Vac work stuff
May. 16th, 2004 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rallamajoopSo, as part of the engineering degree at UWA, we’re all expected to do at least 12 weeks work experience. Can be paid, can be voluntary, can be done pretty much wherever we can find it, just as long as it’s relevant to our major and just as long as it does get done; because until it is we don’t get to graduate. Cue the job hunting music. And unless you actually know someone in the industry, it looks like being a lot of work to find.
On the other hand, it turns out the environmental engineering department is particularly enthusiastic about students going overseas for vacation work. Enthusiastic enough that all we have to do is name a country (within reason presumably, though there was an interesting story about one student who’s vacation was spent on a ship sailing around Antarctica…), and they’ll find someone there willing to give us a job. They’ll even find us somewhere to stay while we’re there. Better yet, it sounds like the language barrier won’t much of a problem - most scientific journals around the world are still published in English, and most of the people in places where we’d work will speak the language. It actually sounds easier than tracking down a job in WA.
So here’s where the word ‘but’ shows up. They’ll manage accommodation, but we’ll still have to find the plane fare ourselves. Since most of the money we make will go straight back into living expenses, we can’t count on making much while we’re over there either. Then there’s all the fun of organising for passports and work visas, not to mention the fact that at the end of the day this still means spending three months well out of contact with anyone we know.
I’m definitely tempted, particularly since I know Japan is a possible destination. It would take care of the vac work issue, look good on a resume and could be a great experience. Trouble is, I really don’t have the money for the plane flight and doubt I could convince my family to pay it for me. I’ve also been pretty much counting on money from vac work this summer to see me through next year, and that’s likely to make a big difference, since I’ll be dealing with a final year workload and really don’t want to have to take on heavy part time working hours on top of that just for some extra cash. Traveling overseas, by contrast, would almost definitely leave me in debt. I’ve had general plans to visit Japan some day for a while and while this might be a good chance, it’s hard to know whether I’ll get as much out of going there if I’ll be spending most of the trip working. Nevermind the fact I really don’t have much confidence in my ability to manage alone in a foreign country for that long.
In short, a lot to think about either way. Knowing me, though, I’ll probably wind up going with the safe option.
On the other hand, it turns out the environmental engineering department is particularly enthusiastic about students going overseas for vacation work. Enthusiastic enough that all we have to do is name a country (within reason presumably, though there was an interesting story about one student who’s vacation was spent on a ship sailing around Antarctica…), and they’ll find someone there willing to give us a job. They’ll even find us somewhere to stay while we’re there. Better yet, it sounds like the language barrier won’t much of a problem - most scientific journals around the world are still published in English, and most of the people in places where we’d work will speak the language. It actually sounds easier than tracking down a job in WA.
So here’s where the word ‘but’ shows up. They’ll manage accommodation, but we’ll still have to find the plane fare ourselves. Since most of the money we make will go straight back into living expenses, we can’t count on making much while we’re over there either. Then there’s all the fun of organising for passports and work visas, not to mention the fact that at the end of the day this still means spending three months well out of contact with anyone we know.
I’m definitely tempted, particularly since I know Japan is a possible destination. It would take care of the vac work issue, look good on a resume and could be a great experience. Trouble is, I really don’t have the money for the plane flight and doubt I could convince my family to pay it for me. I’ve also been pretty much counting on money from vac work this summer to see me through next year, and that’s likely to make a big difference, since I’ll be dealing with a final year workload and really don’t want to have to take on heavy part time working hours on top of that just for some extra cash. Traveling overseas, by contrast, would almost definitely leave me in debt. I’ve had general plans to visit Japan some day for a while and while this might be a good chance, it’s hard to know whether I’ll get as much out of going there if I’ll be spending most of the trip working. Nevermind the fact I really don’t have much confidence in my ability to manage alone in a foreign country for that long.
In short, a lot to think about either way. Knowing me, though, I’ll probably wind up going with the safe option.
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-16 08:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 01:32 pm (UTC)unless I was borrowing from family.Probably good advice on the passport stuff though. >
no subject
Date: 2004-05-17 02:54 pm (UTC)Oh.. I was offering to help pay for your passport... but just so you know... but I would have helped you with the money for your trip if you needed it.
As Largo would say....
Date: 2004-05-16 05:30 pm (UTC)Re: As Largo would say....
Date: 2004-05-17 01:33 pm (UTC)(raask?)