I know that this forum isn't intended for this type of thing, but nonetheless...
There are relatively few places where I can ask this sort of thing without being laughed off, or having to pay, or being placed on some sort of watchlist as an "antivaxxer", especially now NNN is gone, so here we are...
Saying "private entity" felt wrong, in this case, because here I am referring to my University, which uhh, isn't private...
So then, here's the rub: my University wants to mandate that we, as students, need to be vaccinated. That's scary enough, but they specifically want to force us to take the AstraZeneca jab, because that is the only one currently available to people of our age group (i.e. students) across much of Australia. AZ is the one with most of the problems. That is what I really want to avoid, never mind the precedent of being forced to get a jab, overall, even just to complete my classes...
So... What do you think I should do? I'm serious, here. I'm not joking. I need this degree. I know education is overvalued. I know that. But I really do need this stupid piece of paper. So I wondered... What recourse do you think I have, to at least make them wait out a few months until Pfizer is available, if this goes ahead? Aside from "lawyering up", and becoming a "legal test case", that is..?
I should add that two companies in Aus, leaving aside the entire aged-care sector, already have vaxx mandates (fruit production, and an airline, FYI), so... The precedent has already been set.
But yeah, I'm worried about what this means, and I would genuinely appreciate your advice on this. Cheers in advance, and thanks for (hopefully) taking this somewhat seriously...
You said you needed the degree, but didn’t say why. Why do you need the degree?
Eh, money, basically...
It's very hard, in Aus, to make a decent living without a) a degree, or b) an apprenticeship, both of which take time and money... Especially if you are over 25, and don't have 10+ years experience in a single field, which I am, and do not.
I would argue the degree is the easier route (for me personally), and is easier to make money on the side at the same time, plus the construction industry, amongst other things, is ALSO mandating vaccines, so even if I went the apprenticeship route, it wouldn't help me avoid the thing I addressed in this post... Catch-22, and all that... Besides, I just... Don't think I'm cut out for an apprenticeship, and I hated Trades School, when I did go to it, lol...
But yeah, basically I just... It's hard to get by in Aus without any of the above, and I'm already several years down the "advanced degree path", hence why I just want to get it finished, and over with, and be qualified... Ideally without getting blood clots... :-/
Dang that sucks. Not familiar with the career options in Australia, but I wish you luck.
One thing I would say though is even if you are still enrolled in school just keep applying for places anyways and see if you can get something to stick without a degree. The interview experience will help at the very least.