Job change/change in direction

[Garth]

hello there guys and galls

i have a small question and im after a bit of genuine no bullshit answer advice, beats me why im asking here, but hey, lets see what happens.

im a electrical fitter mechanic, been in my trade now for close to 14 yrs, and im looking at changing into a different end of the industry, im looking at going mining or gas industry. i would like to know is it worth it? what money can i expect to earn, and how hard is the 3 on 1 off on your family. is it a rewarding job, or is it just a ego tripping industry where everyone has a bigger dick than the fella next to him? ive been in the commercial side of things, and im looking at changing to heavy industry, mainly cause that's where all the excitement is i think.



cheers
garth

 

[Rajesh Koothrappali]

My first thought is that the mining industry isn't in the boom it was when China demanded more natural resources than the world could provide. China's downturn is still accelerating and is going to hit Australia hard in the not too distant future.

My advice to anyone at the moment is if you have gainful and reasonably secure employment, hang onto it. Things are going to get worse before they get better.

 

[Ian Johnston]

The issue I have seen with the mining boom is, its not stable, its not what it seems on the surface, $140,000 looks good, but check out hidden costs, and not only money. Family life(if you have one) suffers as well.
I have never been, but know a lot who did, and were back home after a short time.
Some like it, a lot dont.

 

[Ian Johnston]

RK, you can type quicker than me:rofl2: I agree with your angle as well.

 

[MasterOfReality]

Mining does have its ups and downs, and if you can live with it then it can be a rewarding industry to work in.

But at the moment, the job market is pretty depressed.

FIFO has almost dried up. For myself, I find it hard to even get interviewed for fifo roles now. I'm a engineer with 12 years experience too, and now in senior roles. A few years ago I was fielding calls multiple times a week by recruiters trying to get me to jump ship to another fifo role.

Still get calls but its mostly for residential roles these days. I guess if you have some sort of skill set that sets you apart you still have some leverage for fifo.

Residential has its benefits too - cheaper housing (depends on the mining town), no peak hour and home every night.

Edit - the 3 week on /1 week off (or 21d/7d) roster is more common in oil and gas than mining, hence the higher pay. Mining is more 8d/6d or 9d/5d and occasionally 14d/7d. I absolutely hate the 14d/7d roster, by the end of the two weeks I'm nearly homicidal. Can't imagine what being on a regular 21d/7d swing would be like.

 

[commodore665]

as R K says , if you have a job , keep it , it looks as though Australia is about to go through the same slump econmocally , that NZ did after the GFC , but perhaps Australia will ride it out , given you have more natural resources.

 

[Drawnnite]

another thing to ask is.

do you have the relevant tickets?
and have you had heavy industrial experience?

with some parts of the industry they will not recognise some past experience and tickets aswell so be careful.
one such is these "short course instrumentation" courses. some aren't even worth the paper they are written on. I mean how can you learn the equivalent of 80 odd days training in 14 days or less. that's just one example. (im currently doing the one that adds up to 80 days, and there are people that haven't had their short course ones recognised)
I say this because I know some places will require you to have a dual trade to even get a gig on them.

Hazardous Areas, (EEHA), have you looked into that ticket. it does seem to be a big one.
im getting ready to go for it, bloody expensive, has to be renewed a lot, but it is for safety reasons.
highly suggest it, if it isn't already a requirement.

having worked with a fair few who have done FIFO they have said you can go a bit loopy after a while.
they did say the food and the likes was great. and they could have whatever they wanted pretty much.

if you know someone, try to get a gig with them.
from word of mouth it appears to be not always what you know but who you know.

and lastly. goodluck.
(and p.s. if you do get on, help some of us get a gig aswell )

 

[Swordsy]

BMA (coal) tend to do 10d on 4d off in qld, so you get every second weekend at home. If you get on the night shift roster, its 7 and 7. I don't have a family, so I can't really comment on that side of it.
Most people up in the mines there are fairly down to earth as everyone's on the same pay rates. You get the same occasional ########, but that goes for any industry.
There isn't much to do in the camps of a night, so you (well me) tend to spend most nights at the boozer, but its only $2 a can. The food at the camps is mostly alright. They all tend to have internet in the rooms, but it gets slow just after knockoff.
I don't spend too much time up there as the company that I work for tends to win a lot more jobs over in WA, their rosters are more the 3&1 setup.

 

[naf33n]

Any sort of roster you can think of is available. Many rosters are dictated by the flights available to site.
My first 2 mining jobs were 2 weeks on 1 off. Just recently switched to 8 days on 6 off. Thats in WA. And in remote areas. Some gigs near big towns run "life style" rosters like 4 days on 4 off etc.
As for the people you will find the muppets wont last of there. You spend alot of time with the guys and girls you work with. Most people are out there alone so people are pretty keen to get along.
Dunno about the family side of things. I got no kids and my GF is on the same roster.
But to be honest. As a few other people have mentioned. The industry is pretty screwed. Guys with many years experience are struggling. So greenies would be lucky to score work

 

[xxjaimexx]

I want a new career too!