Stephen Charlton

You can gain IT job skills by completing vocational education and training, short courses and gaining practical experience in the field. Practical IT experience can be gained by freelancing, volunteering, working in related entry-level jobs and building a portfolio of projects. You may wish to publish your projects or contribute to collaborative open-source projects. Many IT professionals publish both types of projects on GitHub.

Projects that produce something that is used by you, or ideally other people, will be viewed most favourably, as they demonstrate the ability to solve real-world problems.

Vocational education and training can help you gain hands-on IT experience and expand your network. Together with a portfolio, such qualifications can be used to gain an entry-level IT job or freelance work. Such work experience can then allow you to move into more senior IT roles.

Vocational education and training can also provide an alternative pathway to meet entry requirements for higher education courses such as a bachelor’s degree, as opposed to year 11 and 12 coursework, and form the basis for entering the workforce with a higher qualification.

Networking in IT can advance your knowledge of the field and allow you to source recommendations for open positions.

There are various IT professional bodies in Australia that can offer networking opportunities through events and programs. Examples include the Australian Computer Society (ACS), Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), Tech Council of Australia (TCA), Australian Web Industry Association (AWIA) and Women in Technology (WIT).

You don’t need to know how to code to get a job in IT. Many jobs in IT require coding skills, but not all. IT is an expansive field that crosses over many disciplines and industries. Therefore, numerous jobs in IT do not require coding skills and instead rely more on interpersonal and creative skills such as project manager, business analyst, user experience (UX) designer, user interface (UI) designer and customer experience (CX) designer.

Occupational therapists help patients perform tasks in daily life, while physiotherapists help patients improve their movement, strength and function. The term occupation refers to everyday life tasks, while physiotherapy refers to physical therapy. Both are science-based allied health roles that aim to improve quality of life through prevention, maintenance and treatment.

You can become qualified to work as an occupational therapist by completing one of the following degrees, depending on your educational pathway:

• Master of Occupational Therapy (postgraduate degree)
  Average duration: 24 months
• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy (Honours)
  Average duration: 4 years
• Bachelor of Occupational Therapy
  Average duration: 4 years

You can become qualified to work as a physiotherapist by completing one of the following degrees, depending on your educational pathway:

• Doctor of Physiotherapy (postgraduate degree)
  Average duration: 3 years
• Master of Physiotherapy (postgraduate degree)
  Average duration: 24 months
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours)
  Average duration: 4 years
• Bachelor of Physiotherapy
  Average duration: 4 years

Yes, you need to complete an accredited degree to work legally as an occupational therapist or physiotherapist in Australia. The two core pathways are completing a bachelor’s degree or a postgraduate degree. The Occupational Therapy Council of Australia and Australian Physiotherapy Council are responsible for accrediting such courses.

Yes, overseas-qualified practitioners can work in Australia by registering with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia or Physiotherapy Board of Australia. Practitioners who are currently registered with the Occupational Therapy Board of New Zealand or Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand can apply directly for Australian registration. Other overseas-qualified practitioners have to fulfil the requirements listed on the relevant webpages of the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia and Physiotherapy Board of Australia.

If you have already completed an approved degree in a different discipline, you can gain an accredited postgraduate degree to become qualified to work as an occupational therapist or physiotherapist. Examples of such degrees are a Master of Occupational Therapy, Master of Physiotherapy and Doctor of Physiotherapy. Postgraduate degrees in these fields may have additional entry requirements, including but not limited to health-related prerequisite subjects.

In some cases, completing vocational education and training (VET) in a related discipline can allow you to meet the entry requirements for a bachelor’s degree in these fields.

Entry requirements vary between educational providers. Some providers offer a VET entry pathway with a minimum of a Certificate IV, but others require a minimum of a diploma or advanced diploma. Some providers do not offer a VET pathway for these courses at all. Therefore, it’s wise to confirm the entry requirements for your desired bachelor’s degree before starting a VET course.

In addition to completing an accredited degree, occupational therapists and physiotherapists will need to register with the Occupational Therapy Board of Australia or Physiotherapy Board of Australia to work in Australia.   The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) administers practitioner registration on behalf of these boards.   There are different requirements to gain registration for Australian-qualified practitioners, New Zealand-registered practitioners, and other overseas-qualified practitioners.

Career paths for these professions include independent contracting, starting a practice, working in community care, paediatrics, mental health, rehabilitation, disability, medical or aged care sectors).

Jobs and Skills Australia reports that the median full-time weekly earnings for occupational therapists and physiotherapists in 2024 are $1,526 and $1,710, respectively. These figures can be contrasted with Australian workers of all occupations, who earn a median full-time weekly income of $1,697.

There is a significant demand for occupational therapists across Australia. Jobs and Skills Australia’s Occupation Shortage List indicates that the labour market had a shortage of occupational therapists across all states and territories from 2022 to 2024.

There is substantial demand for physiotherapists in Australia. Jobs and Skills Australia’s Occupation Shortage List indicates that the labour market experienced a shortage of occupational therapists and physiotherapists in most states and territories from 2022 to 2024.

Working as an occupational therapist or physiotherapist comes with the satisfaction of directly helping to improve patients’ quality of life. Furthermore, the job market is promising, as Jobs and Skills Australia reports there is significant labour market demand for both professions. The future outlook is also positive, as Jobs and Skills Australia reports that the annual employment growth in 2024 for occupational therapists and physiotherapists is 2,200 and 4,100, respectively.