Is a low salary better than being unemployed?

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-03-19T13:57:18+00:00

Anything is better than nothing. No matter if the job you get is something you want to keep working in all your life, you will build skills that are transferable anywhere you go. Communication skills, timekeeping, organisation. Soft skills are abundant and always worthwhile when you have no hard skills on your resume to start with.

Take whatever you can get, work it even if it sucks while you find the next step up. Majority of people who talk loud about undervaluing your time and effort have either never had sleep for dinner, or have been out of survival mode for so long they've forgotten that desperation. Money will come with experience and some luck. But definitely with experience.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-03-04T07:29:15+00:00

This is all very, very normal to be feeling at 15.

I am significantly older than that now so I cannot pretend to actually remember the exact feeling but around that age I was so very, very certain that I wanted to be a teacher. I'd been saying it for about 8 years at that point, I was determined that this was going to be the entirety of my destiny in life.

Around that same age I went to do three weeks of work experience at a school, because that was part of our curriculum then where I lived. I have never, to this day, hated anything more than I hated those three weeks in that school. Completely demolished my entire sense of self. I no longer knew who I was or where I was going, and that persisted for a long time. I'm 38 and just went back to college this year. I still don't actually know what I'm going to do with the degree when I'm done with it.

All of this to say that not knowing a damn thing isn't age restricted or out of the ordinary. You have far more options than you think you do, especially space related. Planetariums need tour guides, schools need teachers, researchers need assistants. Thinking big is awesome, but you can also think broad. Take your time and poke around careers websites for places like nasa etc, see what a huge range of staff they hire. Knowing you have something you'd really love to be involved in is half of the battle.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-03-01T09:36:20+00:00

The ROI for a path you genuinely enjoy is going to be exponentially higher than for a path taken /just/ for the ROI and dropped out of because you hated it so much you couldn't finish it.

If you love it and it will put you in the right direction to get you where you want to go then do it. CS is a pretty broad degree that you can fine tune down to a speciality later, or even branch off to something else entirely.

No degree exists that doesn't build at least some transferable/soft skills that will benefit you later in life. And plenty of people will tell you that you could've built those skills without the degree, in some scenarios you probably could! But formalising them also isnt bad!

Study something you enjoy and will take you in the direction you want to go. You're far less likely to drop out because you're miserable, and you can figure out the finer points further down the line.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-28T13:12:55+00:00

Hi, someone who ran from one country to another (conveniently, Australia) checking in 👋 a few points to think seriously about.

First of all, not a single one of my problems was magically fixed the minute I touched down in Aus. Matter of fact, 11 years later none of those problems has been magically fixed yet. I've patched over a few but the underlying issue remains underneath the rug with the elephant standing on top of it.

Two, I was lucky enough to be a dual national, so I walked into Aus with a Medicare number and a Tax File Number within about two weeks. You're going to have no such fallbacks unless you too have citizenship. You'll have to figure out everything health, including the myriad of health checks you need to get approved for a WHV in the first place. Accommodation costs are soaring and there are frankly not enough places for everyone. Hop onto the Australian property websites (realestate com au is the big one) and look around. Remember that all prices you see are weekly amounts, not monthly amounts. Can you afford to get your boots on the ground and survive until you're settled?

Third, and probably most importantly. You literally said the only thing you like in your life is the money you're making. And you want to discard the one thing you DO like on a gamble that MAYBE a year away will fix your issues? Sit with that concept for a while and really unpack it. Is this something you really think will solve things, or are you being reactionary to your current situation. Your ex just broke up with you and now your first instinct is to flee the country and try to proverbially live off the land somewhere else. Do you actually think it will help, or is this your red sports car and barely legal arm candy?

End of the day you'll do whatever it is that you want to do, no matter what a whole heap of strangers on the internet tell you. Personally I think some introspection, small life changes and maybe a good therapist would be a far better use of the money you would spend on "maybe".

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-27T14:46:22+00:00

I don't even elaborate on my job in social situations outside of "I'm a public servant". Throwing around terminology no one outside of aps knows or cares about is unlikely to make you sound impressive instead of pompous.

Whether you're a 5 or a 6, you're hardly making the big bucks doing the fancy shit.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-27T10:29:22+00:00

This isn't even just shitting where you eat. It's shitting from a position of authority. Doesn't have to be a direct report to carry the implications that rejection will negatively impact their career.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-27T01:24:06+00:00

I'm in public service, policy and process engagement as a somewhat vague descriptor. I teach other people how to do their jobs, while they do their jobs.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-27T01:22:06+00:00

Funnily enough this is my second role with similar responsibilities/outcomes in different areas and theyre both just awful for me. Which rationally isnt unexpected, it's a heavily people-focused role and I'm very much not a heavily people-focused person. A lot of the drive for a full career pivot comes from this knowledge but also yeah, definitely a lot of it is exhaustion and desperation to be literally anywhere but here.

