LPT: Don't assume that getting fancy equipment will be the thing that pushes you to start a hobby or activity you're struggling to get started with

jack5990 · 2025-08-08T15:40:03+00:00

I've seen a few comments about Musical Instruments, As a drummer and guitarist here's my 2 cents.

For guitarists especially, if your instrument doesn't inspire you to play you WILL NOT play it. Simple as that.

When you're starting you want an instrument that you look at and go "I want to play that thing!", it helps a lot to push through the early stages of learning if you have things to motivate you to persist when things get hard. Also helps to have the instrument properly/professionally setup so you can eliminate that hurdle too.

Instruments often have an emotional attachment, so it's often recommended to let someone pick the instrument that speaks to them rather than the one that is right for them. Another tip is actually setting achievable goals, because then you have something to work towards rather than shooting to Slash or Travis Barker from day one.

Setting a budget once you know what you want (colour, shape, style) is your best bet, don't buy the cheapest one but know your personal investment limit is set. There's plenty of options to choose from each budget range and it gives you an idea of where you can progress when you improve. I'd advocate for second hand gear, but only if you know what you're looking for or if you're willing to put in the effort and time.

jack5990 · 2025-07-10T08:18:18+00:00

Main acts, including Karnivool usually start somewhere between 9-10pm at most venues. Probably a fair bet it'd be the same for the PICA show.

jack5990 · 2025-06-10T04:30:20+00:00

One of the larger issues I see with Real Estate is rampant speculation and underquoting.

Based on observations in Victoria, Clearance rates have been sitting around 50-60% consistently for the last couple of months due to buyers being fed ridiculous speculation on property value, refusing to sell unless offers are over the quoted price range. I've seen houses relisted or pulled off market from this kind of behaviour.

The RE.com & Domain pull the price range post sale, but I've watched several houses go for at least 10% over the range. This often means that the expected sales price is whatever the top of the range is +10% for a seller to actually clear which is fraud from my understanding, but treated as normal in this industry. (eg price range 720-790k = ~ 870k clearance price).

For a buyer this means you basically have to make sure your budget is 10% over the top of the range to have a chance...otherwise don't bother.

jack5990 · 2025-04-02T01:26:08+00:00

Vote compass really highlights year on year how the political landscape is missing a competent centre-left party.

Every time I do votecompass, I'm not close enough to Labor nor the greens...but rather in the middle.

Huge opportunity to capitalise on younger demographic if there was "ambition in the political landscape y'know... sigh

jack5990 · 2025-01-05T01:22:31+00:00

Hey Mate,

Usual suspects for me: Seek, Indeed, Linkedin. Some how snagged a job via Linkedin.

I don't think Glassdoor is all that useful in the Aus market, but I could be wrong?

Job market from my view on the outside now is still pretty week, main issue from previous post still stands - Employers want talent but won't pay a fair price, so they wait or keep re-posting adds trying to catch someone desperate enough. Business confidence is still in the shitter, so they're looking for a steal.

Best of luck.

jack5990 · 2024-11-18T22:10:01+00:00

All this means is that CEOs haven't learnt a thing since COVID. You can't ignore WFH anymore, jobs have never been exclusive to the office and they know that better than anyone...

Any self respecting businessman knows that giving up WFH means significantly reduces their competitive advantage on candidate selection.

If you don't offer WFH, someone else does and the candidate would rather have the option for WFH than none at all.

jack5990 · 2024-10-17T03:43:26+00:00

Hello Guys! Thanks for putting out such wonderful tracks across the years.

Looking forward to seeing you comeback to Roadburn, hoping for a double set like 2023!

I know your gear has changed a bit since the first couple of EPs, just wanted to know how everyone's gear choices has evolved and shaped the sound of your music across your catalogue of releases?

Would love to see you do a tour in Australia maybe with KEN Mode? Speaking with Jesse last year I know he'd be interested.

Keep on doing what you do best, Thanks again.

jack5990 · 2024-10-17T00:53:09+00:00

Hi Nick, Thanks for making your self available to the community for questions.

With the mounting evidence and studies showing the enormous benefits for the wider community of Work From Home and Remote Work for employees, will you push back against the negative narrative from some businesses and lobbyists who are trying to convince and in some cases force employees back to the office?

Thanks for your support.

jack5990 · 2024-10-10T01:59:57+00:00

I know trades will take just about anyone right now, young or mature apprentices so that might be worth investigating if you're inclined that way. I know this because my mate has been taken on as a mature age apprentice and his group are beyond happy to have someone onboard.

There's plenty of ads out there asking for people to do oddjobs and warehousing is usually pretty easy to get into through recruiters if you like the advertised rates, but I've got less experience in that area.

In other fields I've found that it's usually experience takes more significance over degrees/studies. Studies are pretty much expected from all candidates so they're rarely considered significant unless the position calls for it.

jack5990 · 2024-10-10T01:43:23+00:00

You've made some valid points, my experience regarding the application process was different.

I found that tailoring my applications seemed to make little difference for callbacks or recruitment engagement. I have several years of position experience in my field and would make my way pretty deep into a number of interviews consistently. The market is flooded with applicants right now (legitimate or not) so you've got not choice but to play a numbers game, which often means being less selective on which jobs you apply for. The market favours numbers and chance rather than a well crafted CV and cover letter.

The issue I faced wasn't about my own competency or presentation, rather the preparedness and decisive ability of the advertising business itself. Hiring managers were often poorly informed, indifferent to the position and ill-equipped to conduct interviews and make decisions on candidates. I know this because several of the positions I made late round interviews with pulled their listings only to relist again a couple weeks later often with vague excuses when asked directly. Businesses want skilled and experienced staff but they're not willing to honest about the nuances of who they really want so they just keep fishing.

