Your big dream might be something as broad as “I want to have an amazing life.” And that’s a great place to start.
No matter how ambitious your vision is, turning it into reality takes a clear, step-by-step plan. If you’re working towards a strong ATAR score, that plan becomes even more important—it’s the bridge between where you are now and where you want to go.
SMART Goals
While big-picture dreams give you direction, SMART goals help you focus. SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. They break your vision into practical, manageable steps—so instead of just dreaming big, you’re taking real action to get there.
Example of a SMART goal: I will improve my English result by 10% next term by asking my teacher, each week, for feedback and advice about what to work on next.
You can do SMART goals for each subject.
SWOT Analysis
Once you have your SMART goals, do a SWOT analysis. The SWOT will help you to understand your capacity to improve your score.
Brainstorm your ideas. Have a friend help you for more ideas, or you can just do it alone.
Turn Ideas into Action: A USED Analysis is your plan for ATAR success
Once you’ve completed your SWOT analysis you’re ready to take the next step: turning insight into action.
How to Do a USED Analysis
Set aside 10 focused minutes. Look at each point in your SWOT and ask yourself:
How can I Use my strengths to support my ATAR goals? Maybe you’re naturally organised or confident in a particular subject—how can you build on that?
What do I need to Stop doing that’s holding me back? Are procrastination or poor time management dragging your results down?
What opportunities can I Exploit? Are there extra tutorials, mentoring, study groups, or resources available that you haven’t tapped into yet?
How can I Deny or reduce the impact of threats? Is stress, burnout, or a lack of support threatening your progress? What strategies or supports can help?
Example USED Analysis for an ATAR Student
At the end of your USED analysis, your ideas are a list of actions. These actions are your key to success. By undertaking these actions, you will achieve your goal.
Success Planning
Your USED analysis has given you a list of tasks that will lead you to your goal. Work with your list:
Choose the task that you want to do first.
Figure out WHEN you are going to do the first task.
When will it be finished?
How will you know you have done it successfully?
Create your plan for four actions that you want to do first.
Congratulations – you have your plan
You are now well on the way to achieving your best possible ATAR score. You have your plan. You know what to do.
Subscribe to In Focus Careers to find where to focus your efforts.
Make sure our kids have careers in a strong economy:
✔ Check the label – Look for Australian-made and owned products whenever you shop. You can find a list of those with the Australian-made logo HERE.
✔Hassle Bunnings/Office Works/Big W – Make some noise. Be a nuisance by asking big retailers for their Australian made products.
✔ Support local businesses – Whether it’s boots, clothing, food, or wine, choosing Australian-made keeps profits here.
✔ Spread the word – Share this story and encourage others to support local.
An Ugg Boot Story
About 20 years ago a friend’s parents were building their ugg boot business from their shed on their orchard near Bullsbrook. They were making a steady income by selling their boots at markets and through a few retail outlets.
The Bombshell
One day they got a letter from a copyright lawyer in the USA. The letter said they couldn’t call their ugg boots “ugg” boots anymore as it is a trademark name owned by a multi billion dollar US company.
They were devastated. They had built a shed on their property, invested in machinery and were establishing a network of suppliers and buyers.
The Power of Trademarks to Kill a Business
My friend and I worked for the WA Department of Commerce and Trade so we went downstairs and talked to our copyright lawyers. That started what became an Australia-wide fight by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and lots of small businesses, to prove that “ugg” is a regular Australian word, not a trademark.
Small Wins
After 2 decades of fighting, Australian businesses can only use “ugg” in Australia and New Zealand.
In other countries “ugg” is a brand name. Australian ugg boot manufacturers have been sued for letting people in the US buy their ugg boots online.
If you want Australian ugg boots, look for “Ugg Boots Made in Australia”and the green and gold “Made in Australia” tag.
This is just one way that the USA has used trademarks and legal action to stop Australian businesses. Now they are threatening tariffs on Australian products.
The Good News
The good news is that there are only 340 million people in the USA in a world of over 8 billion and there are lots of markets for iron ore, coal and education related services.
It’s small businesses that will need our help.
Buy Australian-Made!
Many of the products on the Australian Made site are made by small businesses, like the ugg boot makers. Their capacity to sell online to the USA will be restricted by tariffs or by unfair copyright laws.
We can stand up for Australian businesses and jobs for our kids:
✔ Check the label – Look for Australian-made and owned products whenever you shop. You can find a list of those with the Australian-made logo HERE.
✔Hassle Bunnings/Office Works/Big W – Make some noise. Be a nuisance by asking big retailers for their Australian made products.
✔ Support local businesses – Whether it’s boots, clothing, food, or wine, choosing Australian-made keeps profits here.
✔ Spread the word – Share this story and encourage others to support local.
