Did the drivers of the uni bus visit you at school and sell you a ride?
Are your parents frightened that if you don’t get off the bus you will get lost?
Just because the university bus is ready to pick you up from school, doesn’t mean that you have to get on.
Maybe you need to wait for the next bus. Maybe you want to get on the backpacker bus. Or the travel bus. Or the Harvest Trail bus. Or the job bus.
If you are not sure what to do at uni, DON’T GET ON THE BUS.
Defer University for a Year
If you are not sure what course you want to do, you can still apply for a place at uni and, once you get offered a place, defer taking it up for a year.
After working for a year you will have a clearer idea about which units to enrol in.
Buying a uni course is not like buying a car. You can’t sell your used course to the next buyer who comes along.
If you get off the bus before you get to the destination YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY.
If you fail, you still have to pay.
If you change courses, you still have to pay for the part you used of the one you left behind.
TAFE
There are hundreds of courses available through TAFE. If you are unsure what course you might like to do or how to enrol find a Jobs and Skills Centre near you for career guidance.
Many TAFE courses are now on a free list.
You can do a trade course or a course that reflects 21st Century jobs in cyber security, dental technology, and agriculture.
Lots of TAFE courses earn credits at uni.
Still not sure which ride is best for you?
If you are tired of trying to decide what to do and feeling overwhelmed by your choices it may be time to think about hiring a Certified Career Advisor to guide you towards your ideal next chapter.
Infocus Careers is an independent organisation which is solely supported by insanely great subscribers who share information with me, support each other and help me to pay my bills.
I can talk about careers under water so if you would like to chat about how I can help you to improve your career or the services you deliver, give me a ring on 0434056412 or email me at Bev.J@infocus-careers.com.au
At a recent university seminar for career practitioners, one speaker complained about West Australian school leavers not going to uni.
No wonder they aren’t going.
There is such a critical skills shortage happening that employers are ringing schools asking if there are any suitable students for great jobs with career prospects. Students can walk out of school and straight into a job with an okay salary.
The State Government has been pouring money into vocational education and training. There is a bigger variety of courses, they are cheap or free and many give credits to uni degrees.
Uni courses are expensive.
Why would you go to uni?
Those who are not sure what uni to go to, or what they want to study, still get onto the uni bus because:
Their friends are going to uni and they don’t want to be left behind.
The uni bus came for them while they were at school so they bought a ticket.
Their parents told them to get on the bus.
Teachers knew about the uni bus and talked about their experiences in a positive way.
Just because the university bus is ready to pick you up from school, doesn’t mean that you have to get on.Maybe you want to get on the backpacker bus. Or the Harvest Trail bus. Or the VET bus. Or the job bus.
Very few students are 100% sure of the university course that they want to take. About 30% realize that the course they are studying is not the right one for them, and they change direction. Others drop out altogether and end up feeling like they have failed.
If you are not sure what to do at uni, DON’T GET ON THE BUS.
The uni bus fare is expensive
Buying a uni course is not like buying a car. You can’t sell your used course to the next buyer who comes along.
If you get off the bus before you get to the destination YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY.
If you fail, YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY.
If you change courses, YOU STILL HAVE TO PAY for the part of the course you used before you changed direction.
You can estimate how much your degree is going to cost you by using the UWA fees calculator
Defer uni for a year
If you are not sure what course you want to do, you can still apply for a place at uni and, once you get offered a place, defer taking it up for a year.
After working for a year you will have a clearer idea about which units to enrol in.
Vocational Education and Training has been the winner in the post-school revolution in Western Australia. In an effort to support industry, the West Australian government has been introducing short courses, skills sets, and employer subsidies. Industry has been partnering with training providers to deliver skills on the worksite. There are hundreds of courses available. If you are unsure what course you might like to do or how to enrol find a Jobs and Skills Centre near you for careers guidance. It’s free. They can tell you what courses will give you credits at uni.
You HAVE to do post-school learning
You can’t just leave school and never study again. Okay, you can, but poverty could be your lifelong friend.
People who have post-school qualifications earn more money and have more life choices.
The world isn’t going to stop changing just because you aren’t learning new skills.
