I’m 21M in Australia and honestly feel stuck trying to figure out what career path to commit to.
I don’t come from money or a background where things are handed to you, so this decision feels heavy. I keep going back and forth between things like carpentry vs electrician, trying to figure out which one is actually more lucrative long term vs which one just feels like the “safe” option.
At the same time, I’ve tried to avoid the whole apprenticeship route. I even started a car detailing business thinking I could build something for myself and skip that phase altogether. But if I’m being real, it hasn’t taken off the way I imagined.
I also spent around 12k on high-risk work licences trying to get into the mines, thinking that could be my way into good money early — and that didn’t work out either.
So now I’m at a point where reality is kicking in hard. I feel like I’ve tried a few paths already and none have landed, and I can’t afford to keep drifting or wasting time anymore.
Part of me wants to chase money hard and build something big, but another part of me is worried about committing to the wrong path and losing years. I hear people say “just pick something and stick to it,” but it’s hard when you feel like the choice you make now affects everything.
What really gets to me is the idea of reaching my late 20s and still not knowing what I’m doing. I don’t want to be that guy who’s 28–30 with no real skill, no direction, nothing solid behind him. I at least want a proper launch pad — something I can build on, even if it’s not perfect.
At the same time, seeing people my age (or younger) already making serious money messes with my head. It makes me question if I’m behind or just overthinking everything.
So I wanted to ask people who’ve actually gone through this:
- If you were choosing between something like carpentry or becoming an electrician, what would you pick and why ?
- Did you ever try to avoid apprenticeships or take a different route ?
- What path did you choose, and how did it actually turn out ?
- If you could go back to 21, what would you do differently ?
- What matters more in the long run — the career you pick or how you execute it ?
I’m not looking for motivation, just real experiences and honest advice from people who’ve been through it.