u/Express-Dig9905

Hello,

So I am currently in my 3rd year of my Construction Management and Quantity Surveying degree and have been working as a cadet at a very large Tier 1 infrastructure/civil construction company since Jan 2025 here in Australia.

I have recently been thinking about what the best pathway for me to take is regarding the type of construction I want to be working in, and have found myself gravitating towards the high density residential jobs, rather than when I am doing right now.

I have been stuck on a project at my current company which is a mutliple hour drive outside of the city I live in and am studying in, so I have just been in the office literally the whole time since I started here as I can't get out on site when I have uni on all year. I think that due to this, it is making me wish I was with a different tier 1/2 residential company which allowed me to be on site multiple times a week gaining a lot more exposure, and also the fact that being out there seeing the construction happen in real life is way more interesting then sitting in the office as a cadet.

I have also always planned on eventually doing some of my own personal house flipping/small developments in the future, which residential construction would teach me more about and equip me to do so.

So I have been thinking about which is going to be a better pathway for me moving forward, both for my personal enjoyment/desire, but also considering the pay discrepancies. I understand that the large government infrastructure projects (like the project I am on now) will almost always pay better than its equivalent position at a different company/project. But I am not sure to what extent the pay difference is like, so I am looking for some insight there.

I am going on uni exchange to England from September to February, so if I was to make the change I would do it when I arrive back in Australia after exchange, and try to secure a different cadet position for my final year of my degree.

Cheers