You need to keep up with changes in the world of work either by learning on the job, or online or in a classroom. Getting tickets, qualifications, and recognition for your learning will help you to have choices and steer your career in different directions. The skills you gain may even get you credits in some units at uni.
Take Your Time
More haste less speed is an old saying.
It means, don’t rush into things.
If you are not sure what direction to take, slow down and look around. There are many directions to take as you leave school. Uni is just one of them.
To keep up to date with career news for West Australians, subscribe to In Focus Careers
Sending a new apprentice to Bunnings for a can of striped paint.
Forcing new employees to clean work toilets with a toothbrush.
Telling the new employee to drink goldfish water.
Just a bit of fun
Bosses laughed at these workplace initiation rituals which were designed to humiliate new workers. They were seen as “Just a bit of fun”.
Laughing at the new workers’ humiliation shows poor leadership and flags a shitty work environment.
These “fun” pranks are called “psychosocial hazards” and they can impact on the physical and mental health of workers.
Psychosocial hazards include:
bullying
excessive work demands, and
poor leadership practices
It just got harder to ignore, overlook or explain away psychological hazards as “just a bit of fun”.
New Code to create great workplaces
There is a new Code of Practice called Psychosocial Hazards in the Workplace Code of Practice published by the WA Occupational Safety and Health Commission to support changes to the WA Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Implications for School Students
Work Experience
Doing work experience or work placements is usually pretty safe. Any organisation that is willing to volunteer to support your school has their heart in the right place.
School based traineeships and apprenticeships
Students doing school based traineeships and apprenticeships may be more at risk as they are in the workplace longer and may be in workplaces where there aren’t many people.
Part time work
Part time workers are most at risk. Young part time workers have low status in the workplace and are vulnerable to being treated badly.
Get to know the Code of Practiceso that you know what your rights are. Part time workers are usually not members of a union so they can’t relay on support if they are treated badly. The Code of Practiceis designed to support you and other vulnerable workers and you don’t need to be a union member to get this protection.
There will be workplace procedures set up so that employees have someone to talk to about bad work practices. Workplace inductions will need to make sure that new workers are aware of how to make a complaint.
There will need to be plans to eliminate toxic work practices.
Hopefully support for young FIFO workers will improve, women will face less harassment in mining sites and isolated workplaces will need to be safe for all workers.
Danielle Kabilio told me about these changes when we were having a coffee last week. She is a Psychosocial Coach at Careers West and is helping workplaces to put in new systems and managing grievances that must be addressed under this Code of Conduct.
She sent in information and links for me to pass on.
Subscribe to In Focus Careers News to discover career opportunities in Western Australia
“Sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down.”― Kobi Yamada
It takes courage to take the leap from school and out of a supportive education and training world. These gap year ideas may help you to build your wings.
Volunteer Overseas
Projects Abroad
With projects based on the edge of the world’s best safari and close to Mount Kilimanjaro, it’s no wonder that Tanzania is one of our most popular destinations.
We’ve been based in Tanzania for over 12 years, giving us time to cultivate meaningful placements. Why not explore this magical country and leave a positive impact of your own?
In Tanzania, you’ll help support Maasai communities. Consider the following options:
The horticulture industry relies on people to pick their fruit and veggies. In the past the pay and conditions have been shocking, but the pandemic caused the industry to change work practices. The Harvest Trail is a more regulated employment trail for nomads.
If you’re 18-25 and looking to start a career in a meaningful and exciting industry, an AgCAREERSTART gap year will help you gain skills and knowledge to grow the farms of the future.
Over 10-12 months you will live in an exciting regional location, earn a nationally recognised qualification and build life-long industry connections.
Get hands-on experience
Increase your confidence
Work outdoors and discover rural and regional Australia
Working as a CBH harvest casual is a great opportunity to explore, live, work and immerse yourself in regional Western Australia (WA) for a short period of time while earning decent wages.
CBH manages sites all across regional WA where our growers deliver their grain once it has been harvested, and each year we recruit a pool of harvest employees to help us keep these sites moving, getting growers and transporters in and out safely, quickly and back to harvesting.
