Not the nonsensical tv show from down under here in Oz, but the choice between working FIFO or being based in my adopted home town of Brisbane.
There are the pros and cons to consider: money versus sleeping in your own bed; big project budgets versus winning jobs by the skin of your teeth; engineers versus architects. On the face of it the decision is easy, but the main question is do we end up doing the job we enjoy or does the ebbs and flows of the construction industry force us into dongas we really don’t want to be in.
2013 is looking pretty bleak for the commercial construction industry in south-east Queensland. Too few projects, too many contractors, no government spending, and a looming second GFA. paradoxically the price of Iron ore is increasing. The major players in resources are looking at gearing up for new projects. So whilst the tower cranes of Brisbane languish in plant yards, the resources head hunters are smiling (again). In September 2012 Iron Ore was $90/tonne, today it is $145/tonne. I won’t bore you withe the maths but take one major port with 25 trains per day, hauling 125 cars with 50 tonne of ore in each, the price increase equates to $8.5M per day.
The emails from employment consultants to “catch up” have started. “Join me on LinkedIn” etc etc. Now the phone calls looking for PMs with resource experience for “immediate starts” are going to voicemail.
I think I need a break, oh we just had one.
PREMDALE CONSULTING 