Korean Job Discussion Forums

[europe2seoul]

I saw this on another board:

http://www.igoo.com/Lounge/showthread.php?p=1313859#post1313859

Question was:

Where do you want to live when taking into account the two factors of quality of life vs. quantity as in ability to generate capital?

One answer:

us is my choice..

but, your dollar goes longer in australia.. if you have a pretty good job (i.e. job that'll earn you same salary anywhere in the world), you could buy a nice condo overlooking the harbor from north sydney.. it has to be the best waterfront view in the world! in fact.. for what you pay for a run down shack in burbank cali built in 1020... you could buy yourself a super condo in a place where every aussie dreams of staying!... and pace of life might be better.. most aussies don't give a spit about anything... they just wanna go lay in the sand.. the ave aussie std of living isn't as high.. it's lower than your avg middle class us family in midwest.. a new honda civic is the mark of a good earning professional.. and the ave joe drives a used japanese car that was imported as a 15 year old used car from japan.. where do all used japanese cars in japan go after the japanese upgrade to new cars?? they go to australia..

paris is nice if you live 'in' paris.. and pace of life/work is easy.. but they tax you to death.. if you live in the suburbs, life is crummy.. and dangerous!

all based on opin.. no facts available..

Elaboration:

Originally Posted by jaded79
contrary to what non aussies who havent visited sydney may think, australians aren't lazy and the city runs like the jetson's

why do i feel like i'm being called out on this?

anywho... i lived there... i worked there.. lived in north sydney(milson's point).. took the ferry across the harbor to commute to work until the office mored ot the suburbs and then i commuted to the suburbs... while on my commute.. i saw ' the rest of ' austrualia...

just look at the infra man... the freeways END at the airport and only exist in and RIGHT around sydney.. haha.. that's not a sign of a wealthy country... aussies told me they don't manufacture anything there.. hence.. they are at a disadvantage..

in the suburbs.. the houses are bit run down or older... the cars parked out front are even older...

cars on the street ARE older jap cars... not the ones they import to the us.. i rented the entire time i was there.. originally had a daewoo leganza and in aus.. that was a cool car compared to everything else that was there... i even downsized to a smaller compact jap car.. but new.. and i still felt cool in the car.. because i only saw a handful of bmws while i was there.. .they were ALL 3 series... and it wasn't like i was in a bad part of town.. or a bad condo and in my condo garage... my car wasn't outclassed!!

you go to grocery stores.. even suburbs where sq footage would be cheaper.. and still... there weren't as much variety as you see here in the us...

aussie colleague told me most 'white' aussies don't care about work and just want to go to the beach.. most hard working aussies tend to be chinese aussies born in malaysia who grew up in aus...

..anyway.. that's how i measure 'how well they live' and their lifestyle..

peace

Any people from Australia willing to comment?
Because I was eying the country to move there next...

[babtangee]

I didn't understand any of that, so not really sure what to say. A lot of used cars in Aus.? Sure, pretty much every car on the road is used to lesser or greater extent. Never heard about us importing 15 year old Jap cars. Possible, I guess, but I wouldn't say it's the case for most. What's the question again?

[europe2seoul]

[leebumlik69]

[Cheonmunka]

If you think you can buy a house on the north harborside from an average salary over a few years, you are bleedin' mistaken. There is nothing cheap about Sydney.
As for the cars, what's wrong with a six cylinder Holden. Man, almost as tough as Volvos and torque to the max.
Aussie, although I hate to admit it, is generally a beautiful and resource rich country. The people are usually brash and like to think they are independent.
But, alas, it can be dull, due to wide distances to do anything different in the environment. Like, if you live in Adelaide, you will tire of the sandy loam soil. Melbourne's rain, cold, and Diickens-like Victorian environment will get to you. Sydney is a hot sticky tar and cement jungle in summer. So, if you want to get away to a new scene, you'll still have to, like going to Guam from here, fork out some dosh for air tickets.
Or, prepare (and accept a camp-out style of travel) a few days drive in your Holden.

