Students: how do you make ends meet?

[Renenet]

I guess the point is that there is always tomorrow so you dont have to do everything now. Taking 6 years to do a three year degree might be less stress!

That was the original plan. It took longer to find a job than I'd hoped and my savings were rapidly draining away, so I had to resort to Austudy and take on a third subject to be eligible. Then I got the job.

On its own, unfortunately, it doesn't give me enough money to drop the Austudy. I will continue to look for something more suitable. It would be brilliant if I could get something related to my degree.

Do you go to Rusty's around 3pm on a Sunday just before they're closing - by then the stalls are giving away stuff if you're sexy... Needless to say I almost got nothing for free... But it was worth it because I had my daughter with me and they felt sorry for her....

You're chock full of good advice, Slim.

Otherwise working as much as possible is the reality and it does have a sting in the tail that Austudy takes into account earnings and can withold benefit entitlements once you earn a certain amount. If your education at this point is important enough you'll succeed, and we hope that you do.

Thanks. I'll certainly live simply - I did even when I was working - but the accommodation is not negotiable. I can accept the consequences of the choice I've made there and I'm certainly not complaining about it. I'm more curious about how other people have managed this balancing act in case I can do anything else differently.

Maybe look into the army reserves?

I did have a look at the website when I had no money coming in at all. I can't say I'm all that keen on the military, nor am I particularly fit. That aside, it looks like a reasonable deal. But what do they actually want from you in return? What do Army reserves do?

 

[slim6y]

You're chock full of good advice, Slim.

It's something I like to give... But not for me to take

PS - I assume you've already tried the rat in the restaurant trick - how'd it go?

 

[Nathan_T]

I can't say I'm all that keen on the military, nor am I particularly fit. That aside, it looks like a reasonable deal. But what do they actually want from you in return? What do Army reserves do?

I'd recommend against it then. If you don't want to be there you won't last. In regards to what they want in return, it's a job like any other so you're required to turn up to weeknights and the odd weekend training session. You can also be deployed at the whim of the government and for two years after you leave, but they haven't forceably deployed reservists in history. What you do on nights or weekends entirely depends on your role. I was a combat engineer, so my Tuesday nights generally consisted of one of the following:
- Weapon and combat drills
- Search training
- Fixing stuff around the base
- Cleaning and maintenance of the tools
- Revising theory for an upcoming weekend (demolitions, cbrn defence)
- PT

I had a ball most times, to me nothing beats collecting a paycheck for heading to the range with some grenade and rocket launchers, or making breaching charges. But then again, there's the boring side to it as well. For every night you get to do something really fun, there's 10 nights where you're cleaning and oiling 50 chainsaws, or spending a night filling sandbags for an upcoming weekend.