The boom in tourism within Australia is being slowed by the shortage of workers in resorts, coffee shops, motels, road houses and caravan parks.
Sandfire Roadhouse
Look for these jobs on sites like Seekor phone/email the local tourist bureau and ask where to find a job in the area.
If you are 18 you can earn more money serving alcohol than cleaning or serving in a cafe. You will need your Responsible Service of Alcohol certificateto be able to work serving alcohol.
If you can find a job in a resort or motel chain, take that, it is more likely to pay sick leave, holiday pay and superannuation. Wherever you get a job, make sure your pay and conditions are legit. Ring or email the Fair Work Ombudsman if you need to check.
Work on a Station
Can’t ride a motor bike or muster cattle? Maybe you can make scones or serve coffee.
Ellenbrae Station, halfway between Derby and Kununurra, sells thousands of scones to tourists who travel up the Gibb River Road every year.
Ellenbrae Station Scones
Most stations supplement their incomes through tourism.
If you can clean you can probably find a job supporting the station tourism industry. Look for jobs on sites like Seek.
Defence
Gap Year in Defence (skip this section if you don’t want to try defence opportunities)
The Australian Department of Defence provides a structured, paid path to discover lots of stuff.
You meet lots of new people from different places and find out about their lives. You will probably make friends for life with people you meet at this time.
You get to leave home without having to pay for rent, electricity and food.
You learn new skills. Trying lots of different roles and learning new skills will help you to decide what you like and don’t like, without spending time and money at uni or TAFE.
You find out about life in the army, navy or air force.
Army Reserves – if you would like to serve part time
If you want to do something really different on a part time basis, while helping the community and giving something back to our country, you can apply to join the Navy, Army or Air Force Reserve. There are a range of Reserve jobs in every category, so please check the entry requirements on each job page. Find out more HERE.
Need Experience?
Once you leave school it is tricky getting work experience as employers aren’t insured to cover unpaid volunteers.
In Western Australia you can apply for volunteer work through Volunteering WA. People put in requests for volunteers to them and they place people and cover them through the Volunteering WA insurance.
The Volunteering WA people said that when you first start with them they are careful of the sort of work they let you do until you have proven yourself.
Free Tips
Youth Central
Check out Youth Central. It’s a Victorian Government site that has clear, unbiased tips on taking a gap year.
How to Prepare for a Gap Year – Tips from Omio
Omio has sent me a link to their Gap Year Guides which delivers great resources to prepare for a Gap Year.
The guide contains detailed information on:
The benefits of taking a gap year
How to organize a gap year step by step (e.g., accommodation, transportation, entry requirements & travel restrictions)
Itinerary suggestions and tips for travelling in Europe on a budget
Volunteering in Europe (10 suggestions)
How to successfully find and apply for an internship in Europe
They all offer scholarships to attract the most academically gifted students to their university.
These sites identify key academic scholarships at West Australian universities. There are many scholarships for you to apply for.
This is your place to shine
Don’t stop at applying for one scholarship. This is your place to shine. This is where you find the resources to support yourself while you are studying at university.
If you have a high ATAR you will automatically be awarded the Curtin Excellence Scholarship if you’re a domestic year 12 student, graduate with an ATAR of 96+*, have an eligible Curtin course as your first preference and accept our main round offer:
If your ATAR is 96 – 96.99, you’ll receive a one-year scholarship valued at $5,000.
If your ATAR is 97 or higher, you’ll receive a three-year scholarship valued at $15,000.
For students who have achieved an ATAR that exceeds their predicted ATAR by 3 points in 2023 and wish to pursue an eligible undergraduate course at Curtin University.
Students who have demonstrated academic excellence through their ATAR in 2022 and wish to pursue an eligible undergraduate course at Curtin University.
Academic Excellence Scholarships provides financial support to students who have been recognised for their outstanding academic results. These Scholarships are available to both Domestic and International students across all study areas.
ECU Excellence Scholarship is open to Western Australian year 12 school leavers displaying outstanding academic excellence. You will be considered for this scholarship when you select Edith Cowan University as your first preference on your TISC Application. The scholarship offers a payment of $2,500 per semester (or pro rata for part time study) for a total of $5,000 per year for the duration of your course.
