what do you do for a crust?

[adrian]

hi i'm a bus driver for a private bus company . i enjoy it as the
freebees are good free entry to dreamworld etc . and free food .
the grape vine says mt gravatt buses is looking for a diesel mechanic .

anzac

[PinHead]

Jeremy...they gotta keep that money going on the cancer research...both my parents have terminal cancer..I would give absolutely anything for a cure for that appalling disease.

[staggy]

G-day Jefo, I left school at 16 to work at the Malanda milk factory. 18 months down the road got board so I headed west to work in the shearing sheds. While out west I became interested in roo shooting so I scored a job with a professional shooter. From that I went to dry land farming and stock work. Long hours and poor pay but the life style was great. 12 years down the track I was still working on the land (with an 18 month break working for myself roo shooting) only I had changed to cotton farming as the money was better. By now the family had grown from ME to a missus and three rug rats. Isolation from schooling and medical for the family was one of the reasons I moved to the coast. Only took a week to get a job in Gladstone as a trades assistant for a small engineering company. Three months down the track they offered me and adult apprenticeship(I was almost 30 years old at the time) as a fitter/machinist. Only catch was they would only pay me $200 a week for the first two years. With some assistance from social security I decided to take it on. Done it tough for the first 3 years but was determined to see it through. Done with out a lot of things. Finished my time and stayed on for another 2 years. Made the move to Mt Isa to gain some more experriance as a machinist. While there got interested in mobile line boring and scored a job doing that for 12 months before moving to Mackay to take a position as a line borer. Im now settled and very happy with my current job. I do bulk hours but Im payed extreamly well and I think I will stay with it as long as my body can take the hours. Not too bad for a kid from a small town who would never make anything of his life, or so I was always told.

Staggy

[Brett_Finger]

Staggy,
good going mate,
i'm 41 and roo shoting - Pig Hunting ( for box) Fishing Guide and Boat Building ( bakeing :-)) at this age i gotta make up my mind soon.... you'd think #
hookin,Brett ( and still makeing no money. hehehehe)

[webby]

I got tired just reading Dave's life long history
Life is what you make of it as far as im concerned.
If you no that song "I've been everywhere Man" # that me.
Left Bowen in 68, yep long time ago, i'd say a majority of you blokes were'nt even a twinkle in someones eyes then .
Joined the RAAF (Radio Communications) Lived in Adelaide/Melbourne/Sydney/Townsville/Darwin/Perth/New Guinea compliments of the Air Force.
Had some wild times with women, new all the Pubs and did some fanstatic Fishing especially in Arnhem Land and other areas, you can even get into some of these places now with all these land rite issues, have chase everything from Whites to Whiting.
Wanted to head back to Bowen when i was discharged, but found a woman that wanted to live in this fair city. >
Was sick of shift work and radios so became a Garbo, yep a Garbo # for #8 years, start at 5am finished by 8am, not bad money either, tons of beer every chrissy and it kept you bloody fit, also had a second job, otherwise i was out fishing 2-3 times a week.
Made redudant when the machines took over.
So brought a Milk Run sold it then brough a Tip Top Bread Run, long hours but good bread .
Sold the Run and brought my present business at Albion.
Now the bones are feeling their age, but heh thats life. Wouldnt change any of it, except maybe for a few meetings with the boys in blue
Yep you could call me a Old Fart, but heh i've made it this far
regards

[Sportfish_5]

Jeffo - Lots of good advice here. I did an apprenticeship as a diesel fitter working on earthmoving equipment. Still working in a similar industry now as an Account Manager selling Underground Mining Equipment for a Swedish/Finnish based company and earn a good living. I get to travel extensively throughout Australia and even to Europe, Sth Africa and the US every few years. Like all things it has good and bad points ie good money/travel commitments are hard on family life but with a good wife/family you can get through difficult times.
Looking back from where I am I can see the path that lead me here but during the ride I was still unsure if I had made the right decision to put the tools away but unless you take chances when they come up you never know where you can go.

My advice is simply believe in yourself, be willing to take a chance if there is potential to gain valuable experience (even if it means less money for awhile) and grab hold tightly while on the ride and know when to hop off.

