AUSTRALIAN SCHOOL LEAVERS ONLINE MAGAZINE
l o o h c s Leaving
...for your best future
.com.au
2013
Oct-Dec
EDITION ONLY $12.95
what now? life after school
how your brain works!
money lessons
and resumĂŠ tips
profile Harry James Angus: from the cat empire... being a musician what you should know before leaving school why I love my job interview with Rebecca Maddern
ool Leaving sch.com .au PUBLISHER
leavingschool.com.au CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Stephen Sutherland GRAPHIC DESIGN + LAYOUT
Rhiannon Brown EDITOR
Jeff Gilling
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PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
SUB EDITOR
Jessica Howe CONTRIBUTORS
> Bruce Simons > Rebecca Maddern > Kelly Rothwell > Kirsty Spraggon > Debi K Moore > Cherryl Hanson Simpson ADVERTISING
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HOW YOUR BRAIN REALLY WORKS How the brain works and how to best take control of what we can control.
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WHAT NOW? Further education? Work? Both? Explore your after school options.
10 KIRSTY SPRAGGON What you should know before you leave school.
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MONEY LESSONS Key principles of how to manage, multiply and maintain your money.
RESUME TIPS Rules and tips to help your resumĂŠ stand out.
HARRY JAMES ANGUS On being a musician.
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WHY I LOVE MY JOB Interview with Channel 7 news presenter Rebecca Maddern.
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SAMOA The new kind of schoolies.
34 KEEPING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE The world does not owe you a living. It owes you an apology.
SURVIVING YEAR 12 A few tips for parents.
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there are
certain things that
are fundamental to human fulfilment. The essence of these needs is captured in the phrase
‘to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy’ The need to leave a legacy is our spiritual need to have a sense of meaning, purpose, personal congruence, and contribution. – Dr. Stephen R. Covey
PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
We live in an era of exponential change when it comes to careers. When I was a teenager, life was far simpler for young people than it is now. Alternatively, it may have been that I was blissfully unaware of the choice in careers that lay before me. In my day, our access to course and vocational advice was limited, though some schools gave fledgling careers guidance. Most of my friends knew however what they wanted to be from a young age; urged, cajoled and even, in some cases, directed by our parents. Once a university course was commenced, it was
October–December 2013
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One of the most powerful wellsprings of creative energy, outstanding accomplishment and fulfilment seems to be falling in love with your dreams and your image of the future. Mr Bruce Simons
usually completed. For us, university costs were conďŹ ned to merely paying our token student union fees (tuition was free!). Many of us who lived through this era will retire at around 65 years of age, and most of us will have occupied the same career for our working lives. Times have changed. Career advice is plentiful in most schools. The internet provides a smorgasbord of advice and information. Courses are no longer free yet a growing percentage of undergraduates change courses midstream and, in many instances, do not pursue the career they have actually trained for. Research shows that young people are more uncertain than ever about their future directions. The plethora of choice has created
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uncertainty, and with this uncertainty, emanates anxiety. It should not be so, yet it is, meaning that advice and information that impacts upon futures must now be, more than ever before, clear, guided, comprehensive and consistent. Schools have a greater role to help each student discern between courses of interest, identify and nurture academic capacity, and foster personality and character in order to assist young women and men to choose the right pathway that will suit their unique makeup. Despite this mood of uncertainty, young people above all face a prosperous and exhilarating future. This generation of youngsters has only ever seen a growing economy in Australia, noting that this great land’s
PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
last economic recession occurred back in 1991. Our medical facilities are second to none and our healthy lifestyle means that many of those Australians born post 1990 will have an average life expectancy, their God willing, of close to 100. Our new generation of school leavers will more than likely have several career (not just job) changes in their lifetime. The careers that they may occupy in 10 years’ time may not yet have been invented. Those careers that already exist will appear very different to how they look today. One only has to experience for example how schools have changed in the past 20 years,
where teaching has evolved, facilities have improved and learning has become more inquiry based, to realise that those aspiring to enter the great profession of teaching will encounter change for the better. I have a strong faith in young people, believing that they possess better interpersonal skills, greater flexibility and confidence than ever before. They are able to multi task, though this optimism for our youth is somewhat tempered by their growing obsession with media based social interaction, distracting people from improving efficacy and time management. That said, my faith October–December 2013
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PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
pertains to and exudes for young men and women able to adapt to, welcome and initiate change, as well as embrace their international status as normal states of events, and to aspire, to lead and excel in their chosen professions. Leaving school is a big life change. Each boy and girl at this stage has been at school for 13 years; it is unlikely that they will ever again complete an academic course of this duration. They have been guided, nurtured and cajoled. At home, they have a roof over their heads, good food, love, affection and understanding. Beyond school, with independence, comes responsibility and consequence, uncertainty and challenge and ultimately, family and responsibility. All of this is what life is all about. In conclusion, therefore, may I extend my simple but profound wish to the readers of this magazine, as you venture beyond school, in a single word; fulfilment.
