u/Beneficial-Music1047

✨ 🇳🇿 My New Zealand Residency Journey (Straight to Residence)

Sharing my timeline because I know how nerve-wracking the waiting game can be, and hopefully this helps anyone currently waiting for their Straight to Residence visa. 🥹

📌 July 24, 2026 – Submitted my Straight to Residence application under Green List Tier 1

📌 July 29 – An Immigration New Zealand officer contacted me regarding my application and requested additional health information, as well as my passport for scanning.

📌 July 31 – Completed the additional medical requirements and mailed my passport through NZPost

📌 August 5 – My updated health results were submitted through eMedical.

📌 August 7 – Got my passport back.

📌 August 31 – Called INZ to check on the status of my application and follow up.

📌 September 1 – Received my eVisa!!! 🎉🎉

To everyone still waiting: hang in there! I know how hard it is not to check your email every five minutes, but your turn will come. 🥹✨

Never thought I’d end up posting in this subreddit, but here I am because I’m struggling to find a higher-paying job/career path.

I’m 33M and honestly feeling like I’m falling behind in life. I want a career that pays enough for me to eventually buy a home, own a car, marry someone I love, and raise a family. Right now, that all feels pretty far away.

I’ve been working in accounting for 11+ years (4+ of those in Canada). I have an Accounting degree and also a Healthcare Assistant diploma.

For the past year, I was juggling two full-time jobs—corporate accounting during the day and healthcare on the side. I managed to crack six figures, but it absolutely wasn’t sustainable. I was constantly exhausted, so I quit the healthcare job and stuck with accounting.

Here’s the thing though: it feels like hitting six figures in corporate accounting pretty much means getting your CPA. I know there are exceptions, but that’s the path for most people. I actually attempted the CPA before, failed, and to be honest… I have zero desire to go through that again. I’m just over it.

At this point, I’d rather switch careers than retake the CPA.
What I’m looking for is a career where your salary grows more predictably over time—something with annual raises, salary steps, seniority increases, and performance-based progression. I’d rather build my income through experience than have my earning potential tied to passing one brutal exam.

Has anyone here been in a similar situation? Did you end up switching careers? If so, what did you move into, and was it worth it?

I’ve read a lot of posts lately about how difficult the job market is in the Philippines. Believe me, it was already tough a decade ago when I graduated. The reality is that competition has always been there. What helped me was learning how to make myself stand out so employers would choose me over other applicants.

I’m not saying this is the only formula for success, but one thing is certain: you need to set yourself apart.

For example:

In a world full of Business Administration graduates, be an Accountancy graduate.

In a world full of Accountancy graduates, earn your CPA license or Civil Service Professional eligibility.

In a world full of graduates from different schools, graduate from one of the Big 4—or if that’s not possible, excel academically and graduate with honors.

In a world where everyone speaks English and Filipino, learn a foreign language such as Mandarin, Japanese, or Spanish.

The point is simple: develop a skillset that makes you different. Every advantage takes extra effort, but that extra effort is often what opens doors.

That’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in such a competitive environment—especially in the Philippines, where hundreds of thousands of graduates enter the job market every year.

At the end of the day, your goal isn’t just to be qualified. It’s to be memorable enough that recruiters notice you.

33M here. Accountant. Average looks, and proportion ang height sa weight. 5’7 ft nga lang ang height ko (puro 6’0 ft pataas hanap ng mga babae ngayon).

Saan ba mahahanap ang the one?
Nasa stage na ako na nabuild ko na self ko, puro hustle kasi ginawa ko nung 20s ako. Tapos ngayon, naiisip kong mag resign nalang sa work ko (I’m based overseas), kasi who am I doing this for, like etong pagpapayaman kung single lang din naman ako at walang sinusuportahan?