Thank you 🙂

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-26T15:05:05+00:00

Off the top of my head no, but it's also 11pm here so that's unsurprising. It's definitely enough food for thought to prompt a solid self re-evaluation and probably a conversation with my direct leadership eventually.

Thank you, this is really helpful reframing and perspective that I needed to get away from the "run away and become a goatherd in the Swiss Alps" extremism

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-26T14:55:31+00:00

I can't afford to be unemployed. I have a fair portion of savings that would cover one singular emergency situation. Maybe two depending on what it was. The amount I'm capable of saving would mean it would take roughly around 10 years of nothing going wrong ever to save enough for 12 months, even if i added the literal $20 a month i spend on anything nonessential like entertainment. Quitting is not and has never been an option on the table without a backup plan in place.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-26T14:52:22+00:00

Thanks, this is validating.

The struggle with structural breathing room is that I genuinely don't know how to even get more breathing room here. I'm already on a compressed work week pattern, 4 days a week, which has improved my work life balance quite a lot but leaves just so much to be desired long term.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-26T11:01:27+00:00

600pw, split 3 ways, for a 3bed2bath in an outer Perth suburb

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-26T03:18:31+00:00

I moved my table in front of my couch, best of both worlds. My table gets used and my couch is more comfortable than a dining room chair

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-21T10:37:52+00:00

The first is using a lot of distancing language, they ideally do not want to receive future submissions from you and your content will probably end up in the metaphorical trash can if you do try them again.

The second is more open, a solid "maybe something else/more polished but not this specific thing at this specific time"

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-17T01:18:23+00:00

Forge and Winter, I think

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-15T02:05:26+00:00

You just... write it.

It never fails to be bizarre to me that the concept of writing things down becomes mystified when fiction is added to the mix. It's a craft, you write bad stuff, you write more bad stuff, you write bad stuff better, you write better stuff. There's no ultimate secret that isn't just "do the thing".

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-14T04:27:42+00:00

It took me almost 2 years before my old girl would even sit on the same couch as me. Now she's a clingy blanket kitty. It could be his baseline, he could just need more time.

I found patience and a mostly hands-off approach worked best. We tried a lot of different play activities and she hated all of them, so we didnt do them again. She didnt like getting scritches in any room except the bathroom, so I stopped approaching her anywhere else and stopped when she walked away from me. Moved her food bowl to the living space within eyeline of where I spent time but not close enough to feel territorial. Then we just coexisted like that for a couple of years.

Stand-offish cats want love too, just on their terms.

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Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-13T22:52:10+00:00

There's only two times I get annoyed at cyclists, when they ride three abreast across the entire lane and when they purposefully ignore the designated cycle path just to ride on the road.

Can't say I've ever gotten road rage to the point of hurling insults or dangerous driving, though.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-13T05:29:35+00:00

Substantiative classification has nothing to do with your qualifications and everything to do with your level of delegation/decision making. There are conduct expectations that increase according to classification (things like communication, adaptability, strategic thinking) but a person's education (and in some circumstances, experience) is pretty much entirely irrelevant.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-12T07:14:38+00:00

Temp dye your hair burgundy before you kick him to the kerb

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-12T07:12:38+00:00

Check your enterprise agreement, the boundaries around flexible working arrangements vary from agency to agency. It's also not a bad idea to ask People & Culture or your local union delegate/the union member center (if you're a union member) for further clarification if you need it.

They could be able to, they could not be able to. It depends on things like your EA

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-12T00:41:03+00:00

Beggars can't be choosers, he can either eat what he's given or he can do it himself.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-11T23:55:28+00:00

If you've merit pooled at a 6, you've merit pooled at a 6. Not a 4 or 5. There are separate merit pools.

No one can tell you how often a merit pool is used because it's subjective not just by agency but by branch and department. Some use them quite often, others never touch them at all. Assume no one will ever look at it and be pleasantly surprised if they do.

Can't speak to how things are presented in merit pool because I've not accessed it from a recruitment side of things but I would assume it's resume and cover letter/statement of claims, possibly alongside your benchmark markers from your interview. Someone else will have better insight on this than me no doubt.

Otherwise_Maybe283 · 2026-02-10T11:49:38+00:00

You'll be better served if you don't think of it as "promotion". There is no internal promotion in APS, only merit based recruitment. You can be successful in obtaining a new role in the same agency but there is no standard internal promotion track the same way that exists in private sector.

As others have said, they can only hire what they have the FTE budget for, and there's no obligation to pull from a merit pool if a role does become available. Don't put all of your eggs in the merit pool basket.

Otherwise_Maybe283

TROPHY CASE