Why being a tradie can be better than working in an office

Our backyard has developed a life of its own - the grass is knee-high and the weeds are taller than we are.

The flyer that came in our mailbox promised lawn mowing from $24.95, which sounded enticing.

I rang the number, and the franchisee for our area came by.

As I took him around, I specified the job:

• Mowing of nature strip and backyard
• Removal of rubbish 
• Removal of weeds
• Removal of one dead tree
• Trimming of hedges and shrubs for front yard and backyard

He quoted me $520.

After years of talking to different tradies, having your own business as a tradie sounds more lucrative than being an office worker. You get to go on holidays and spend the weekends with family, but you choose your hours and your rates.

After taking into consideration the number of hours the average office worker spends at work plus time spent commuting, the tradie may well make more than the office worker, especially if you've built up a decent client base.

Something for tertiary-educated new migrants to think about?