We need to be in this together to make sure our kids have careers in a strong Australian economy. It’s time to buy Australian.
Subscribe to In Focus Careers News
Keep up to date with West Australian careers information. Subscribe to In Focus Careers News.
In March I sent out three simple work booklets to help career teachers to prepare their students for the Careers Expo.
Book 1 – Pre Expo Preparation
Book 2 – At the Expo
Step 3 – Post Expo Presentation
They have been a hit.
They are so simple that I nearly didn’t send them out. Apparently simple has been “so useful”.
You still have a few weeks before the Expo. You don’t need to subscribe to In Focus Careers News, just put some work into preparing your students for the Expo and give them some tasks to help them to focus their attention and to recall what they learned.
Tip
Make sure students plan to go through the Expo with a buddy so that they can share what they learn.
Subscribe to In Focus Careers News
Keep up to date with West Australian careers information. Subscribe to In Focus Careers News.
Mount Lawley ECU Campus is to close at the end of this year.
Some faculties, like Business, IT and Creative Industries, which includes WAAPA, are moving to the new ECU campus being built next to Perth train station.
The Teacher Education School is to be split across both Joondalup and the city campus.
Bachelor of Education Early Childhood Studies
This degree will be available at Joondalup, South West and online in 2025.
Bachelor of Education Primary
This course is available at Mt Lawley, Joondalup, South West and online in 2025.
Bachelor of Education Secondary
In 2025 this course is available at Mt Lawley and Joondalup. It will be split in 2026 depending on what you major in.
Students may be required to attend both Joondalup and Mount Lawley campuses depending on their selected major and minor combination.
I’m Sad to See Mt Lawley Close
ECU evolved out of Claremont Teachers’ College which opened in 1902. Half of my family did their teacher education at Claremont Teachers’ College or at ECU in Mt Lawley.
Claremont Teachers’ College. Picture from SIDE
In 1982 Claremont Teachers’ College merged with other providers of teacher education across WA and then evolved into ECU which has been a centre of excellence for teacher education in WA. It is still be biggest provider of teacher education in WA.
I hope it manages to maintain its reputation as a great provider of teacher education through the transition.
On 1 January 2025 Wage Theft became a Criminal Offense in Australia
Young West Australians are frequently underpaid or asked to do unpaid work.
Just clean up those tables and wash the dishes before you go will you?
Wage theft is tricky
You usually like your boss and you are happy to stay back and do a bit of extra unpaid work after your official knockoff time.
Maybe your boss lets you have a free coffee or food.
Maybe you get to roster off when you have an exam coming up or a special event. Maybe they drive you home after they have closed the business for the day. A good workplace has flexibility that supports both the employer and employee.
When you suspect you are being ripped off, you may be prepared to wear it, because the cost of questioning their boss could be that you lose your job.
Employment conditions are often flexible. Determining if you are being ripped off could be difficult.
If you suspect you are being ripped off, the first place to go for advice is probably your union.
You don’t have to be a member to make an enquiry and they will be able to tell you who is best person to sort out the situation.
You can contact an Australian Union by calling 1300 486 466 or by visiting australian.unions.org.au.
Making deliberate wage theft a criminal offence is designed to give back some power to workers.
The Fair Work Ombudsman will provide employers with free information and advice on appropriate wages and conditions.
You can try to protect yourself from wage theft by getting you part time job with big employers, like McDonalds, Bunnings and Woolworths. These workplaces have human resource management systems, and managers who are trained to ensure your wages and conditions are correct.
But each of these big employers has been found to unintentionally underpay workers.
Even big employers can make a mistake. But sometimes underpayment is not a mistake.
You can email Wageline at wageline@demirs.wa.gov.au
You can submit an anonymous tip-off to the Fair Work Ombudsman
Write to Wageline to Locked Bag 100, EAST PERTH WA 6892
Fair Work Ombudsman online
You can contact the Chamber of Commerce & Industry WA for advice on employment laws and other human resource matters.
You can contact the Australian Taxation Office if your matter is about superannuation.
To stay up to date with career news in Western Australia. Subscribe to In Focus Careers
Each month In Focus Careers delivers a magazine full of education, employment and training news and opportunities designed to make sure everyone has the opportunity to find their path to their best life.
All the usual suspects, defence, police, NDIS, the Construction Training Fund and resources were there, but there were new ones.
YES Program
Youth in Emergency Services (YES) was new to me. If you are 11 – 18 you can become a YES cadet and train with emergency services volunteers on land and on the sea.
There are branches all over the state. Find the one closest to you HERE.
National Institute of Training
This RTO was new to me. They had these horrible robotic dogs that attracted lots of attention!!
Turns out their batteries run low, so they aren’t totally terrifying.
Lots of visitors were asking about their courses which attract the same government subsidies as those at TAFE colleges.
