why is every degree and job ‘oversaturated’ now and why does everyone wanna be a finance bro (2 Viewers)

[fishyjar]

i’ve never felt so lost regarding my career choice because every option i’ve considered somehow has the worst job market known to man with everyone trying to go for it. e.g. quant trading becoming the new IB, or unsw actl at 99 atar cus of demand. Then there’s compsci/software engineering which everyone says is doomed. am i just a sheep for jumping onto the bandwagon everytime; is aus job market just that fucked in general; or is it selection bias where obv everyone on forums and reddit are gonna pick the nerdy shit?

it doesn’t help that i have zero passion for anything. i just don’t wanna be living on the streets bro. i did SACE so idk mark equiv but for internals i got A+ for eng advanced and econ, A- for math advanced and chemistry, and A for research project. i got an early entry offer for law/comm alr but i lowkey hate law so i don’t wanna do it even though i’m stronger in humanities. maths i’m decent at and more interested it, i just slacked off this year icl, and also i didn’t do the SACE equiv of ext 1&2 so i’m kinda barred off from a lot of math-y courses unless i do a bridging course.

i put double actl for my top uac pref followed by engineering but idek if i could handle the math rigour for it or if i’d even get a job post-uni that’ll make my parents proud. atp its <$150k or nothing with how things are rn. fml

are there any good, well-paying careers that are sorta finance/STEM-adjacent that are niche and/or have labour shortages?

 

[SS173]

Most people are talking about this subject based on their past experiences.
No one knows exactly what could be the effect of AI for the job market in 20 years.

For example, some people predict that the lawyers will be one of the most effected, which I agree.
I thought the construction work and the tradies would be safe. But the other day I watched a video about 3D construction . I was amazed. Even they don't seem safe.
Maybe the health related jobs will last more than others.

I think in the short term (10-20 years), those who can develop/use AI tools in any field will be employed first.
After 20 years is future telling.

You need to read about this matter and make your own decision.

 

[totally_screwed]

this is just observation from my friends who do law and engineering degrees, you’re gonna have to work/intern in the field while you study and network and build connections that way. my friend who does law at UTS practically works in high or supreme court (I forgot which) in the city full time for a few years now and is literally scraping passes and attendance requirements at uni. pretty sure employment for her is guaranteed lol. law students who are locked in with their degree and getting HD’s and all that but have zero connects or not involved in the space in any way might struggle in the job competition for saturated markets where experience might matter more than your GPA. the job market I’m heading into is kinda saturated but not as fucked but even so I work in the field and ultimately if I meet my first graduate employer/mentor before graduating then I’ve won. so yeah I don’t think you’re screwed just be aware that grinding at uni and not putting in some effort over the years to stand out or build a connection or portfolio or resume might set you back

 

[melanie_o]

i’ve never felt so lost regarding my career choice because every option i’ve considered somehow has the worst job market known to man with everyone trying to go for it. e.g. quant trading becoming the new IB, or unsw actl at 99 atar cus of demand. Then there’s compsci/software engineering which everyone says is doomed. am i just a sheep for jumping onto the bandwagon everytime; is aus job market just that fucked in general; or is it selection bias where obv everyone on forums and reddit are gonna pick the nerdy shit?

it doesn’t help that i have zero passion for anything. i just don’t wanna be living on the streets bro. i did SACE so idk mark equiv but for internals i got A+ for eng advanced and econ, A- for math advanced and chemistry, and A for research project. i got an early entry offer for law/comm alr but i lowkey hate law so i don’t wanna do it even though i’m stronger in humanities. maths i’m decent at and more interested it, i just slacked off this year icl, and also i didn’t do the SACE equiv of ext 1&2 so i’m kinda barred off from a lot of math-y courses unless i do a bridging course.

i put double actl for my top uac pref followed by engineering but idek if i could handle the math rigour for it or if i’d even get a job post-uni that’ll make my parents proud. atp its <$150k or nothing with how things are rn. fml

are there any good, well-paying careers that are sorta finance/STEM-adjacent that are niche and/or have labour shortages?

Idk if this will be helpful, but have you considered teaching? You could teach and have a guaranteed job with pretty decent pay in NSW public schools.