And ngayong 33 na ako, pakiramdam ko hindi na ako magiging husband and daddy. Gusto ko rin kasi magkaron ng family one day, pero bakit ang hirap maghanap nowadays? Dahil ba halos lahat eh masaya ng maging single? Sana one day maranasan ko rin maikasal, makapagpabinyag ng anak, alam ko namang capable ako and may provider mindset kaya nga nag hustle akong malala nung 20s ako, sadyang ang hirap lang talaga maghanap.

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I’m thinking of contracting a matchmaking service (not sure kung may ganon sa Manila), pero may napanood lang akong ganon sa YouTube tapos mga Korean single men sila na busy rin sa corporate career nila at napabayaan na maghanap ng mapapangasawa.

If CPA ka, mag big 4 ka, mag gain ng 3-5 years work experience sa firm habang winowork out mo ang CIA/CISA. Then after that, try to apply sa Ireland, Malta, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar. Sa mga bansa na yan napunta mga former college classmates ko, ganyan pathway nila.

Kung CPA or Non-CPA ka naman at hindi mo kaya ang maliit na sweldo sa Big 4, try mo mag General Accounting sa mga BPO na ang clients ay based sa US, Australia, and UK. Yan yung mga bansang grabe mag outsource ng accounting services nila sa Pinas. Mag ipon ka ng work experience for 3-5 years siguro, tapos mag apply ka sa mga bansa like UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Kuwait, Papua New Guinea, and Singapore.

If ayaw mo sa mga bansa na yan na nag ssponsor ng work permit, ang ginawa nung iba is nag iipon ng maraming pera or uutang sa parents/uncles/aunties na rich, para makapag student visa sa Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Habang international student ka, sasabayan mo ng odd/menial part-time jobs (swerte if accounting-related parin makuha mong part-time). Then once matapos nila ang program, magiging eligible na sila para makapag apply ng work permit then dun nila winowork out ang permanent residency nila hanggang maging citizen.

Kung di kaya ang budget para makapag student visa, try mo mag gain ng 3 years work experience sa Pinas, MBA sa Pinas for two years, mag aral ng French language sa Pinas for 1-2 years (aim to reach NCLC 7), tapos mag submit ng application for express entry (french-language category) before mag 30 years old. If magawa mo ang lahat ng to, I’m pretty sure mataas chance mong makakuha ng Permanent Resident status sa Canada kahit di ka na mag student visa pa. Show money is around 600k pesos.

Kung gusto mo naman makapag work full-time habang nag aaral ka ng English-taught na Masteral, try mo iconsider ang Czech Republic. Tuition is around 300k pesos per year. Pwede kang mag aral dun for two years habang nagwowork (nagkakatalo sa class schedule), pugad ng BPO offices ang Czech Republic and Poland sa Europe, so for sure mabilis kang makakahanap ng work dun sa accounting. Parang Pinas at India naman sa Asia (outsourcing hub). Tapos sa 2 years na yun habang graduate school student ka, sabayan mo ng pag aaral ng German language (A1 to B2) para mabilis ka makapag cross country to Germany since mas malaki sahuran sa Germany.

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Ayan na po lahat. Nilatag ko na lahat ng mga na-stalk ko sa LinkedIn at personal experience/stories ng former college classmates/ officemates.

I graduated in 2014, and for the past decade eh nakita ko iba’t ibang pathway ng mga former college classmates/ officemates and even yung mga former seatmates ko sa CPA review schools hahaha!

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Wag na po maghanap ng wala, kasi yan na talaga lahat lahat ng pathway para makapag abroad tayong mga co-accountants. Unless… mag install ka po ng dating app and mag swipe right hanggang maka jackpot ng afam na dadalhin ka sa bansang may snow ✨🫠

May nakapag transition na ba sa ganitong career?

Accounting focuses on managing finances, taxes, budgeting, at financial reports ng isang company across different industries, while quantity surveying naman focuses on estimating costs, contracts, at budgeting ng construction projects. Ang accountants usually office-based, while quantity surveyors pwedeng nasa office at construction site. Mas specialized ang quantity surveying at mataas ang demand sa countries like Australia at New Zealand.