Careers
Claire Pech – Careers Advisor
Last week I attended the Annual Careers Advisors conference held in Sydney, where school careers advisors from NSW meet to hear about what is happening in the career space. I went to an interesting workshop on matching up future careers with personality types.
We constantly hear about current jobs not being around in the future, so how can we future- proof against this? Careers change with technology but are not disappearing as we know it. Instead, the tasks within it will vary, for example marketing moving to digital marketing, and letters to the editor moving to social media, digital disruption to all sectors and so on.
So what skills do employers want?
- people who can communicate
- people who are creative
- people who have problem-solving skills
- people who can think critically.
Interestingly the HSC tests students as individuals, but the work force is all about collaboration and this is what needs to be taught. Luckily at Emanuel School we are trying to future-proof and we embed lots of tasks that foster collaboration (group work tasks), creativity (maker-spaces) and problem-solving skills (e.g Science week).
What type of personality are you? This can really help to find fulfilling work. Usually when people leave a job they say: “The job is just not me…” so it is important to ask the question “What is good for you…?” and to spend time trying to find this out.
MyCareerMatch sees four different dominant personality:
- Drivers – problem solving, ambition, confidence, leadership
- Promoters – presentation skills, enthusiasm, working in teams
- Supporters – supporting, helping, communicating skills
- Analysers – analysing data, computation, statistical analysis.
One hundred thousand Australian students surveyed from Year 9 to 12 had a split of:
- 35% – Drivers
- 31% – Promoters
- 21% – Supporters
- 13% – Analysers (interestingly this correlates well with the drop in STEM uptake).
Jennifer Baxter, Australian Institute of Family Studies, did some research on the Career Aspirations of Adolescents. She found that 90% of students who know what they want to do will speak to their parents. Only 25% of students spoke to their parents when they didn’t know what to do! Keeping the communication channels open is important, as these conversations are helpful for students. If students do not want to chat to parents, then make sure they are chatting to someone (careers advisor, teachers, family friends, relatives, coaches or any adult who can give sound advice).
Career articles, notices, dates
This is a great article was sent on to me by Andrew Watt on Ten things I wish I knew before attending Uni. I think every adult will be able to relate to these points and great advice for Years 11 and 12.
www.careerdiem.com/10-things-i-wish-i-knew-before-starting-university/
For those students who are interested and considering a double degree (something I strongly encourage), this short video from Monash University explains it well:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kC3JSy4sTKw
University of NSW – Art & Design campus tours
You can book a campus tour from mid November until the end of December at UNSW Art and Design. This is a great way to find out if this creative campus is for you.
www.eventbrite.com.au/e/unsw-art-design-paddington-campus-tours-tickets-42221232844
I was told I could never sustain myself with a creative career
This is a very positive article for anyone considering a creative career who is getting a negative press about entering the industry. Remember it is one person’s experience but has a very positive message.
www.fya.org.au/2018/04/04/make-a-living-creative-career/
(Source: MHSCareers, November 2018)