The rollout of the nbn™ network is helping to create new ways to access career opportunities for people eager to build and work with advancing technologies.

Choosing a career path can be overwhelming, especially if you’re just starting out. 

It’s difficult to know what you want to do before you’ve done it (or at least had a taste of it), and even harder to find that dream job that fits with your interests.

Without experience or formal training, most opportunities lead to a sea of questions: Should you take just any job for a foot in the door? Should you take on a degree or a certification? If you do study, will you be able to find a job at the end? 

Career starters should be well informed of their options and think about how opportunities link to their passions and interests when making early career decisions.

To work now or to study now: that is the question

Career success is often fuelled by equal parts education and experience. But which one should you prioritise?

A university degree or diploma will provide you with specialised knowledge and recognised qualifications, while TAFE programs focus on key trade skills with formalised training and often result in certifications. 

Both require considerable time commitments, and juggling part-time studies with a job can be overwhelming and lengthen the time you spend studying.

Education through formal degrees or qualifications will help you advance in the long run, but usually delay a formal career start and come with considerable costs, including tuition fees. 

Alternatively, going straight to work will likely delay the need for education or training down the line.

Apprenticeships and traineeships provide on-the-job training and often lead to a job offer. While they are great to build skills and test your interest in the work, they will not result in a certification or qualification. 

If you do discover you love the work, you will likely need to return and earn a certification or a degree later on.

So how do you decide?

As corny as it sounds, you decide based on what you like to do. People who enjoy studying should harness that energy if and when they can. 

People eager to get into the game and start down the career path should look for opportunities that make them want to get up and out the door every day.

That’s not to say there aren’t other considerations. Costs are sadly unavoidable, and you should consider how you will support yourself during any educational program. 

Similarly, program length or start dates could mean facing a waiting period or that a program may not fit within the rest of your life. Remember that with any opportunity, the next step it leads to is an important thing to think about. Search for careers and training programs where you daily interact and work with things that interest you.

Study and work in the Career Start Program

In an ideal world, training and employment would come hand in hand. 

Now, nbn is facilitating a new employment and up-skill training program opportunity for people with a passion for how technologies are built.

The technological landscape of Australia is changing at a rapid pace, and with it comes a need for skilled workers.

If you like to work with your hands, and are interested in the way telecommunications technologies are built and work together, a career with one of our delivery partners working on the nbn™ network may be the right fit.

The Career Start Program is designed to drive technical skills training across Australia for occupations that have high skill shortages. 

The program includes on-the-job training by industry experts, and access to training pathways through nbn-approved training providers to get you ready for jobs that are needed now to build the nbn™ network.

Sound like something you’d like to be part of?