Study Abroad Down Under
Study abroad is no doubt a great experience. A foreign degree will not only add two or three coveted letters after your name. The study abroad experience will also provide you tremendous personal satisfaction and plethora of career opportunities globally. There will be some risks involved. But, if you do some research and take calculated risks by choosing the best courses in a particular study abroad destination – you can create an orgasmically joyful life and career. By the way, I didn’t mean anything related to sex). If you look up “orgasmic” in the dictionary, the meaning is “very enjoyable or exciting”. When it comes to study abroad, both Australia and New Zealand are among the favorite destinations for international and Indian students. Here we will cover the top courses to study in Australia and New Zealand.
An abroad education can really help you to gain a new treasure of knowledge and skills. It is a lifetime experience and can be a dream worth fulfilling; at least I would say that from my own experience. But, study abroad comes with few challenges and risks as well. Study abroad is an expensive journey; at least, for the majority of Indian students. The high costs and the uncertainty of getting a well-paid job are applicable to all study abroad destinations.
When it comes to study abroad down under – i.e. study in Australia or study in New Zealand – the situations can be little tricky. Education in Australia is expensive. Both fees and living expenses in Australia can be as high as the bounce in Australian cricket pitches. Similarly, studying cost in New Zealand is also not too cheap. Besides, New Zealand presents little bit unpredictable (or unknown) job market for international students – just like the New Zealand pitches with seam and movement where Indian batsmen struggle more often than not.
Play according to your abilities and strengths
Play according to the local conditions
Play Hard, Play Safe
But, these factors do not make Australia or New Zealand a bad destination for study abroad. Both countries have got an excellent reputation for higher education and global employability. Both being English speaking countries, they are easy to get settled down for Indian students. They are safe and very open to international students as well. The critical part is pursuing the right course from the right university. Just like the Indian Cricket Team touring Down Under – you need to play according to your strengths and abilities, take calculated risks and understand the playing conditions (economy and job market in your case). Now let’s have a look at the top courses to study in Australia and New Zealand. We will also take a look at the job prospects and why they are in demand.
Top Courses to Study in Australia and New Zealand
Earth Sciences & Geology
Mining & Metallurgy
Australia is very rich in mineral resources and the minerals industry is a vital component of the Australian economy. Australia has its huge mines attract several mining engineers and metallurgists from all over the world including India and US. Australia has got an excellent reputation for education and academic research in the field of mining metallurgy – both in ferrous and non-ferrous fields.
Oil, Gas & Petroleum Engineering
With the ever-increasing demand for energy globally, the need for oil, gas and petroleum engineers will be on a roll. Australia has got large resources of coal, uranium, and natural gas. According to KPMG, the petroleum industry contributes $6.2 billion per annum to the Australian GDP.
Recently, the oil and gas exploration and production activities have also become quite important in New Zealand. The NZ Government’s long-term goal is to increase the value of annual petroleum exports to $30 billion by 2025. Hence, there will be plenty of career opportunities for oil, gas and petroleum engineers in New Zealand.
Geology & Geo-Sciences
The increase in oil/gas and mineral exploration is also leading to more demand for geologists and geoscientists. Besides, the local geography in New Zealand is noted for geothermal areas because of its position on the boundary of Australian Plate and Pacific Plates. As a consequence, job opportunities for geologists will continue to increase. Geologists will also be needed for the renewable energy sector as well.
Agriculture Science & Technology
Agriculture is the backbone of the New Zealand economy. 95% of agricultural production in New Zealand gets exported. Moreover, there is a huge demand for agricultural science-related sciences in New Zealand. Australia has also got immense career opportunities for agricultural scientists and agricultural consultants. In fact, agricultural jobs are also listed on the Skilled Occupation List (SOL) and the Consolidated Sponsored Occupations List (CSOL) in Australia. Know more about – Agriculture could be the next boom for Australia.
Public Health & Healthcare Management
Australia and New Zealand have got one of the best healthcare systems in the world. The healthcare system down under is multi-faceted and interdisciplinary. Healthcare providers include medical practitioners, dentists, nurses, pharmacists, and allied health science professionals. All the professionals work in sync, and deliver a plethora of services across many levels, from public health and preventive services in the community, to primary health care, emergency health services, hospital-based treatment, and rehabilitation and palliative care. There is a lot of career opportunities in the healthcare sector, and the salary structures are very lucrative as well.