Since there is a shortage of teachers in general, there is pretty much no risk of oversaturation.

 

[Study to success]

This is so real. Like my parents want me to get into a career with a good job market and there’s barely any

 

[carrotsss]

Idk if this will be helpful, but have you considered teaching? You could teach and have a guaranteed job with pretty decent pay in NSW public schools.
View attachment 50785

Since there is a shortage of teachers in general, there is pretty much no risk of oversaturation.

teaching has a high grad salary but very little growth, it caps out very quickly so your lifetime earnings are much less

 

[HazzRat]

are there any good, well-paying careers that are sorta finance/STEM-adjacent that are niche and/or have labour shortages?

The reason every good career is oversaturated is because of basic market forces. If a career is high-paying with a high upside, of course, people are going to flock to it, meaning companies can be more selective about who they choose. So, in other words, if you did find a niche, high-paying STEM/finance career, people would already be flocking towards it. I think the best way you can get the job you desire is not to find that hidden gem career, but to just be a good, worthwhile candidate in the careers that already exist. So, whether finance, accounting, engineering, quant, etc, get good grades, have good extracurriculars, and have some work experience, and you'll put yourself in a good position above more lazier opportunists.

 

[HazzRat]

I think these careers have the least job-market competition:

• Trades
• Nursing
• Teaching
• Policeforce

 

[fishyjar]

Idk if this will be helpful, but have you considered teaching? You could teach and have a guaranteed job with pretty decent pay in NSW public schools.
View attachment 50785

Since there is a shortage of teachers in general, there is pretty much no risk of oversaturation.

yeah drawback is the salary cap though. on the topic of teaching though, has anyone ever considered becoming a uni professor? you're studying for the rest of your life but being a lecturer + researcher doesn't seem too bad, plus there's possibility of advancing into executive positions. picking and specialising in the subject matter you like best seems pretty neat too. tbf idk much about it though, this is all surface-level observation from having an in-law that worked as a professor for uniSA

 

[Interdice]

this is just observation from my friends who do law and engineering degrees, you’re gonna have to work/intern in the field while you study and network and build connections that way. my friend who does law at UTS practically works in high or supreme court (I forgot which) in the city full time for a few years now and is literally scraping passes and attendance requirements at uni. pretty sure employment for her is guaranteed lol. law students who are locked in with their degree and getting HD’s and all that but have zero connects or not involved in the space in any way might struggle in the job competition for saturated markets where experience might matter more than your GPA. the job market I’m heading into is kinda saturated but not as fucked but even so I work in the field and ultimately if I meet my first graduate employer/mentor before graduating then I’ve won. so yeah I don’t think you’re screwed just be aware that grinding at uni and not putting in some effort over the years to stand out or build a connection or portfolio or resume might set you back

I went to a bank's Software Engineering event. I had a chance to ask one of the graduates about how he got his job, and he pretty much told me that technicals mean jack-shit, and that the behaviorals and how much the interviewers like you matters the most. Ofc this is at a bank, I imagine Atlassian/Amazon would be different.

I think interview performance is the most important part imho. And having a strong resume to have things to talk about is just as important.

 

[totally_screwed]

I went to a bank's Software Engineering event. I had a chance to ask one of the graduates about how he got his job, and he pretty much told me that technicals mean jack-shit, and that the behaviorals and how much the interviewers like you matters the most. Ofc this is at a bank, I imagine Atlassian/Amazon would be different.

I think interview performance is the most important part imho. And having a strong resume to have things to talk about is just as important.

that's true like if you're charismatic and communicate well and all that then it helps too
you don't get most jobs without passing an interview so

 

[totally_screwed]

also wtf is your pfp

 

[fishyjar]

also wtf is your pfp

'the floor scrapers' painting i had to do for eng

 

