfortunate reality is university's are pumping out more graduates then there is engineering jobs and a lot of people end up unemployed once they finish university.

If you go down the engineering path, try and get as much work experience as possible and keep your marks better than average and you shouldn't have too much difficulty in finding a job.

 

[MCHpow_pow]

Don't let others influence what you choose (not too much anyway).

Pick the subjects that you enjoy most... If you're a genius at math, but you don't at least somewhat like doing it, then it might be better to pick something that you do actually enjoy.

You're obvioulsy into bikes though, so taking the math/physics route will lead to a bunch of oportunities that have relevance.

And hey, you're still super young... plenty of time to change direction, take another path, etc. Don't stress over these sorts of things too much!