Professional Accounting
Candidates holding Masters in Professional Accounting (MPA) are in great demand in Australia. MPA teaches a wide range of management skills and prepares you for senior accounting, finance, taxation, and human resources roles. MPAs are in great demand for both existing business and new startups as well.
Civil & Structural Engineering
With maturing civilizations and economic development worldwide, the need for bigger, better, diverse, and sustainable structures is also growing. Humans have moved from cave dwellings to construct houses, malls, dams, highways, commercial spaces. This advancement played a significant role in the progress of the human race and developments in social, political, economical and recreational activities. Civil Engineering is a core branch of engineering, and civil engineering professionals are among the highly sought-after ones.
The education and training quality of civil engineering are absolutely top class in Australia and New Zealand. More importantly, there is a shortage of skilled and qualified professionals in the construction sector in both Australia and New Zealand.
Australia is no less than a heaven for international students who want to study civil engineering or related subjects. There are immense opportunities in the fields of Building & Property, Transportation, Water & Marine, Energy & Resources and Environmental Engineering; especially in Victoria. There is a great demand for civil and structural engineers in New Zealand too, especially in and around Christchurch. The construction industry is one of the key industry and job market in New Zealand. Read more about Engineering Jobs in New Zealand.
Information Technology, Data Science, Business Intelligence & Big Data Analytics
Similar to the global demand, there are excellent opportunities for Data Scientists and Data (or Business) Analytics professionals in Australia as well. As per as the Skills and Salary Survey Report (2013) published by the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia (IAPA), the median salary of Data Analyst professionals are almost twice than the median salary of all other professionals. Career opportunities are excellent for Computer Science and IT professionals with hands-on experience with Machine Learning, Business Intelligence, Reporting and Visualization, Data Warehousing, Business Operations and Data Management. Higher salary packages can be expected if you get absorbed within the Cable & Media, Telecom, or Banking domain. Read more about the top skills and career prospects of big data analytics.
Data Scientists are among the most highly paid professionals in Australia and can make up to AUD $200,000 per year. Though the majority of the data engineering, data science and data analytics jobs are available in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, you can also find decent opportunities in other parts of Australia.
The demand for big data analysts is also insatiable in New Zealand. Though the salary packages are not on par with that in Australia, but jobs are there. Besides, you also need to consider that the living expenses are higher in Australia than New Zealand. So, the salary level will obviously be lesser in New Zealand. In New Zealand, most of the IT and Business Analytics are available in Auckland (50%), Wellington (27%) and Christchurch (12%). Read more on the Information Technology Job Market in New Zealand. You may also like to know about the Best Universities in the World for Masters in Data Science & Analytics.
Food Science & Technology
The food industry is one of the largest in the globe due to ever-increasing need of food. Secondly, there are diverse roles and functions associated with the food industry – R&D, Manufacturing & Processing, QA/QC, Marketing, Sales and Business Development. So, job prospects are great both within the Public and Government sectors. Food Science and Technology professionals will always be in demand anywhere in the world. So, if you choose to pursue studies from Australia or New Zealand, it can be a great career move.
In Australia, the Food & Beverage Processing industry is the largest manufacturing industry. The Food and Agribusiness are very important to the Australian economy. Know more about the Food & Beverage Industry in Australia. New Zealand is also an exceptional destination when it comes to food and beverage. New Zealand produces a large amount of raw materials that help to prepare processed foods. The country also makes a lot of revenue by exporting processed foods. The top 100 food and beverage firms in New Zealand collectively generate annual revenue of $51 billion. Therefore, Food Scientists and Technologists are in huge demand in New Zealand and Food Technologists are also under the Skill Shortage category in New Zealand.
Tourism & Hospitality
Okay guys, enough of Science, Engineering and bla bla bla. Let’s move on to something different now. Both Australia and New Zealand have got some locations with breathtaking and scenic natural beauty. Be it Sydney, Victoria, Tasmania or Queensland in Australia, and Christchurch or Queenstown in New Zealand – they offer a lot to travelers and outdoor lovers. Quite a few locations down under consistently rank within the top 25 holiday locations in the world every year on websites like Trip Advisor, Business Insider and World of Wanderlust.
Australia is known as the land of dreams, and famous for extraordinary landscapes, laid-back cities, and gorgeous beaches. Take a look at the 25 Must Visit Places in Australia. The tourism industry in Australia employs around a million people. However, there are around 38,000 unfilled vacancies in the tourism and hospitality sector as per The Australian Trade Commission. In fact, the sector is facing serious difficulties to fill the vacancies. The Government is feeling the heat as they are facing restriction to meet the growing international demand for Australian tourism products, services and experiences. This skill shortage will be there for some time. According to the Tourism and Hospitality Careers Report 2016, the Australian tourism industry will need an additional 123,000 new employees, including 60,000 skilled staff by 2020.
