Thread by @BanjiAlo

I had a 50% pay cut when I left my casual jobs in Australia to start a professional 9-5 one

You might think it's a crazy idea

Here are five reasons why it wasn't:

#thread

1. Post-Study Visa

After my degree, I received a two-year post-study work visa.

This visa lets you work unlimited hours in Australia. Same with Canada, the UK, etc

The problem is that many international students don't use this visa correctly.

They:

- Use it to work as much as they
- Use it to relax, cool off and travel the world for months

I am not saying this is bad, but if your goal is to get a permanent visa, then you need to understand that these aren't your immediate priorities.

Some international students don't even know the expiry date of their post-study visas.

They are very busy and only remember 3-6 months to visa expiry.

@OgbeniDipo

If you use this two-year visa to work four jobs back-to-back to make as much money as possible, then just know you are likely to put these savings back into school to get another student visa when your post-study visa expires.

Wasted efforts.

What's the point?

@ritapurity

#2. Gain work experience

Your casual jobs might be fantastic, but you can't put most of them on your CV.

You can't put most casual jobs on your CV.

The result?

Resume gaps

Some employers generally don't like gaps.

- Getting a pay cut was a strategy to prevent this

#3. Develop and utilise my skills in a proper setting

It's nice when you can apply what you have learnt in a proper setting.

Your casual jobs might be fantastic, but you are most likely not utilising your skills.

- The pay cut might not be ideal, but I was able to utilise my skills, add value and grow my career

#4. Advance my career

I used to think education was the key to unlocking any career and job you want.

I was wrong.

Work experience > degree

You don't need three master's degrees and a PhD if your goal is to grow fast in your career [except you are in a highly specialised field]

Go ask most professionals with 4 degrees working 9-5.

They will tell you their bosses have maybe one or no degree. That's it.

Why?

They know degrees are not equivalent to pay grades.
They start early and work their way up.

Work experience > degrees

- I needed to get into the workplace fast and start growing my early career. Local work experience is key

#5. Permanent visa

It's easier to get permanent residency if you have a formal job offer.

Most casual jobs don't provide this pathway.

Again, the money might be good, but no future.

- The pay cut and new job helped me land a Global Talent Visa in 10 months.

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