I never imagined as a 17-year-old that my own career would be so convoluted. It began with a somewhat disastrous choice of tertiary study but I have landed in the perfect role - one which didn’t exist when I left school.
A Year 12 student recently asked me whether, with hindsight, I would have chosen a different university course. I doubt it. In my teens, I followed external influences: well-meaning parental advice; an all-girls’ school encouraging me to break through the glass ceiling and embrace male-dominated bastions; a perception that a strong ATAR translates to a high course entry from which financial gains and immense satisfaction will follow. While these made sense to me at the time, I chose not to follow my interests, or my heart. This was a mistake. Research into university retention confirms that one of the key factors is intrinsic motivation – choosing a course that you are interested in, rather than one that will bring monetary reward or status.
How do students choose a university course?
The Universities Admissions Centre’s (UAC) 2022 Student Lifestyle Report, provides insight into the views, interests and behaviours of school leavers commencing university. Encouragingly, when choosing a course students rated a passion for the subject matter highest (81%). Their prospects of securing work in a related field (41%), work experience/internship opportunities (31%) and entry requirements (31%) came next. When commencing university, students were most excited about pursuing passions (71%), university social life (55%) and meeting new people (55%). My own career mirrors the fact that jobs are no longer linear. FYA’s New Work Order report series has highlighted the increasing dynamism and complexity of our working lives. Projections suggest a 15-year-old today will hold approximately 18 different jobs over six different careers in their lifetime.
The focus of Q Careers
At Queenwood, career education is intertwined with Wellbeing and Curriculum. From Year 10, students commence a career program with the aim of developing the lifelong discipline of self-efficacy, and holistically considering their interests, strengths, values, and how these influence decisions from subject selection to post-school plans and beyond. Throughout their senior years, students are challenged to continually self-reflect through careers profiling, work engagement, mock interviews, personal statements, career workshops and one-on-one counselling; they also explore future possibilities through tertiary campus visits, expos, university student ambassador presentations and connecting with alumnae. Learning how to explore options will stand them in good stead for the future, whether they choose to pursue university education or not.
Parental influences
When guiding our children as they contemplate the path beyond school, we may unwittingly inject our own preconceptions and experiences into the conversation. A 2021 Study, Work, Grow Report into parental engagement in career education confirmed that parents are the primary influence in their children’s decisions and that children often adopt unconscious parental aspirations. At the same time, parents often report they feel uninformed, time-poor, and lack confidence in the process, and may rely on knowledge and experience that is not up to date.
The number of tertiary options can be overwhelming. Universities may try to lure students with a huge range of “choose your own adventure” degrees that can paralyse an indecisive student. To alleviate the stress, students are encouraged to follow their curiosity and focus on what will engage them. All universities emphasise employability and job readiness through work-integrated learning embedded in all degrees.
A recent article in Forbes magazine proposed four key elements which help with managing rapid change and ongoing uncertainty. These very much align with Queenwood’s Year 12 themes of Wise Optimism and Virtue:
- Open-mindedness and curiosity for new opportunities
- Risk orientation: openness to exploration and possibilities
- Self-reliance: encompassing perseverance through adversity, responsibility, independence, drive, and motivation.
- Supportive relationships: This is where we, as adults, come in through listening, modelling, sharing our stories of disappointment, successes, risks, and failures. We don’t have to have all the answers but it will help if we are aware of our biases and know when to step back, even when we feel the urge to intervene.
Lifelong learning
So, if I had the chance to go back and change my immediate post school decisions, would I? No. I appreciate how a variety of jobs and degrees has helped me develop valuable skills, flexibility and pragmatism - all positive attributes for career and, more importantly, for life in general.
Over time, I learnt to seek out the most fulfilling roles and like-minded, supportive people. Now, I hope to guide young women to look beyond the choice of tertiary studies and to embrace who they are for the lifelong career journey.