Whats wrong with a career at VA?
Reasonably new equipment (mostly), stable rosters, generous employment conditions, get to stay in Aus or NZ, great crew to fly with........
I get QF would be most peoples first choice but VA is not a bad place to work and it certainly seems to be a much happier place than Jetstar, Tiger, the middle east or China.
Good Luck to those successful with their Qantas application. I'm sure its a great place to work but not everyone is going to get that job. Back in the day, those successful at AN may not have been elsewhere and vice versa.
One knock back does not mean you will be unsuccessful as an airline pilot somewhere else.