[idkkdi]

teaching has a high grad salary but very little growth, it caps out very quickly so your lifetime earnings are much less

you can tutor on the side and pull in 200k a year easy. realistically you arent making much more than that in any other career either

yeah drawback is the salary cap though. on the topic of teaching though, has anyone ever considered becoming a uni professor? you're studying for the rest of your life but being a lecturer + researcher doesn't seem too bad, plus there's possibility of advancing into executive positions. picking and specialising in the subject matter you like best seems pretty neat too. tbf idk much about it though, this is all surface-level observation from having an in-law that worked as a professor for uniSA

becoming tenured is extremely hard, getting grants for research is also a pain

this is just observation from my friends who do law and engineering degrees, you’re gonna have to work/intern in the field while you study and network and build connections that way. my friend who does law at UTS practically works in high or supreme court (I forgot which) in the city full time for a few years now and is literally scraping passes and attendance requirements at uni. pretty sure employment for her is guaranteed lol. law students who are locked in with their degree and getting HD’s and all that but have zero connects or not involved in the space in any way might struggle in the job competition for saturated markets where experience might matter more than your GPA. the job market I’m heading into is kinda saturated but not as fucked but even so I work in the field and ultimately if I meet my first graduate employer/mentor before graduating then I’ve won. so yeah I don’t think you’re screwed just be aware that grinding at uni and not putting in some effort over the years to stand out or build a connection or portfolio or resume might set you back

if u get HDs throughout your law degree at usyd, you will be the uni medallist and have every firm in the country begging for you to walk in their doors, and be able to become a future supreme court judge etc etc. but yes, most of law works alongside uni or has done so in some capacity

i’ve never felt so lost regarding my career choice because every option i’ve considered somehow has the worst job market known to man with everyone trying to go for it. e.g. quant trading becoming the new IB, or unsw actl at 99 atar cus of demand. Then there’s compsci/software engineering which everyone says is doomed. am i just a sheep for jumping onto the bandwagon everytime; is aus job market just that fucked in general; or is it selection bias where obv everyone on forums and reddit are gonna pick the nerdy shit?

it doesn’t help that i have zero passion for anything. i just don’t wanna be living on the streets bro. i did SACE so idk mark equiv but for internals i got A+ for eng advanced and econ, A- for math advanced and chemistry, and A for research project. i got an early entry offer for law/comm alr but i lowkey hate law so i don’t wanna do it even though i’m stronger in humanities. maths i’m decent at and more interested it, i just slacked off this year icl, and also i didn’t do the SACE equiv of ext 1&2 so i’m kinda barred off from a lot of math-y courses unless i do a bridging course.

i put double actl for my top uac pref followed by engineering but idek if i could handle the math rigour for it or if i’d even get a job post-uni that’ll make my parents proud. atp its <$150k or nothing with how things are rn. fml

are there any good, well-paying careers that are sorta finance/STEM-adjacent that are niche and/or have labour shortages?

quant trading is not the new IB. IB is realistic for quite a few people. quant trading is not - if you havent gotten prizes in maths competitions or dont think you could have -> reconsider

law/comm gets you to 150k in a pretty stable manner as long as u get a job as a commercial lawyer (but the pay is for good reason - you will be working 60+ hr weeks in a lot of these jobs and the large majority end up burning out in commercial law, and if you don't burn out, you will be on good money

compsci is absolutely fucked from what ive seen. actl people who get good jobs just end up in a law/commerce degree type job (e.g. IB) or go off to the cs deg that the actl is doubled with

mining

i’ve never felt so lost regarding my career choice because every option i’ve considered somehow has the worst job market known to man with everyone trying to go for it. e.g. quant trading becoming the new IB, or unsw actl at 99 atar cus of demand. Then there’s compsci/software engineering which everyone says is doomed. am i just a sheep for jumping onto the bandwagon everytime; is aus job market just that fucked in general; or is it selection bias where obv everyone on forums and reddit are gonna pick the nerdy shit?

it doesn’t help that i have zero passion for anything. i just don’t wanna be living on the streets bro. i did SACE so idk mark equiv but for internals i got A+ for eng advanced and econ, A- for math advanced and chemistry, and A for research project. i got an early entry offer for law/comm alr but i lowkey hate law so i don’t wanna do it even though i’m stronger in humanities. maths i’m decent at and more interested it, i just slacked off this year icl, and also i didn’t do the SACE equiv of ext 1&2 so i’m kinda barred off from a lot of math-y courses unless i do a bridging course.

i put double actl for my top uac pref followed by engineering but idek if i could handle the math rigour for it or if i’d even get a job post-uni that’ll make my parents proud. atp its <$150k or nothing with how things are rn. fml

are there any good, well-paying careers that are sorta finance/STEM-adjacent that are niche and/or have labour shortages?

ive found law to be pretty similar to 2-3u ish maths in terms of like think logically etc. etc.

