I’m 17 at the moment, but soon to be 18. A friend and I have decided to do factory work next holidays for 3 weeks straight, and maybe a couple more weeks later in the year. All earned money would be saved, because we live at home. Then we want to go on a 2 week holiday to England next year (from Australia) on that money. Are we dreaming?
Does factory work pay that well? I have heard it is the most boring work possible, but if we did it, could we earn enough?
HalloweenMan,
It’s a good plan. Every plan that can be mistaken for a dream is a good plan. You have in your mind something that you want to do for yourself. If you are determined, you cannot fail. I realize that this sounds cheesy and optimistic, but the powers of cheesy optimism should never be underestimated.
Now, I suspect that you doubt your chosen course of action because you are not clearly seeing the down side. What happens to you if this plan does not work? Let’s say that you work hard at a job that you cannot enjoy and you don’t come up with quite enough cash to travel comfortably. Although you will not have the opportunity to travel, you will have more cash than you do now. That’s not such a terrible fate. Perhaps you’ll invest that short-of-target amount of money so that you can take an even better holiday later on. Are you comfortable with the idea of sacrificing time and enjoyment without achieving the ultimate results that you are after? Are you comfortable with failure? Until you are, you will most likely not succeed. If you can look at the situation honestly and be certain that you will win either way, then nothing will hinder you.
What if the work that you are contemplating does not yield a sufficient monetary return? You probably won’t be able to determine this until you’ve already begun. You will, most likely, not get an adequate return without truly dedicating yourself to the work, no matter how boring it may be. If you begin to suspect that the factory work will not pay what you need, take an additional job. As a human, you are capable of much. It is both admirable and sensible to sacrifice sleep, meals, society and pride for the sake of better enjoyment of your life. You will be a better person whether you succeed or fail because that success or failure will be hard won. Joy is much stronger when it is the result of your own personal efforts and discipline.
Work hard. Play hard. Die well.
Unfortunately, I don’t have much in the way of practical advice that can be put to immediate use. I know nothing of factory work in Australia. I know nothing of wages in Australia. I do know that there is money in Australia, and money is meant to be taken by the strong, the dedicated and the disciplined. Good luck.
Why don’t you just call up the factories you could work at and find out:
A. If they will hire you at those particular times (most employers like experience and people who will stick around unless it’s temporary seasonal work).
B. What those jobs pay per hour and how many hours would you be able to work.
Then find how much the tickets would cost (it sometimes pays to book early) and how much you’ll need to survive the 2 weeks abroad. At least that way you’ll get some idea if you can get close to earning enough. A little planning in advance goes a long way. If it’s not enough by itself, you might be able to scrape up the remainder with odd jobs and saving your money.