From farmhand to surveyor: Albury student’s unlikely career change

Key points

• Shaun Sargeant, formerly a farmhand in the Indigo Valley, has started a new career as a surveyor. After seeking advice from a TAFE NSW careers counsellor, he completed a Certificate III in Surveying and Spatial Information Services through online classes.
• He now works as a surveyor's assistant at Axis Surveys in Ipswich and is studying for a Certificate IV.
• Jobs and Skills Australia reports about 9700 surveyors nationally, with a predicted shortfall of 2000 by 2029.