Science Excellence
High performing students can apply for ECU Science Excellence Scholarships valued at $15,000, based on their ATAR. Available for qualifying candidates interested in science or computing & security courses, successful students receive $15,000, paid as $5,000 per year over 3 years once they enrol at ECU.
With over $2.5 million in scholarships awarded every year, students from all walks of life are enjoying the benefits a scholarship can bring. Unlike loans, scholarships do not need to be repaid so you can spend more time focussing on your studies. Whether you’re a domestic or international student, new or continuing, we encourage you to explore the opportunities available.
Twenty students will receive support to kick-start their university studies thanks to The University of Notre Dame Australia’s new suite of scholarships.
The scholarships, worth up to $20,000 each, will be awarded to students commencing undergraduate and postgraduate programs in 2022 on the basis of equity or merit.
Scholarship recipients will receive $10,000 in their first year of study and $5,000 in subsequent years of their degree (up to 3 years).
If you are in Year 12, you need to decide where you want to belong when you leave school.
Most of us don’t remember our dreams. Your dreams, or even your vague ideas will come in a whisper, not in a shout. Here are some tips on how to listen to your heart.
Tip 1:
Take the best stuff from your life now into your new life when you leave school.
Career ideas don’t come fully formed. This simple trick will help you to see some possibilities.
Make a list of the things you do in a day. This list provides you with the raw material that you need to decide where you want to belong.
Get up
Have breakfast
Bus to school.
Maths
English
etc
Expand your list by adding what you do on a weekend or on holidays or things you liked when you were younger.
Play basketball
Go to the beach
Customer service at Brumby’s
When you have finished your list, highlight the things you like doing most. Check out those things and use them to guide your decisions about where you want to belong next.
Ideas are most at risk when they are vague and new.
Ideas need pampering or they will fade away.
Talk to your career advisor to get ideas about how you can do more of what you like doing most.
You can also check out how to do more of what you like through a free appointment with a careers counsellor at a Jobs and Skills Centre.
Notre Dame has its Getting Into Medicine information session on 3 May at 5.30 West Australian Time. Curtin has their information session on 9th May.
People who want to get into medicine in 2023 need to attend medicine information sessions to hear of course application procedures and they need to complete their UCAT applications.
Notre Dame and Curtin Uni Medicine Information Sessions
Notre Dame, Curtin and UWA run medicine courses in WA.
If you missed the Curtin information you can find the video HERE.
If you missed the Notre Dame information session, search “Notre Dame Medical Student information videos” for a suite of helpful videos.
UWA has not planned an information session. You can find information about medicine at UWA HERE.
UCAT Applications Close Soon
To get into medicine you have to score well on a University Clinical Admission Test (UCAT)
Students undertake the UCAT at a time they can choose between 1 July to 12 August.
There is a fee to undertake the UCAT. Concessions close on 10 May.
Training organisations that are not associated with UCAT offer additional training. UCAT has this to say about those organisations:
Commercial organisations will be using questions that are not necessarily of the standard you will encounter in the UCAT and this may distort your performance whilst practising. Screen views may be different and commercial organisations are unlikely to include the new question types, which you may encounter in your test. They may also not replicate the UCAT scoring and banding accurately and may give misleading indicators of your anticipated UCAT score.
Good luck to all of you who aim to get into medicine.
Subscribe to In Focus Careers News to discover trends, career ideas and opportunities for the future for West Australians
You can use the skills you developed when coming to high school to guide your transition from high school to uni.
Tip 1: Where
Online Study V On Campus
Get your student number and connection to the internet sorted. You will be given instructions about how to do this around Christmas time with the offer that comes after the final TISC results come out.
If face to face classes are available on campus, go to them. Uni is so much more than curated information about different subjects.
On Campus Accommodation
If you CAN stay on campus, do that.
We want students to stay at the on campus accommodation, whether they are from South East Asia or South Perth.
Professor Harlene Hayne, Vice Chancellor Curtin University
St Catherine’s College Curtin
There are people employed by residential colleges who have knowledge, networks and power to create an amazing university life for you. You will make friends for life, get help with study and create networks that will lead to jobs.