ASC told us to get a “Deeper Purpose”
Eye roll! ASC is the Australian Submarine Company. It builds and maintains submarines!
They are based at the Henderson and at Garden Island. You can get details of their apprenticeship opportunities HERE.
Development WA (traineeships coming)
This is the State government’s land and development agency. They do big industrial, residential and strategic projects.
You can check their current projects HERE. They are going to be advertising traineeships later this year.
Energy Skills Solutions
They provide skills needed to supply electricity. Heavy duty solutions that go way beyond domestic electricity. I think this will become a peak career as renewable energy projects come on line and transmission networks need to be built.
Every non traditional occupation seemed to have realized that they have only been recruiting from half the population. Mining and construction companies had pictures of women in high viz PPE using welding irons and climbing up scaffolding. The Construction Training Fund is doing what it can to create gender inclusive courses and workplaces. If you are a girl interested in these high paid jobs, contact CTF for information and support.
Want More?
I will write up more targeted information in the September In Focus Careers News.
For the latest career information for West Australian High School Students subscribe to In Focus Careers News.
If you missed the Big Day In at ECU you missed hearing about digital twins.
Digital Twins from TATA Consulting
Digital Twins are the most exciting IT development I have heard of since ChatGPTburst into my world in late 2022. Like generative AI, digital twins hummed along under my radar some time.
TATA Consulting showed us their work on digital twins, and they are a seriously cool way of learning. Tushar Arora, from TATA told us about creating a digital twin replica of an electric “Formula E” Jaguar sports car.
As the real car races around the track they collect thousands of data points, then create a digital twin using that data. They then test hypotheticals on the twin to adjust performance. The twin gives feedback and they keep modifying.
I checked out digital twins online and found it is possible to create digital models of anything.
They have been used by BMW to create a digital twin of its factory, a replica of the Thames Water System was used to plug leaks, Tata Steel used digital twins to support radical innovation of a steel plant HERE.
Imagine the applications in sport.
MY MIND BOGGLED
We also heard from:
Microsoft, Bankwest, Wisetech, Woolworths & ASD
Michelle Sandford from Microsoft
Michelle is excited about the growing world of generative AI. She showed us a program she had developed to detect fake pictures.
Bankwest IT
Three Bankwest interns spoke about the IT opportunities available through banking.
All three were more interested in data analysis and designing business systems than in cyber securlty. They said that if you like the ongoing challenge of solving complex problems, IT could be the career path for you.
Wisetech Global – Get paid to work and study straight out of school
Wisetech Global is an Australian company that, like Canva, that has great employee reviews and which gives back to the community.
They have formed an alliance with the University of Technology Sydney where 100 year 12 scholarship winners get paid work at Wisetech and have their university fees paid as they study a computer science degree.
Wisetech Student Representatives said that they get to use what they are working on in their uni assignments and they get to use what they learn at uni in their WiseTech work.
You don’t need to be a maths superhero to win a place in this program but all three of the WiseTech student reps were pretty special. Apply for the program HERE.
Wisetech also supports the Grok Academy which provides free IT education resources.
Big Data at Woolworths
Ben Hagan worked part time at Woolworths while he went to school at Governor Stirling.
He did his computer science degree at Curtin and worked at Deloitte before returning to Woolworths where he has taken up an internship working for the extended Woolworths group of organisations.
Ben is on his third of four X six month mentored postings on different projects throughout the company.
Ben had the quote of the day:
We are swimming in data and the tide is rising.
Australian Signals Directorate
The Australian Signals Directorate defends Australia from global threats. It is the big player in cyber security in Australia.
It has work experience for high school students. You have to go to Canberra but there are travel subsidies but you are responsible for your own accommodation which I am sure Rotary in Canberra could help to find.
They also have apprenticeships across a range of occupations. Get details HERE.
Australian Computer Society
The Big Day In is a national IT careers showcase put on for schools by the
Students are invited to join the ACS to meet people in the industry and talk to students who are currently studying IT degrees at uni.
Subscribe to In Focus Careers News Now
I work to democratise career information so that ALL students have every opportunity to find their dream career. Subscribe to In Focus Careers to know outstanding career information for West Australian students.
About 20 years ago a friend’s parents were building their ugg boot business from their shed on their orchard near Bullsbrook. They were making a steady income by selling their boots at markets and through a few retail outlets.
If you suspect you are being ripped off, the first place to go for advice is probably your union. 
As the real car races around the track they collect thousands of data points, then create a digital twin using that data. They then test hypotheticals on the twin to adjust performance. The twin gives feedback and they keep modifying. 
TCS Digital Twin Technology
Michelle Sandford from Microsoft
Ben is on his third of four X six month mentored postings on different projects throughout the company. 
The 