I knew about the long shifts, early starts and being away from home, but there are plenty of things you only seem to learn once you’re actually on site.
Could be something small that took you by surprise, something about camp life, dealing with different crews, the physical side of the job, or just something you wish someone had told you on your first swing.
I feel like meeting people at uni isn’t really the hard part, it’s actually getting to the point where you hang out outside of class. You can have a good chat with someone in a tutorial and then never see them again.
I didn’t expect support work to teach me as much as it has. Some of the things clients have said or the way they handle everyday situations have genuinely stayed with me, even outside of work. It’s usually the small things rather than anything major, and I’ve caught myself thinking about them later in my own life.
The whole process can be pretty draining, especially when you’re already trying to recover and still have work, appointments and paperwork to deal with. For me, I think uncertainty would be the hardest part. You don’t always know what’s happening next, and it can feel like you’re constantly chasing updates.
Would be good to hear what other people found difficult and how they got through it.
I normally try to stick to a plan and wait for the right time to apply, but a really good bonus can make that plan go out the window pretty quickly. Sometimes the numbers just make too much sense to pass up, even if the card wasn’t next on the list. I’m guessing a few people here have made an unexpected application because an offer was too good to ignore.
I’m getting closer to actually talking to a broker and want to make sure I’m not going in completely unprepared. I’ve got the basics in mind, but I’m not sure what people normally sort out beforehand. Things like payslips, bank statements, debts, credit cards, spending habits and deposit details seem obvious, but I’m guessing other things can save a lot of back and forth.
I’m getting close to having enough saved for the deposit, but I’m not sure whether to apply straight away or keep saving for a little longer. I’d rather have some money left over instead of putting every last dollar into the purchase, but I also don’t want to delay things unnecessarily. Would be good to hear how others handled that stage.
I always assumed we were in a pretty similar position money-wise, then found out they were putting a much bigger chunk of their pay straight into savings. Made me realise you really don’t know what someone’s finances look like just from how they spend when you’re out together.
I get that a broker needs the basics, but I’m curious how much of someone’s day-to-day finances actually comes into it. Things like regular spending, old accounts you barely use, small debts, subscriptions and how you manage your money month to month. It seems like there’s a lot more behind an application than just your income and deposit, and probably a few things borrowers don’t realize brokers have to look at.
I’ve found I work quite differently depending on the type of admission. Medical cases can get quite detailed, while surgical cases have their own challenges with procedures and documentation. Just wondering which one other coders prefer and why.
I had restrictions on my medical certificate, but it still took a bit of back and forth before my duties were actually adjusted. It was frustrating trying to work out what I could safely do while also keeping up with the job. Keen to hear how quickly things changed for others.
I’ve got a couple of cards that made sense when I first opened them, but now they mostly sit unused. The annual fees aren’t huge, but keeping cards around just because they might be useful later also feels a bit pointless. I’m trying to work out where other churners draw the line between keeping a card for future value and just closing it and moving on.
I’ve finally got the deposit saved, and I’m hoping to start applying for a home loan soon. Now I’m overthinking normal spending because I don’t want a few bigger purchases to affect how my application looks. I’m keeping my savings where they are and paying everything as usual, but I’m not sure how careful people are expected to be in the months before applying.
Most advice about getting approved for a loan focuses on improving your credit score, but real experiences often seem more complicated than that. Some people say earning more made the biggest difference, while others found that cleaning up their credit history was what finally got them approved. It would be interesting to compare how those experiences played out and which factor ended up having the biggest impact.
I already have two tattoos, one on my hand and another on my wrist that I got recently. Now I'm already thinking about getting another one, but I know it might just be that "new tattoo" excitement talking.
I don't like big tattoos, so I'd probably get something small and minimal again. The problem is that every time I see tattoo ideas online, I end up convincing myself I need another one. Part of me thinks I'll regret rushing into it, while another part says I'll only regret not getting it.
So before I book an appointment, I'd love some honest opinions. If you've talked yourself out of getting another tattoo (or wished you had), deinfluence me. What made you decide to wait, or what do you wish someone had told you beforehand?
For me, it was buying the absolute cheapest office chair I could find because I was convinced a chair was just a chair. It looked like a great way to save money at the time. But the chair caused me so much back pain and even my hips ached, as even though it looked soft, sitting there for long hours made me realise how hard the chair actually was. I spent extra on a medical checkup as well. In the end, I spent more than if I'd just bought something decent the first time around.
I’ve been building up the courage to finally start my investment journey. I’ve done the basic stuff, saved up a decent emergency buffer, kept my expenses low, and was literally about to drop my first $5k chunk into DHHF or VAS. But with all the threads about the 30% net capital gains tax changes, trust crackdowns, and structural real estate shifts, it feels like the goalposts are being completely moved for people just starting out. Is it even worth investing outside of super anymore if the tax drag is going to eat everything, or should I just leave the cash in a high interest savings account and accept the 4-5% returns?
Our school just introduced a new policy for Term 2, where we aren't allowed to have our laptops open during the first 20 minutes of explicit teaching time unless the teacher explicitly tells us to. They are calling it a focus initiative to go back to pen and paper because they think laptops are just an invitation to play games or watch YouTube. It is making everything so clunky. We have to sit there writing down notes by hand from a whiteboard, only to type them all back up into our shared Google Docs later anyway. It feels like a massive step backwards just because a few kids can't resist playing unblocked games in the back row. Are other schools doing this?