Perth FIFO worker Alex Schubach reveals the massive change he made after leaving mining industry

He went from earning almost $300,000 a year in FIFO to working at a Japanese pub for $13 an hour — and Alex Schubach says he’s the happiest he’s ever been.

The Perth man spent ten years in WA’s FIFO industry, primarily employed as an electrician, working for gas and green energy companies.

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.

“I worked hard, played hard and I just loved being a specialist technician,” he said.

After spending years climbing the ranks at a range of big companies like Tesla and Fortescue, Mr Schubach’s world was turned upside down in 2024 when his role was suddenly made redundant.

“It was a bit sad for sure, as I had dedicated my career at that point to working fly-in-fly-out,” he told PerthNow.

After ending his time in FIFO, the former tradie took the “once-in-a-lifetime” chance to spend the remainder of the year travelling the globe and immersing himself in international cultures.

When he returned to Perth in early 2025, Mr Schubach said he realised he needed to do something more permanent with his life.

“I just thought ‘I’ve got to get out of here’ — not because I didn’t love WA, I absolutely do, but I really had to make a change,” he said.

Reflecting on his life, he realised he wanted to take a leap and pursue his passion: Japanese food and culture.

“It sounds cliché 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?,” he said.

“I came to realise I wanted to bring people together with food and culture — I spent almost four years operating a farmer’s market stall across Perth for Japanese street food in my spare time, and I really just felt such a pure joy during it.”

The 32-year-old sold all of his belongings and moved his life to Japan to pursue his passion.