New Zealand is also a great destination for holidays and outdoor activities. New Zealand is a land of immense and diverse landscape, with the surreal beauty of a wonderland. Some of the staggering natural wonders in New Zealand include lush green valleys, snow-capped mountain peaks, coastal glaciers, sparkling caves, rainforests, fjords, fish-filled serene rivers, relaxing beaches, mud ponds and hissing springs. Take a look at the Scenic Highlights of New Zealand. New Zealand is also a hotspot for adrenaline-rush sports like water rafting, bungee jumping, paragliding, skiing, skydiving, mountain biking and many more.
The tourism and hospitality sector is dynamic, growing and a big business; and currently the second highest export earner in New Zealand. There are around 94,000 jobs in the sector, including few that feature on the skill shortage list. The demand for skilled staff will remain high due to the increase in the number of international tourists. The tourism industry is expected to grow by 11% annually till 2021. Read more about Tourism and Hospitality Jobs in New Zealand. Hence, there is not doubt that this is definitely among the top courses to study in Australia and New Zealand.
Creative Arts & Technology and Media Studies
The creative arts and technology industry in New Zealand is very reputed globally, and is a big contributor to the national economy. Some of the popular areas are film post-production, animation, game development, and digital content. Learn more about Creative and Digital Industries in New Zealand. Wellington has become a hot spot for film production and screen technology, and rightly termed as the Coolest Film Capital of the World. Post-production and animation for some of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters like Lord of The Rings, Harry Potter, The Hobbit, King Kong, and Avatar were done in New Zealand. In fact, the credit for the famous CGI-powered last scene of Late Paul Walker in the movie Furious 7 also goes to the New Zealand-based Weta Digital.
Creative arts and design courses in New Zealand are very popular among international students. There are lot of options to choose from – animation, fashion, graphic design, photography etc.
MBA
MBA is always a hot course to study abroad because of the career opportunities and earning potential. Australia has got quite a few top-notch MBA programs along with great return on investment. Below is the table of top MBA programs in Australia.
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Recommended Reading:
- Best MBA Programs without GMAT requirement
- Application Deadlines for MBA at Top Universities for 2017
Other Subjects
Few other courses that are also quite good in Australia and New Zealand along with good career job prospects are:
- Electrical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
- Electronics & Communication
- Biomedical Sciences (Pharmacology, Cancer Biology, Oral Biology, Molecular Biology & Genetics, Diagnostics & Instrumentation, Biomedical Engineering)
- Finance & International Business
- Insurance & Risk Management
- Education Management
Conclusion and My Advice for Study Abroad Aspirants
Another advantage of studying in one of the above subjects would be that apart from good job prospects in Australia and New Zealand, you can also have good immense job opportunities with decent pay package back in India as well. All the above fields do fall within top courses for best career opportunities anywhere in the world and also among the trending courses for study abroad. Even if you feel that there is some risk, it will be a calculated risk and worth taking. At the end of the day, not every international student will have a fairy tale study abroad experience. There will always be stiff competition to get a job after finishing your program. Here is a story of an Indian student with bad study abroad experience. So, it is very important to choose the course, the university, and the country very carefully. Choosing a good program at a good university does not always guarantee a job. The placement system in foreign universities does not work like in India. You will have to work hard during your studies and need to put effort to get the desired job. Here is my own story of job hunting after finishing studies in abroad. More often than not, you will need to take education loan in order to support your abroad education. So, do assess the risk factors. Have a look at how you can reduce the burden of bank loan for your abroad education.
But, don’t get scared. In order to have a great career, you will need to take few calculated risks. You will have to take that leap of faith. If you are having doubt, read if a Masters degree from abroad is worth. Do your research, ask experts, refer to University Rankings and take informed decisions. It’s important to play hard, but at the same time, you need to play safe as well. Both Australia and New Zealand are great destinations to study abroad. Career opportunities are really great. However, do not consider them as countries to get permanent residency (PR). They are much more than that.
More Details About Study Abroad Down Under
In case you want to have more details about the Top Courses to Study in Australia and New Zealand, top universities for those specific subjects, tuition fees, living expenses, part-time jobs, entry requirements, scholarships, salary structures (freshers and experienced professionals), and more about study abroad down under – please watch the following video: