Letter to the Class of 2024

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What do we tell a group of young people in their last week of school, who are already pretty tired, ready to leave, and potentially already a bit ‘adviced-out’??

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I am changing my approach this year. This is an anti-advice letter. This is my top pick of career advice?NOT?to follow.

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1 ) Follow your passion and you’ll never work a day in your life.

What if you don't know what that passion is yet? What if the pressure to find that passion is stifling your choices? It is very normal not to know what those passions are in Year 12. Many people can discover amazing passions further on in their career. Many adults who have career fulfilment did not know in Year 12 what that was going to look like. I much prefer the advice of keeping all passions alive in your life. If that is your career, job, and future, then well done to you. But if that is a side hobby, a small venture, or an activity on the side, then that can also be perfect for you.

?Passions should be held tightly. But they don’t have to become your future career.

2 ) Find your purpose and it will make any job meaningful

How? What if you don't know what that purpose is, at the age of 18? Did Barack Obama know when he was leaving school that he wanted to become a President and bring about progress to the US? Did Steve Jobs know he wanted to be a technological revolutionary? Did Ghandi always know that peaceful protest was his goal? Purpose is often spoken about by the younger generation and a ‘job with purpose’ is considered aspirational. We now have 'purpose-anxiety', as a result. A concept that didn’t exist 10 years ago. What if you don’t know what those aspirations are? Isn’t it ok in Year 12, just to think about getting more sleep? What will happen if you don’t find that purpose during your 20’s? Your 25-35-45 year old self may discover your purpose is helping a refugee crisis. Or helping students with specific learning needs. Or working on a new type of biotechnology, in the health sector. How are you to know now what that is?

Time, study, people, experiences, jobs, volunteering, travel can all bring about passions, purposes, interests, in all shapes and sizes. You don’t need to rush that.

3 ) Follow your interests, they'll lead you to your dream job

Not necessarily. For many Year 12s interests range from making it to exams, getting through the assessment tasks, hoping to do as well as they can, and hoping to get into a course. Some love Netball, Sleeping, Swimming, Yoga, Art, Pottery, Scrolling. Should they follow that interest and pursue a career in that area? Become a Netball instructor? Set up a Pottery studio? Pursue an Art degree? Great if that is the calling. But for many those interests are just that. Interests. Following that interest may not be the best idea for a dream job. Especially once job prospects, the industry and potential future career paths are weighed up. A range of considerations always has to come into it. And what if that interest does not match talent? That is also a real consideration.

I would say it’s safer to consider your interests, not just follow them. But also consider a whole range of factors with that, to make realistic decisions.

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4 )Take a GAP year and you'll figure it all out.

You may. Very often that GAP year can be the best thing ever. Fun. Travel. Friends. Experiences. Figuring it all out? Not, necessarily. It can?often make for better decision-making, now that stress is removed. The chemicals produced through stressful times in Year 12 are not ideal for the decision-making process. I am still yet to meet a student who has regretted taking a GAP year. And I have met many who regretted?not taking one. It is a very personal decision and can be different for every individual.

GAP years can be life-changing. But treat them as such. A phase when you have time on your side, experiences to play out and places to visit.?

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5 ) Pursue your creative passions at all costs.

I don't agree with this. For some that is amazing advice. Imagine if Taylor Swift had not pursued hers. Imagine if Billie Eilish pursued an interest in Marketing instead? For the majority of people, this advice may not be ideal. For those lucky and talented people, it really can be. If you're set on making it on Broadway, displaying your works at MOMA, or playing centre stage on the Opera House stage, this advice is perfect. I always say four things are at play here:?1 - Talent?- being at the centre.?2 - Grit?- needed in big quantities to cope with the many rejections.?3 - Timing?- can often be key to being in the right place. And oh yes, at that right time. 4 - And then good old?Luck. For some this can be what made them.

Consider your creative passions. Investigate all options if you want to make them your career choice. But don’t let them be your only option.

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6 ) Never continue in a job you don't enjoy

This is dangerous advice. Sometimes those misery hours, or a thankless, arduous job can be the stepping stone. Sometimes it can be short-term to fulfill another goal (monetary, experiential, connections). But if you quit a job because you are not loving it, especially when you are young, how do you build grit and tenacity? Some parts of life are hard. And some of the best learning comes from the tough times. You may hate being continually called the snowflake generation and with good reason. But following this advice may propel that theory.

Keep bad jobs in perspective. They may not be forever and, as long as you learn from them, they could create a beneficial crossroads moment.

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My advice is the following ….... actually I'm not going to give any. Certainly not in the last week of Year 12. Navigating what you are good at takes time. Your future-self is yet to try so many new things. This is what your 20s are for. Patience will help. Trying lots will help too. Enjoy. Have fun. Don’t forget all you learnt at school. The content you learnt in the classroom may fade over time, but we hope your experiences out of the classroom will last with you a lifetime!

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