i'm guessing you were an apprentice when other at uni, and from what I knew of tried apprenticeships straight out of school sucked massively.
best mate was a motor mechanic, 5200 a year first year.
another mate was an apprentice elect , around the samepay till hit 18, improved a bit,
but at 20 finished apprenticeship moved to perth and was on 120K doing work at the mines.
FIFO plus Union, PLUS explosives danger money...
(he was doing the electrical systems for the explosives carts in the mines)
where as his wife did uni, got degree, now a lawyer earning shit loads more than him...