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Camera IconThe Perth-raised man wanted a change after a redundancy ended his decade in the FIFO industry. Credit: Alex Schubach<\/p>\nHe went from earning almost $300,000 a year in FIFO to working at a Japanese pub for $13 an hour \u2014 and Alex Schubach says he\u2019s the happiest he\u2019s ever been.<\/p>\n
The Perth man spent ten years in WA\u2019s FIFO industry, primarily employed as an electrician, working for gas and green energy companies.<\/p>\n
He spent his 20s as a contractor completing long swing shifts, where he said he would spend up to six weeks at a time on mining sites across WA.<\/p>\n
\u201cI worked hard, played hard and I just loved being a specialist technician,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After spending years climbing the ranks at a range of big companies like Tesla and Fortescue, Mr Schubach\u2019s world was turned upside down in 2024 when his role was suddenly made redundant.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a bit sad for sure, as I had dedicated my career at that point to working fly-in-fly-out,\u201d he told PerthNow.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had really believed and dedicated myself to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After ending his time in FIFO, the former tradie took the \u201conce-in-a-lifetime\u201d chance to spend the remainder of the year travelling the globe and immersing himself in international cultures.<\/p>\n
Camera IconThe Perth-raised man wanted a change after a redundancy ended his decade in the FIFO industry. Credit: Alex Schubach<\/p>\n
When he returned to Perth in early 2025, Mr Schubach said he realised he needed to do something more permanent with his life.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just thought \u2018I\u2019ve got to get out of here\u2019 \u2014 not because I didn\u2019t love WA, I absolutely do, but I really had to make a change,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Reflecting on his life, he realised he wanted to take a leap and pursue his passion: Japanese food and culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt sounds clich\u00e9 but I asked myself: Who am I? What do I want to contribute to the world? Do I want to keep working in FIFO or mining?,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to realise I wanted to bring people together with food and culture \u2014 I spent almost four years operating a farmer\u2019s market stall across Perth for Japanese street food in my spare time, and I really just felt such a pure joy during it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 32-year-old sold all of his belongings and moved his life to Japan to pursue his passion.<\/p>\n
The Perth man got a job working in a Tokyo bar while he navigated the legal bureaucracy involved in starting a tourist business on the island nation.<\/p>\n
He revealed the dramatic lifestyle change from FIFO worker to expat was \u201chumbling\u201d for him, but stressed that the transition to living in Japan had been exceedingly positive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went from earning $299,000 a year in 2024 to making $13 an hour working at a bar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sleeping on the floor of my house in Japan, but I don\u2019t feel like a lesser version of myself compared to when I was living on the beach in Swanbourne making these stupid amounts of money.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s still a humbling experience however, going from not worrying about money to having to put (finances) in a different bucket in your mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Camera IconThe 32-year-old West Aussie started a tour guide company called Welcome to JPN. Credit: Alex Schubach<\/p>\n![\"Alex](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/a4229ac19e3e8a9143345c90957201ad8c524c9b.jpg\")
Camera IconAlex in Japan with his best mate Sebastian. Credit: Alex Schubach\/Alex Schubach<\/p>\n