Don’t get stuck at school if you hate it. There’s a better path for you.

WRONG WAY: Just stop going to school.

• People from the Department of Education will chase you up to find what’s going on.

• You will cut ties with your friends and your support network of teachers, student services, VET coordinators, career advisors at school. 

• You could end up alone and feeling lost. 

BETTER WAY: Do this preparation.

Step 1: Talk with family and friends

Don’t shock your family and friends by just dropping out of school. They will get upset and add to your stress. 

Talk with them, flag the idea of leaving school early. Ask what they think. Get their ideas and support. 

Step 2: Get expert information

Your Mum’s best friend or your maths teacher is not the expert that you need right now. There’s a lot to know about leaving school. Talk to an expert whose full time job it is to know about career pathways.  

This mind map provides links to expert information about leaving school in WA.  Play with different links to see what’s available. Write down questions to ask your career advisor. 

Meet with your school career advisor

Take a list of questions. 

• If you don’t know what you want to do, they will explore different opportunities with you. 

• They can help you to get a job application ready. 

• They can link you with an apprenticeship/traineeship company that employs lots of apprentices. 

Jobs and Skills Center free information and advice

Jobs and Skills Centres are co-located at TAFE colleges. There are 19 across WA and they provide free information, advice and support. 

Private Career Practitioners

Look up “career practitioners” in your “suburb”. There will be career practitioners who can be employed to guide you through the process from school into a job or further study. 

Step 3: How to leave school

• Get your career advisor and family to help you to arrange a full-time job, enrol in a full-time course or a combination of both. 

• Get your parents to fill out an Exemption from full time schooling and submit it to your school.

It needs to go to the Minister for Education. They won’t come back with a flat “no” but you may be asked to add some more information to your application. 

Once you have permission you can leave:

• Get a copy of your latest report.

• Get references from supportive teachers.

• Check with the front office to see if you have forgotten anything. 

Say goodbye to your life as a school student 

MORE INFORMATION

Common pathways from school

1. Nursing

2. Computing pathway – leave the pretty stuff for later

There are so many computing jobs. Learn the hard, foundation, boring stuff. It will put you way ahead of others who focus on pretty, creative computing. 

• Entry level IT at SM TAFE Murdoch Campus
• Get a computing job through WA Government Jobs
• Talks to a career counsellor at Murdoch Uni about IT courses
• Apply for credits from your TAFE studies at Murdoch uni.
• Do a computer degree.
• Get promotions at work.

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In Focus Careers News is the ultimate solution for high school career news and advice. Over 150 West Australian high schools already subscribing, our newsletter provides unbiased and up-to-date information on a wide range of career options.  Don’t miss out on this valuable resource – subscribe now and give your students the career guidance they need to take action.