 

[carrotsss]

mining

this is true ifl mining is one of the only paths where jobs are pretty much guaranteed without crazy skill with good pay and non-miserable conditions

yeah drawback is the salary cap though. on the topic of teaching though, has anyone ever considered becoming a uni professor? you're studying for the rest of your life but being a lecturer + researcher doesn't seem too bad, plus there's possibility of advancing into executive positions. picking and specialising in the subject matter you like best seems pretty neat too. tbf idk much about it though, this is all surface-level observation from having an in-law that worked as a professor for uniSA

have fun fighting for scraps with research funding lol

 

[idkkdi]

this is true ifl mining is one of the only paths where jobs are pretty much guaranteed without crazy skill with good pay and non-miserable conditions


have fun fighting for scraps with research funding lol

probably miserable, not as miserable as being unemployed lmao

 

[Interdice]

also wtf is your pfp

Scene from an anime, where the MC gets captured by the villain. She strips nude, seduces the MC with mommy roleplay, and he becomes brainwashed into fighting against all his friends. Not even kidding, that's how it goes.

This show used to air on ABC 3, and has rape scenes.

 

[Interdice]

compsci is absolutely fucked from what ive seen. actl people who get good jobs just end up in a law/commerce degree type job (e.g. IB) or go off to the cs deg that the actl is doubled with

How are you saying that IB is easier than CS, that's just wrong. IB requires top marks, extreme amounts of connections, and preferably a private school education.

Getting a grad position as a Software Engineer in a bank, requires luck, and passing psychometrics. Defo NOT easy, but in comparison to Commerce, Law, I'd say CS is FAR easier.

THe problem is that most CS students aren't citizens/PRs, and they don't qualify for grad positions, and this is why you see "85 wam crazy internships, UNSW grad no job offers".

 

[enoilgam]

A big issue that is occurring across multiple sectors is a lack of graduate/entry level opportunities which is destroying the talent pipeline. So you have this weird situation where businesses are struggling to fill experienced roles in a sector, but at the same time they're experiencing a glut of graduates. This is a major issue and unfortunately, organisation's of today (including government departments) are very short sighted by not investing in graduate/entry level roles, meaning people arent getting trained up to fill those more experienced roles. This is also compounded by technological change (pre-dating AI) which has destroyed the need for entry level staff.

Take the HR profession for example. When I started nearly 13 years ago, a HR Team servicing 1,000 staff had a Manager, maybe 2-3 Advisors and 3-4 Admin staff (entry level roles). Those admin roles mainly did simple tasks (processing paperwork, doing employment letters etc). These days, better HRIS systems mean there is less admin work so HR teams have pivoted away from the junior staff. As a result, currently a similar HR Team might have 1 Manager, 2-3 senior advisors and 3-4 advisors and maybe 1 admin staff. So they have similar staffing numbers, but far less junior roles. So what's happening is without those junior roles, people cant get the experience needed to occupy senior roles, thus creating a shortage.

So my advice generally is when going into a non-professional area of business (HR, Marketing, some areas of Finance etc), your priority should be finding any role in corporate, even if it isn't related to your field. Call centres, data entry etc regularly employ entry level people. If you work for a bigger company (QANTAS, an FMCG, CBA etc), you can leverage internal opportunities to move into your desired area. The days of doing a degree and getting a graduate program are over for all but the top tier candidates. So dont waste your time with a degree, look for an in to any corporate role you can - you can always go back to uni later.

So for example, a relative of mine studied HR at Uni (couldnt convince him not to go), but he got a job doing call centre work in government. He was able to leverage that opportunity into doing an internal call centre role within the Department's payroll team. From there, he eventually got a HR Admin role in the same Department and he now is on track for a career in the field.

 

[Study to success]

now I'm thinking if stuff like commerce has a good pay/job security then everyone's gonna flee to it making it more competitive and it will end up making it harder for u to find a job meaning that there's no point of doing it for job security or good pay. atp the only way to find good job security is the stuff that no one wants to do like nursing and teaching or trades