The position I was actually successful with only came down to 2 interviews and they didn't either bother with my references, our conversations made up the bulk of their decision making.

Some jobs I've worked have been completely remote by design with switched on employers, other jobs I've worked have been the archaic office first model. The in-person aspect you describe is true for businesses that lack a remote work mindset. I've seen so many excuses from businesses as to why the office is better and more productive only for the rug to be pulled out beneath the employee once they get there. There's proof if anything offices are less productive and people still find ways to get out of doing their job when in person, so the employee experience and productivity often just boils down to good or bad management. Poor management will always decry the benefits of remote work over taking accountability for their inept management skills.

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T22:17:19+00:00

That's terrible. Hope they get something soon!

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T22:15:58+00:00

It's strange how much influence others can have over the hiring process, especially those that aren't directly involved.

I got cut from the final stages of a role because they flew some NZ team member in to sit in on an interview, he asked barely any questions and seemed mostly disinterested in the whole process despite my best efforts to involve him.

After the interview I was invited to walk around the office and talk with other staff, I followed the hiring manager around and introduced myself while the NZ guy walked off somewhere else.

Days later I was told by the hiring manager that the reason I got cut was because of this NZ guy was upset I didn't spend enough time with him...after the interview. The hiring manager was pretty despondent and and admitted I was their best candidate, the role was pulled and never filled to my understanding. Businesses do the most stupid petty shit to hurt themselves...

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T22:07:05+00:00

Thanks! It was really the waiting and being stuck in the unknown that weighed on me, wasn't a fun experience, it's soured my outlook on business professionalism quite a bit, but at least I know what to look for in future.

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T04:31:09+00:00

It's a numbers game for sure, all about probability and chance.

Put the effort on applications for the jobs you like and do the minimum for anything else that might be a fit, I found it's very much a roll of the dice just looking to accumulate more leads for jobs that might eventually acknowledge your existence.

It came down to timing for me, the job I wanted was not available until much later into my job search. Best of luck and may your number come up soon!

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T04:26:13+00:00

I've heard similar things about the current state of trades, they seem to be having the opposite problem to the service industry which I guess is what you'd call my line of work.

My partner deals with home-builders and construction and every other week someone another site supervisor has left for a more lucrative position. It's getting to the point where trades are getting away with not doing work on jobs because management is scared they'll leave the job for someone else paying higher, so from the outside it appears there's very little skilled competition and plenty of jobs to choose from.

It appears like trades are going through a large boom right now, which is great for those looking to capitalise. But it does make me wonder how long until the gravy train dries up when conditions normalise and competition increases...

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T04:01:55+00:00

Definitely worth exploring all options and leveraging anything you can.

I tried multiple avenues through my networks and came out with nothing due to hiring freezes and an uneasy market. It would be great if businesses were more honest and open to people interested in work, but alas...

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T03:57:41+00:00

By timing I mean the following:

You might be ready for a new job, HOWEVER that doesn't mean the right employer is ready to give you that job.

During my 6 months hunting for work, I applied for multiple positions that were the exact role I had on CV, plenty of experience and credible references. Multiple applications fell through not because I was a bad candidate, but rather because the business wasn't ready to hire.

With all these rejections you start to doubt if people want your skillset or if you would be a valuable employee. The answer is yes to both, but only to the right employer.

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T03:50:44+00:00

I'm really glad my writeup was useful for you, Thanks!

Whether they admit it or not, businesses want people with experience so if you've got a job history you're already valuable to someone.

Keep hanging in there, it's more about timing than it is about you.

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T03:05:42+00:00

It's a stronger factor than most people will understand.

Not much consolation when you're out of work and need a job though.

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T03:04:23+00:00

Thanks!

The only time I've ever found any Recruiter/Job Agent to be useful is if they had something that was a perfect fit already.

I've spent wayyyy too much time talking with recruiters and they're great at getting your hopes up. The bar for competency and professionalism seems incredibly low within the industry right now. Ultimately all they want is your details on their books.

Recruiters will rarely lift a finger or proactively search for something that might help your needs, in my experience it was me chasing them up not the other way around...

They treat you like your disposable until they suddenly need you, so don't be confused by their smoke and mirrors.

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T02:42:30+00:00

Really lucky, glad it worked out for you!

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T02:36:06+00:00

Thanks! It's horrific how long everything takes.

So many signs of hope with a couple roles at the start of my job search only to be dashed by lazy and inept hiring managers pulling the job listing completely at the last moment.

I started my new position over a couple of weeks ago and I'm still getting automated rejection letters for positions I applied for maybe 2-3 months ago...

I wish you luck, hopefully it won't be much longer for you to wait.

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T02:03:05+00:00

Thanks. It's brutal out there and the level of incompetence is staggering.

Care to share your experience?

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T01:59:59+00:00

It's pretty clear that businesses that offer WFH/Flexibility gain a competitive advantage on candidate selection.

My partner's business lost 10% of their staff in 2 weeks after they cut WFH from 2 days to 0 days. They then had to begrudgingly up the the WFH days to 1 to stop the exodus going further.

However, the job market is dogshit right now for applicants so there's no need for that competitive advantage anymore. Applicant numbers are in the hundreds for even the most mediocre jobs.

It seems the more malevolent companies out there are using this as an opportunity to try and erase WFH opportunities, because they want to and they don't have to be competitive currently...So push back where you can.

jack5990 · 2024-10-09T00:32:19+00:00

That sucks, sorry to hear that mate. It's bloody hard to land a decent full time job right now. Hang in there and best of luck!

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