Careers classes

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Group of seven children dressing up in professions

This week at pre-school my daughter (who is 5) was asked: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The answers were sent to us in her weekly newsletter.

I liked that 3/13 just wanted to be themselves or maybe they didn’t understand the question. How many adults who are in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s get asked this question? I think it is something we should continually ask ourselves. Even though we have ‘grown up’, we still should be asking:-

• “What do I want to be, now that I am grown up?”
• “What job would I like to have?”
• “What skills would I like to use in my preferred job?”
• “What jobs have I thought I would be great at, but I am too scared to try?”

From the age of pre-school onwards we are gearing up for big questions that naturally and obviously change over time. I love finding out what people wanted to be when they were young, or at school.

On the weekend, I was talking to a past Year 12 student about her UAC choices and whilst she hadn’t figured out all her answers, telling me that she had thought of becoming a nurse, a teacher, a social worker was a very clear indicator that her preferred job was going to be in a people-based industry, and most likely helping others in some capacity. It can be really helpful and give us insights into future thoughts, ideas and skills. Some of the Year 12s will be thinking about this a lot, now that their HSC is over and the waiting game for ATAR time is around the corner.

HSC results

HSC results are released Thursday 14 December and ATARs are released at 9 am Friday 15 December. Students will have the weekend to re-arrange their preferences. By Sunday night they have to lock in their preferences as they cannot make any changes after that date.

I will be at school on Friday 15 December for any ’emergency’ meetings for students who feel they have to rethink their strategy – which can sometimes happen for those who get ATARs much higher than they thought, and for the other end of the scale also. I advise Year 12s to have a few game plans for various options – a dream option, a few realistic options and then a Plan B or a lower option in case it doesn’t go according to plan.

Find out which occupations have skills shortages

For those students interested in seeing where there are some skill shortages, have a look at this website. There are shortages for architects, surveyors, sonographers, audiologists and veterinarians, and many trades need more qualified people. This particular list is for NSW alone:- https://docs.employment.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/skillshortagelistnsw_6.pdf

On a more general national level: www.employment.gov.au/occupational-skill-shortages-information

My Health Career videos

These videos from My Health Career provide insights into studying and working in a variety of health professions: www.myhealthcareer.com.au/videos

Social media and jobs

I always talk to Year 12s about when they enter the workforce and how their social media presence will most likely be vetted by future employers, which is why it is so important to be aware of what you like, post, tweet and so on. It is not just your ‘social’ life but also your online presence that can be viewed by anyone.

http://this.deakin.edu.au/career/does-censoring-yourself-on-social-media-help-your-job-chances

Future Kids vet camp

Please see January holiday flyer for Years 9 and Year 10 students interested in animals and veterinary science in the ‘Community announcements’ section.