Claire Pech – Careers Advisor

This week Adena Sheps in Year 10 had her blog published in Science 50:50 STEM Careers by the UNSW. It is a great take on Science jobs of the future, incorporating technology and creativity, and where she sees her passions taking her. Here is an excerpt of her work:

Science 50:50 STEM Careers Blog

I would love to be in a role titled ‘Creative Technologist’. The best part about being a Creative Technologist is that no one really knows what you do, so you can set your own rules. For me, it is all about combining a creative vision with technical knowledge to bring an idea to life. Technology is nothing without a great idea. The ability to think critically and creatively to solve problems is what fires my passion to push boundaries and make things happen. I am not an engineer, programmer, hardware developer, project manager, strategist, creative, or UX designer – I am all of these things!  Being multi-skilled is a must if I am to deal with the many transformative, aka disruptive, changes that will occur through the application of technology. I am going to rethink, redesign and restructure solutions to current and emerging challenges.

There are two challenging areas in which I wish to focus the application of STEM innovations. Firstly, I have an interest in assisting people with medical conditions to identify and monitor different types of diseases to improve diagnoses, options for treatment, as well as predict future health. I believe this could be achieved through a creative fusion of wearables, nanobots and radiomics. Collaboration would be needed between people skilled in technology and those concerned with public health such as doctors, radiologists, nurses, medical researchers and of course, patients. My interest in public health naturally extends into an interest in the quality of life. To this end, I would like to craft affordable solutions for everyday challenges for people with disabilities. This could be achieved by applying the use of 3D printers, machine learning and IoT to custom-build devices and platforms to suit the individual user and assist with simple repetitive tasks or improve mobility.

Secondly, I would also like to be recognised for defending the natural environment by applying STEM innovation to recycling, waste minimisation, substitution of materials such plastic, rubber, petrol and coal and more efficient usage of limited resources, such as fresh water. The focus would be on redesigning production processes, the end products themselves and any waste flows to make them more environmentally friendly, rather than trying deal with the treatment of pollution after the event. This requires a very different way of thinking, necessitating substantial organisational change which can only be achieved with support from businesses and governments. To successfully design economically viable solutions, technologists would need to work closely with those who care about the living environment including ecologists, biologists, engineers, physicists, climatologists, agriculturalists, researchers and conservationists, to name a few.

Clearly, there will be no shortage of work for me to do come 2030.  Many of the roles and job titles of the future will be ones we’ve not even thought of yet, though I am willing to bet Creative Technologist will be one of them. If you are the sort of person who is comfortable in an environment of change and love to experiment, then follow your passion in taking action towards your vision of the future, regardless of your job title.

Courses

Some fun and interesting courses that may stem from some of these industries are:

Bachelor of Creative Intelligence and Innovation (BCII): This relatively new degree (only studied in a combined format) from UTS attracts huge competition, driving up the ATARs and making graduates extremely employable with a multi-disciplinary skillset. If you mix this with fashion design the ATAR is currently at 99.95! You can couple it with Science, Engineering, Communications, Business, Management Design and lots more. Have a look at the combinations. The range is from 81 all the way up to the top!

www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/courses/uts/609495.shtml

The new degree that came out in 2017 is called the Bachelor of Technology and Innovation which is currently at 84.15.

www.uac.edu.au/undergraduate/courses/uts/609605.shtml

Careers with STEM Term 4 magazines

If you’re interested in studying or a career in science, technology, engineering or maths, you might want to check out the latest careers with STEM magazines. They are full of interesting and inspiring stories about where study in STEM can take you.

https://careerswithstem.com/read-it-here/

Defence jobs

For those of you interested in Defence jobs there are some information days coming up:

Defence information sessions and events

Parramatta:

16 November, Music Careers Information Session

20 November, Army Reserve Commando Info Session

22 November, Women in Defence Information Session

23 November, Engineering Careers Information Session

For Year 12s (2018)

Pros and cons of a double degree

https://year13.com.au/double-degrees-worth-it/ 

For previous Year 12s (2017)

A guide to changing preferences

This article is aimed at Victorian students and so some of their date information can be different, but it has useful tips for anyone planning on changing their university preferences.

Check it out – www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au/studying-training/changing-your-mind/a-guide-to-changing-your-preferences