Not being able to find parking when you are under pressure can break you.
Get your parking stickers/app during the holidays. Find where you can park and where to find parking during peak hours. Try to find free parking, although most good free spots will be taken by students who have been at uni for a while.
Campus Layout
Go to movies, food van markets, play sport or join clubs on campus. Each baby step you make to become familiar with your uni will make your transition easier.
Walk around the campus. If you are doing engineering, go to the engineering building. Check out the room and lab locations. Find the library.
Whatever course you are doing, find your buildings and know where your classes will be held BEFORE Orientation Week.
Tip 2: What Subjects
If you aren’t certain which subjects to take, do a uni prep course – its free and it will help you to make better subject choices. You will be able to go to the same campus as your friends who are leaping into their degree straight away, and you will learn enough to be clear about what course you want to do before you start your degree.
About 30% of students change courses as they find out more about their degree. This is an expensive path to take. Each subject/ unit at university will cost around $2000. You can check how much each unit will cost on the UWA Fee Calculator.
Only 26% of university students go straight there from school on their ATAR results. Consider taking a gap year before you go to uni. You will expand your world and get clearer about what you want to do next. Check out Gap Year Ideas
If you are worried that you won’t ever start to study again if you stop studying after Year 12, go to uni and choose broad subjects that allow you to specialise later, when you know more about the course or working in that industry.
In response to COVID disruption ALL universities in Western Australia have significantly increased the amount of support that is available to future students. Use the free career advice that is available at every university.
Tip 3: When – Timetable
Lectures, tutorials and workshops will be scheduled throughout the week. You choose your timetable.Your school timetable is a good model to follow when choosing your class times.
Treat uni like school. Organise your timetable so that you go to uni every day. Don’t be tempted to pack your scheduled times into a few days and just go during scheduled times. Spend your “free time” doing your research and assignments.
If you treat uni as a job, with a 40 hour week and some good study planning you are on a good path to success. Schedule breaks where you meet your friends and where you play sport or engage in club activities. A mix of work and play is what you need to have a great time at uni.
Tip 4: Friends
The friends you make at uni can stay with you for your entire life.
There will be so many people to choose from. If you go to Curtin, there will be about 50,000 people to choose from. If you go to Notre Dame in Fremantle, which is our smallest uni, you will have about 6,000 to choose from.
If you pick clubs or sports or volunteer activities from the amazing choice that is available, you will find friends there who have the same interests as you. You can join clubs during Orientation Week.
If you arrange to stay at university accommodation you will meet lots of new people there.
So just 4 Tips
Decide what uni to go to and how to get there.
Decide what to study, or at least choose a path that will help you to decide.
Look at timetables for this year. The chances are that they won’t change much next year. You will be able to draft your study timetable before Orientation Week.
Look forward to meeting a bunch of new, wonderful people who like doing the same things that you do.
Get clear, unbiased career information for West Australian school students and educators.
The content was just what our Year 12’s needed, and the timing is perfect.
This 30-minute Pathways from High Schoolpresentation with video is a great alternative to the face-to-face presentations as it can be shown to students and families, at any time.
Students can even take a copy home and watch it with their parents!!
Don’t be ridiculous!!
3Pathways
It shows 3 different case studies.
Pathway 1: Judy the academic superstar
Judy is an academic superstar who checks out the Bachelor of Applied Science (Honours) at Curtin, medicine everywhere, and Bachelor of Philosophy (Honours) at UWA.
Pathway 2: Flynn General ATAR, Alternative Pathway
Flynn is looking for alternative pathways for non-ATAR school leavers. He checks out all of the unis, looks at university preparation courses and seeks advice from career counsellors and Centrelink.
Pathway 3: Angie VET and Gap Year
For those wanting a Gap Year, who never to return to full-time study again. Angie looks at the Defence Gap Year program and at Harvest Trail as well as at some on the job training she can do at McDonald’s and online courses.
I recommend that all students seek professional advice that narrows down to their personal choices, once they have a general idea of which direction they want to take.
The guide contains detailed information on:
