+=-My Guitar Obsession-=+

[-Tuesday, February 21, 2012-]

Post No:#946

Have kind of decided on my future, if I can work in Australia then that's great, if not then so be it. Work in Singapore, gain experience, knowledge and move on higher up. Save up the money, maybe study business management/veterinary practice management, buy/co-own a practice then move on from there. Maybe save up enough to study Vet Science again with enough knowledge and experience to not have to worry about anatomy and pharmacology.

This could be a plan so far into the future that I will not be able to predict what's gonna happen (just look at what happened to the Vet Science plan which I made like....8 years ago?), but at least I have a plan. I probably can never understand a person whom does not know where he/she will be or what they will be doing in the future, sure the future is unpredictable but shouldn't that be the reason to plan for all scenarios?

Some people just live from paycheck to paycheck, 一天过一天, but I can't. Maybe its in-grained in me due to family influences, but I have to plan for what I have to do, then I have a clear path to follow. Planning for the worst case scenario so that I always have a back up plan to fall back on.

I am probably one of those people whom are able to answer those "Where do you see yourself in X number of years?" questions without batting an eyelid, cause I am always planning what to do in the future.

Enough about my future, am gonna go worry about my parents' health now.

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Last night in Singapore, and I just got back home from a heart-to-heart session with long time buddies Hans and Yeleng. I just gotta say, there are close friends, then there are friends like these.

Almost 5 hours of conversation, talking about our worries, problems, jobs, plans for the future, the past and the usual jokes to lighten up the mood. I feel as though we have grown up, possibly changed, but instead of growing apart, we are growing more alike and learning from each other each step of the way.

I don't have to feel as though I am weighing my problems on them when I just let go and talk about every single thing worrying me, I don't have to feel as though I am taking up their time. Just a natural conversation flowing from one thing to the next and back again. Advice given and taken, knowing that we want the best for each other. Hey, we may not be best friends but we sure are close. Understanding each other well enough to give advice that we know will be put into use, most of the time, me needing the advice.

Our schedules might be totally different with us being in different stages of our lives; studying, looking for work and working, but it's quality of time spent together not quantity of time spent together that counts.

As always I am gonna miss these sessions, but like Hans says, there's always FB, Whatsapp, MSN and Skype, not like we have to send mail by pigeons anymore.

-Logged Off-

Labels: Everyday's Post, Randoms, Reflections

-..Wonders Of Today..- 0 Callbacks
['-Ah_Ying-'] ;5:33 AM;

[-Thursday, February 02, 2012-]

Post No: #945

It's been eons since I did a proper post. Well, I guess the content in this post isn't really something that I would often write anywhere but I just need to get something off my mind and where better to do it than here?

So as everyone already knows, I have made the transition from Veterinary Science back into Veterinary Technology so obviously this would seriously affect my future.

Say if I continued living in Australia after graduation then career prospects are pretty good and I can continue to educate myself with Diplomas and certs/workshops so that I can specialize in a certain area for example Dental assistant, Emergency and Critical Care, Anesthesia Technician, Radiology Technician etc. I could potentially earn quite a good income working as a Tech.

So what am I worried about? Well, first of all, Veterinary Technician/Nurse/Assistant are not in the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) for Skilled Migrants, and I seriously doubt that it would be on the list anytime soon as there isn't a lack of Vet Nurses seeking work in Australia.

Some late night mulling and searching on the Immigration website turned up the only way I would be able to work in Australia, and it's not a permanent solution. The Business (Long Stay) Visa is my only method of remaining in Australia, but I would have to find an employer that's willing to sponsor me (at AUD$49, 330 per annum) and honestly the odds don't seem that great because current Vet Nurses/Techs don't really earn that much.

Then you might say "Just come back to Singapore and work here!"

Well, prospects aren't good;
1) Veterinary nurses/technicians in Singapore don't really earn much. Most job offers require you to state an "Expected Salary" and I have no idea what the average salary for Vet Techs are here. Though I did see a job opening offering between $1200-$1800 depending on experience, which is too darn low.
If anyone has any idea regarding market rates please help me out, the only information I have is off the TP website for the Dip. in Vet Tech which says that avg income for graduates = ~$1700.

2) The number of job opportunities are really low.
3) There are limited opportunities for further education/training.

Now that you know what I am worried about, I can continue with the rest of the story.

The only occupation that is directly related to working with animals in the SOL is a Veterinarian, and I honestly don't want to go back there. It would be stupid and I can't really tell my mum "Hey, I wanna go back to Vet Sci! Can I get almost $50,000 per year for another 4 years?" 0.o"

So to increase my chances of being employed in Aus under the Business Long Term visa, I need to be able to specialize in a certain area of Vet Nursing but to study the Diplomas I have to be employed by a clinic, and to be employed by a Clinic I need to hold the visa first, so that's a stupid cycle right there.

So considering other areas of animal studies I am interested in; Animal Nutrition, Genetics, Animal Behaviour and Welfare etc....I can aim to get a Master degree in one of those but again, it's not in the SOL and job opportunities seem to dwindle the more specialized the degree.

Am having a huge headache over all of this. Arrgh~

-End-

Labels: Ramblings, Reflections

-..Wonders Of Today..- 0 Callbacks
['-Ah_Ying-'] ;7:27 PM;