Nothing will just happen for you. You have to make it happen.

Cheers,

Greg

[Mattman]

Hey fellas
We'll my life story story is short as i am only 17 . I finished grade 12 in November, and by January i found an apprenticeship as a stonemason. There's some heavy lifting, but the works ok, and i'll only be 21, turning 22 when i finish the trade, which is a pretty handy thing at that age in ya life . Then i'll see what happens ??? .
Matt

[nonibbles]

When I left school I wanted to be a pro musician but also decided to go into nursing school and become a registered nurse so that I would never be out of work. #Well as always happens one becomes a bit more dominant in the priorities and as I gained more responsibilities (wife, house, family etc) I realized that one part of my dream would stop. #I could no longer be bumping out of pubs at 3am and then start a morning shift at seven. #If I didn't change, it wouldn't be long before I had nothing. #I gave up the music (selfish single persons persuit) and concentrated upon the nursing. #Although I am not in a position to say I've made it by any means I am in charge of two specialties in the operating theatre and also a qualified WHOSO. #Eventually I have a plan to achieve the goal of running the operating theatres of a busy hospital. #I have explored many tangents which have added strings to my bow but the target has styed the same.
My advice is go out and explore but set some goals. #Life will present you with many choices but eventually you will have to make a committment or two. #If you stay focussed on your goals evrything you will have learned along the way is what gets you there and you will be a more rounded person for it. #But if you don't select the destination you won't know when you get there. #Good luck.

[Mudcrab]

Work? Aaagggggghhhhhh! I flew Jumbo jets around the world till I got sick of trying to stay awake at night, tired of the lobster thermadore and making obscene amounts of money! Now I just fish! Works for me!

[priemsy]

Nothing now. Been forced out into the paddock. Enjoying what I can. Life is as good as you make it

[Heath]

Left school at 15 when I got an apprenticeship with the Big T . Finished appreticeship at the ripe old age of 19 [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]. Looked after all the telephone exchanges in western Sydney as a shift worker for the next 5 years. Money was great, lifestyle was great until I happened to visit the Gold Coast. Thats it, thats where I wanted to be. So in the next 12 months packed the fiance up & moved. still managed to stay with Telstra, but dropped 20k in wages , took some shit jobs tying to find some that interested me. From customer service, to looking after Radio and optic fibre systems all over Qld. Finally landed a Job on the coast looking after Foxtel & Cable modems, back on the shift work & earning top coin 8) [smiley=2thumbsup.gif]. That lasted another 3 years & then they disbanded my section. Now look after all that is Broadband from ADSL, ISDN to Cable modems and Satellite services. Networks etc etc, bla bla bla... bit of a jack of all trades.

Am 31, have a nice house x 2, good car, BIG boat, understanding missus & 2 kiddies that keep me sane.... or is that insane???

Have a plan with goals & work toward them. Without goals you will get no where fast and learn from your mistakes.

I'm afraid that no matter what you choose if its some sort of traineeship/apprenticship that you will be treated the same as the 17yo thats wet behind the ears. Its what happens 4 years down the track that really matters.

[Quinny69]

NoNibbles, I thaught I was reading my own post.I left school(did OKish) straight into music Ind,"Those were the best days of my life"I hate that song.Never made anymoney,Our record co did, travelled, meet heaps of ppl and generally had a ball,5yrs latter and a few BAD CDs, the band busted and I went to studdy nursing,Why? I have no idea.Ive been a nurse scince and I HATE IT, Im in aged care and am basiclly waiting for my patients to kick the bucket,and trying to make there last days alil more comfy and cheery.The good thing about Nursing is you can work as little as you can $tand, and bein in an industry thats 99% chicks sounds OK at 1st,Its not, they cant do anything whithout DRAMAS.I would love to become a Fishing Guide on a well stocked Dam that I know like the back of my hand. Good to get 2 know you guys a bit more, good thread. Qny

[Heath]

I'm also writting everyones occupation down, incase I need a favour...

[trevcob]

Track worker for Q rail. pays the bills

[BlitzBaga]

What I'd really like to do is apply the sunscreen on the gorgeous chicks on the beach down the goldcoast , I think I'd get myself in strife though .

Cheers
Murray