u/Existing_Ant6007

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to get some honest advice from people who may have been in a similar situation.

I studied a Bachelor of Biochemistry overseas and later moved to Australia. After coming here, I completed a Master of Public Health because I thought it would open doors and help me build a meaningful career.

The problem is that I have no real experience in either field.

I never worked in biochemistry after graduating, and despite having a master’s in public health, I haven’t been able to break into the field. At the moment, I work as a pharmacy technician in a government hospital.

I’m grateful to have a stable job, especially considering how tough things can be. The people are good and the job pays the bills. But if I’m being honest with myself, it feels like a job rather than a career. I can’t see myself doing this for the next 20 or 30 years, and that thought really worries me.

Lately I’ve been feeling stuck. I don’t know whether I should study something else, try to build experience in public health somehow, move into research, data analysis, clinical coding, digital health, or pursue something completely different.

What makes it harder is that I feel like I’ve already spent years studying, yet I’m still unsure where I belong professionally. I don’t want to wake up 10 years from now regretting that I never took action or made use of the qualifications I’ve worked so hard for.

If you were in my position, what would you do?

How would you make use of a Master of Public Health without prior experience? Are there fields or roles that people often overlook? Is studying more the answer, or should I focus on gaining experience another way?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has changed careers, broken into public health later in life, or found a way to turn a degree into an actual career after feeling stuck.

Thank you for reading.

Feeling lost career-wise at 31 and don’t know what direction to take

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to get some honest advice from people who may have been in a similar situation.

I studied a Bachelor of Biochemistry overseas and later moved to Australia. After coming here, I completed a Master of Public Health because I thought it would help me build a meaningful career and open up opportunities.

The problem is that I have no real experience in either field.

I never worked in biochemistry after graduating, and despite having a master’s degree, I haven’t been able to turn it into a career. At the moment, I work as a pharmacy technician in a government hospital.

I’m grateful to have a stable job. I know many people are struggling to find work, and I don’t take that for granted. The people are good, the workplace is good, and it pays the bills. But if I’m being completely honest, it feels like a job rather than a career. I can’t see myself doing this for the next 20 or 30 years, and that thought worries me.

Lately I’ve been feeling stuck. I don’t know whether I should try to break into public health, move into research, clinical coding, digital health, data analysis, healthcare administration, or something completely different. I don’t even know what realistic options exist for someone with my background.

What makes it harder is feeling like I’ve already spent years studying, yet I’m still unsure where I fit professionally. Sometimes I feel like I’ve collected qualifications but haven’t actually built a career.

I don’t necessarily need a dream job. What I want is a career path that has growth, purpose, decent earning potential, and something I can see myself developing in over time.

If you were in my position, what would you do?

What careers would you look into with a Bachelor of Biochemistry, a Master of Public Health, and experience as a pharmacy technician in a public hospital? Would you study something else, or focus on leveraging the qualifications and experience I already have?

I genuinely feel lost and would appreciate any advice from people who have been through something similar or who work in healthcare, science, public health, research, or related fields.

Thank you for reading.