Would I be mad to give up my job

LegacyUser

So I'm currently in a very lucky position of having a great job that I like with bonuses and a laid back comfortable but busy work atmosphere, I was out of work a year before I got this job.

During the time i was unemployed I toyed with the idea of going to Australia but nobody I knew wanted to go at the time and ultimately I decided I didnt want to go alone, so kept looking for work and got same.

Now however just over a year later some friends are going to Oz and have asked if I want to join them and I have to admit I'm so tempted, I always wanted to go and dont want to look back in 50 years and have regrets at not travelled (I should mention that i'm 24) on the other hand do I really want to give up such a great job with all the perks? Would that be something i'd regret when i get back from Oz in a year to 2 and I have no money no job and am living at home again?

I feel like my lifes at a crossroads and I really dont know what to do, guess i'm really just looking for other peoples opinions of what they might do in this situation.

LegacyUser

do it, op. you are still young.

your experience working overseas will help you in your job hunting later.

i did the same to ireland when i was 30 on working holiday visa. then stayed here to study. i felt it was too late. i wished i would come earlier. but well, my family conditions and all that did not allow me before i turned to 30.

i quited my very good job home (earning e2500 a month) and now suffering from the bad times in ireland in this recession together with others on this island, i sometimes would have thought of quit, and would think that if i was now working home, i might have saved up enough money to have my own apartment, own car, etc etc. but then i know this is one of the greatest experiences i would have in my life and i have encountered a lot that i would not have the chance to encounter if i am at home. life is not just about money. and i am sure i can earn enough money to have my apartment and cars etc, just later than the others.

do it, op.

LegacyUser

HI OP,

Im in the same boat as yourself, I have a decent job 50k + OT and expenses and a Company car, phone, laptop and the little perks!

Ive been working for 10 years and really like it, always busy busy, But again some of My friends have headed off to the land donw under and are earning hugh bucks! 100k AUS with similar perks!!

Have a new GF and dont really want to leave as she is amazing! But I think it will always be in the back of the head what would have happened if I left for OZ, but at 30 I think its a hugh risk for me to take to pack it all in and get up and go ??

Firetrap

It is a big risk to take. Is there any opportunity in your job to take a career break? Or to take a large chunk of annual leave in one go? I know you'll not immerse yourself in other cultures yadda yadda but at least you'll get to travel a bit and see the world.

Wonderwall

I have always felt that packing up and travelling is most definitely the right thing. It's better to have tried it and for it to turn out **** than to have never tried it, right?

Or, as you've said, would you rather wake up in 50 years and say: "****, I should have just went for it"

Mr. Loverman

Do it. Nothing worse than having regrets when you're old and it's too late...

Jenneke87

Do it. After a year you can decide whether you want to come back, extend your stay or travel somewhere else. It's better to "regret"(if you're going to regret it at all) what you have done than the things you did not do.

Fittle

Do it.

That's all I have to say - other than life is too short to have regrets.

lainey316

24? Go. Definitely. Have a few friends (and not-so-much friends) who moved there and all seem to be doing pretty well for themselves.

LegacyUser

I don't understand posters saying there are risks involved if you are 30 or whenever? There are no risks involved!!!! Go for it!!!
It shouldn't matter whether you are here earning 100K or 10K a year. If you want to go, just go. You have the rest of your life for working.
Plus, you could be earning well here, but your company would have no problem turning around in 6 months and letting it go if it suited them, so do what YOU want to do.
At 24, you have loads of time to go working in Aus. So, if you wanted, you could get a few more years experience in your current job, save some money, and it could stand to you when you go down under if you wanted to look for a "real job".

Wagon

Travel. Absolutely. Jobs will come and go and the company doesn't really give a damn about you. So why put your life on hold for their job, regardless of the perks and pay?

Do it And enjoy!

Reesy

OP, are you prepared to stay away for 2, 3, 4 years, until the economy turns round? If you go, coming back to a job in the short to medium term like the one you have now may be very hard.

If you are, go. Have fun. Learn loads. Have the trip of a lifetime.

wylo

OP, its a really tough decision , ill give you that. You have no way of knowing how things will turn out, so its the unknown vs the known.

Heres my advice, I hope its as practical as possible, go travel, do it!!

But try your hardest to have yourself set up for a possible return, have some decent money saved and ready before you even leave Ireland, as in , be prepared for months of unemployment, not to mention waiting for your dole. You are not going to want to move back home, not just because you'll have travelled but because youll be older, so be prepared financially for that , have money for car insurance +car , perhaps a suit for a job intervew(although you can get them in Vietnam;)). These are the mistakes everyone makes upon return so they end up getting trapped. I made the same mistake and I got stuck in a rut at home.

Itll mean you are taking the risky option but are being responsible for it.
Also, another bit of advice, if its a working holiday your going on, try your hardest to get a job in the area you work in now, while in Sydney or wherever. Its worth it. I know people will say the opposite, but theres good reasons for it, 1. You'll be earning much better money, hence setting you up nicely when you do a bit of travelling. 2. Good jobs over there with perks are worth it if your staying around that area anyway. Seriously, you'll still have your weekends, and even midweek sessions. 3. You'll be coming back with more experience. So unless you plan on always being on the move , you may as well, because life becomes pretty normal once your sticking around a place for a few months.
Best of luck , but again, be prepared , this country is going down the tubes for a few years, possibly many years, alot of taxes going straight to dead banks and interest on bailouts, there will be VERY little stimulus for job growth for a long long time , so you have to be realistic upon returning.

jd007

I read a quote once along the lines of "When you look back on your life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the things you did do." I'd say go for it OP.

LegacyUser

Think carefully about this. If you go, you may find yourself out of Ireland for much longer than one year. IMHO unemployment here will remain high for the next 4 or 5 years at least. So you may decide not to come back and look for residency in Oz. Or else you may come back, not find a job and leave Ireland again. Are you prepared to spend the next 4 or 5 years abroad if necessary?

killerking

madtostayorgo wrote: »

So I'm currently in a very lucky position of having a great job that I like with bonuses and a laid back comfortable but busy work atmosphere, I was out of work a year before I got this job.

During the time i was unemployed I toyed with the idea of going to Australia but nobody I knew wanted to go at the time and ultimately I decided I didnt want to go alone, so kept looking for work and got same.

Now however just over a year later some friends are going to Oz and have asked if I want to join them and I have to admit I'm so tempted, I always wanted to go and dont want to look back in 50 years and have regrets at not travelled (I should mention that i'm 24) on the other hand do I really want to give up such a great job with all the perks? Would that be something i'd regret when i get back from Oz in a year to 2 and I have no money no job and am living at home again?

I feel like my lifes at a crossroads and I really dont know what to do, guess i'm really just looking for other peoples opinions of what they might do in this situation.

If you see your future in Ireland then don't leave the job.

If you want to see Australia then go with your friends to Australia.

Your choice.