[jaganath69]

From nationmaster.com Population below median income, US 17%, Australia 14.3%. Nominal GDP per capita US $39,452.74, Australia $31,421.40.

[europe2seoul]

[bejarano-korea]

[europe2seoul]

OMG!!!

http://www.payscale.com/research/AU/Country=Australia/Salary

Seems people in Software Industry on average are getting 37,995 USD dollars or 48,600 AUD. And then you add tax on it.

That is not that high...

[joeyjoejoe]

as an example, my life as a student in australia:

i worked two part time jobs while studying for two undergraduate degrees.
i still had time to go to the beach most days (either morning or afternoon) and i went out drinking/clubbing most weekends, usually two nights out a week.
i managed to save enough to have no student loan upon graduation, and to travel through europe for 7-8 months.

so as a whole i'd say my quality of life up to the point where i left aus was pretty freaking good. but thats just my opinion.
i don't need to have a big house or a fancy car to consider myself to be happy.

[re:cursive]

The highway system does not stop at the edge of Sydney. It runs through all of Australia.

I agree with the fact that buying a condo on the waterfront in Sydney is absolutely beyond most people's means. Overall, I've never considered Sydney as a place I'd like to live in. It is relatively expensive as far as Australia goes and the vibe of the place doesn't really gel with me. OK for a visit but not for living. Australia is a big country and growing up there I've come across many places I'd be willing to lay down my roots. You can pretty much find any kind of living conditions or niche you're looking for. Due to the lack of population density a lot of those niches are reduced in scale though. In a lot of ways this is a good thing as people don't tend to coagulate as much as they seem to do in countries with higher population densities.

You ask about what a person in IT will get in Australia? Well that totally depends on what type of IT job you get. There are IT people living on the waterfront in Sydney, there's IT people living in houses in the suburbs, There's IT people requiring "assistance" from the government to survive and everything in between. Where you fall into the pay brackets depends on your skills, experience and luck. Overall, I believe the average IT wage has dropped in Australia largely due to there being too many people doing it in a country that lacks the means to utilise their skills. The IT skillset is not the valued commodity it once was. Certain regions of Australia are currently trying to create "hub areas" where more opportunities will become available for the IT and multimedia sectors so the situation may change.

Sure Australia doesn't produce an insane amount of products and a lot of things are imported but, you need to realise, Australia has always been a primary producer not a secondary or tertiary one. The economy relies on primary production and is doing pretty well at it. Granted this tactic is not as viable as it once was but things are changing and moves are being made away from the reliance on primary resources. The economy may historically ride on the sheep's back but I don't think this is still the case.

I think there is a fairly high rate of home ownership in Australia. A lot of people rent but a significant portion of the population owns at least one home before they die. Things like the first home buyers grant help people get a home that they can then pay off.

I don't believe that the suburbs are not developed in Australia. The majority of the population lives in the suburbs so of course the suburbs are developed to the point where people are comfortable living there. I guess I live in the suburbs here in Korea and have to admit that things are closer and more accessible than they are at home but it's a bit of a non-issue. Here the suburbs are high density living. In Australia you can get a house with a backyard and spread out. It's not at all unusual for people to own cars so you can drive where you need to go. The fact that there are a lot of older cars means that pretty much anyone can afford to get mobile (I was able to buy my first car at 17 after washing dishes in a kitchen for a few months). In most suburban areas the public transport system is sufficient if you don't have a vehicle.

People saying that Australians just want to hang out at the beach and don't care about anything is a bit condescending and shows a lack of understanding as far as the diversity in Australia goes. I'd agree that we are generally laid back but we are far from being a nation of beach bums. Making the comment based on racial background is even more offensive. Australia has always been a nation of hard workers.

I can't compare the standard of living in Australia to that of America as I've never visited the latter but I can say that at this point in time there is nowhere I would rather settle down than Australia.

[Papa Smurf]

[Trumpcard]

Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne Melbourne

World's most livable city, the bars, the restaurants, the pubs, the clubs, the music scene, the art scene, sporting capital of OZ in the Garden State of Victoria, what more could you want? (can u tell I'm from there?

[re:cursive]