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11 January 2005
My job at Spectra
I work at Spectra. It is a small company of about 20+ employees that is based in Malaga, 20 minutes north of Perth city. From my place in Waterford, that's about 30 minutes of driving each way to and from work for 5 days a week. Spectra manufactures analogue radio base stations and repeaters. These are then used in, say, a police headquarters so that they can communicate to their units on the road.
I am a Software Engineer. My job is to program and maintain the various software that the company uses, a large part that is the in-house testing software. All the base stations here need to pass through rigorous testing before it is sold. Recently though, I've been asked to do many graphic design related work, including designing the company website at spectreng.com.au
I started working for Spectra about a week after I finished my final University exams. I was doing my work experience initially for AUD100 a week. 3 months later I was officially employed with a starting annual salary of AUD2x,xxx. By April, I was up to AUD3x,xxx per annum. Just before last Christmas, I received yet another payrise - this time to AUD4x,xxx. In Australia, our dough is paid fortnightly. So this translates to AUD1,xxx.xx a fortnight, of which AUD408 is taken away by the taxman, leaving me AUD1,xxx to spend. By law, my company also have to pay an additional 9% of my income (AUD138.47) into my superannuation fund (or EPF). I am happy!
Whilst this is probably 3 times more than what an average Malaysian earns, bear in mind that Australia is the place where outside food costs on average AUD10 per meal, movie tickets are AUD15 per adult, petrol is AUD1 a litre and many other living expenses are 3 times as much as well. Add the cost of feeding a girlfriend's penchant for good food, good shoes and good handbags - I've got very very very little left for myself. Unfortunately. *sigh...*
:: Posted by Kenny at 11:36 PM | Link | Facebook It
:: Categorised as 'Re-discovering Myself'
8 Comments:
havent read your post for awhile. hehe.. ur condom post so funny. never knew UCB have condoms and the experiment too so constructive.
mmm at least u have a job. heaps of people out there are unemployed. eeeks im one of em! yikes..
Posted by: chrissie at 12 January 2005 2:20 PM | Link to comment
Constructive is not the word I'd describe my experiment! :)
I guess I'm lucky in a sense that I do have a job. Then again, with your qualifications you wouldn't have much issue getting employed either. Just a matter of luck I guess.
Posted by: Kenny Sia at 12 January 2005 5:29 PM | Link to comment
Hey Sia SiFu, *kowtow* they pay your EPF for you?! What the?! You forgot to add your own hype for designer, ok, SEMI-designer labels too =) Nic-converted! hehe.
Posted by: kimmik at 12 January 2005 11:34 PM | Link to comment
Kim - Damn! I kena exposed.
Posted by: Kenny Sia at 13 January 2005 9:22 PM | Link to comment
AUD1,xxx.xx a fortnight is not high. A software engineer should deserve more something like 70 to 100K/annum. Are you sure you're hired as a software engineer or assembler?
I wonder how come you did not go to UWA. Curtin Uni standard is far more lower than UWA and Edith Cowan.
Posted by: Ben at 31 January 2007 5:31 PM | Link to comment
Things takes time Ben, can't you see? :)
Posted by: Izwan at 27 May 2007 4:03 AM | Link to comment
hahaha...all the sampatsampat m'sian always say work overseas then got a lot of money readi...sampatsampat 1
Posted by: I'm A Chicken With No Name. BWAK BWAK BWAK! at 02 September 2007 12:38 PM | Link to comment
Tax also very high lor... But milk is cheap...
Posted by: The Horny Bitch at 26 November 2007 10:49 AM | Link to comment
com
