heya redsnail, cheers for the response.
Yeah, I was very much aware of the relative lack of jobs in Aus for aviation-adjacent aero eng, and honestly wouldn't have had an awful problem with leaving. Of course, this was before covid... Currently looking at second year. I think the past year or so has probably wizened me up to the fact that I'm not super likely to get a job designing anything, and I've realised that instead I really wouldn't mind doing the actual flying itself though. Although I very much appreciate in the coming years its all about a diverse skillset and all those buzzwords. They're buzzwords for a reason!
As for qantas: I appreciate they (like most airlines) require a fair amount of experience. I know for this kind of thing dad did a lot of flying around Exmouth as a low-time pilot, and i think he quite enjoyed that. I wouldn't mind either staying in Melbourne or leaving honestly, I'm very open to chasing it. If its not a hassle to ask, what would be the pros and cons of each decision?
5 years until I have a chance doesn't sound awful to be honest, thats definitely something I can stomach. I understand that currently its about the recency of a lot of pilots after covid, with operations opening back up, and maybe not so much on people fresh into the system.
Anyway, thanks! Already things have been cleared up a lot.