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Beyond school, with independence, comes responsibility and consequence, uncertainty and challenge and ultimately, family and responsibility... American psychologist and author of “The Creativity Man”, E. Paul Torrance said that one of the most powerful wellsprings of creative energy, outstanding accomplishment and fulfilment seems to be falling in love with your dreams and your image of the future. It is a multifaceted concept, though for me it means to be happy, at peace, content and enthused. By determining what is important to you, setting about achieving your ambitions, loving and being loved, making a difference, being involved and giving your all, life, and all that it entails, is exciting, enthralling, uncertain, challenging, but most of all fulfilling.
HAMISH, Law & Global Studies student
STILL EXPLORING YOUR OPTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR?
Discover the possibilities at ACU and find a course that’s right for you. You can lodge your application now, so list ACU as a preference to develop the skills to make a difference. For support or info call 1300 ASK ACU or visit acu.edu.au/youracu
Arts & Sciences | Business | Education | Health Sciences | Law | Theology & Philosophy
Australian Catholic University – CRICOS registered provider: 00004G, 00112C, 00873F, 00885B
really works how your brain
There are so many things I wish I knew before leaving school, and I believe I had learnt a lot as it was! One particular thing I wish I knew more about was our brain and how it really works.
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a
s a psychologist I learnt the basics of the human brain during my studies at university, yet it was not really a great focus on underpinning psychological theory at the time (nor do I believe it is now from what I am seeing). I also hear regularly from clients things like ‘why did I not know about how the brain works when I was younger?’. Unfortunately I don’t have an answer for that one, yet what I do now know and what I have seen in my clients around the world is that the more knowledge we gain about how the brain works, the more likely we are to be able to use it in a more helpful way. With some of the fundamentals of neuroscience (and integrated with psychological information and techniques), I have developed The SET Brain™ Program to be able to best share how the brain works and how to best take control of what we can control in the most practical and applicable way. The SET Brain™ is based around 3 general functions of the brain: the Survival Brain, the Emotional Brain and the Thinking Brain.
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really works how your brain
THE SURVIVAL BRAIN In a very brief sense, The Survival Brain talks to the most primitive part of the brain and includes several structures that are all about keeping us alive. Among its main functions is to constantly scan for change and / or threat to our lives. One of our challenges nowadays is that the Survival Brain does not know the difference between a threat to our life, or a threat to our lifestyle, it just picks it up as threat seeing our whole bodies kick into survival mode where we are ready to ‘fight, freeze or flight’ – helpful when there is a threat to our lives, not so helpful when a threat to our lifestyle as this stress response in a prolonged sense can cause significant damage to our mental and physical health.
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THE EMOTIONAL BRAIN The Emotional Brain is like a second filter to all the information coming into our brain, whereby it connects the lower (Survival) and upper (Thinking) brain, filtering and making decisions based mostly on emotional input and prior emotional experiences. The Emotional Brain is said to be powerful and helpful, not always wise. This is the function of the brain, if we want to capture and HOLD people’s attention, we are most successful when we talk to this part. However, have you ever seen someone overloaded with emotion, notice their responses, how they behave – this is their Emotional Brain taking over, shutting down from certain information, distracted by whatever the emotion is, not able to ‘think clearly’!?
THE THINKING BRAIN The Thinking Brain on the other hand is the ‘wise one’, when it is switched on. The frontal lobe, that which contains the prefrontal cortex, is the only structure in the brain that seems to be able to control emotions, even acting as a damper for the more primitive emotions of the Survival Brain! It receives information from all other areas and sends out commands to them, just as leaders needs to communicate with all people within the business and our customers. It is our Thinking Brain which separates us from other animals (most share the Survival and Emotional brain). The ability to plan ahead, make decisions, organise, and control our impulses is at the core of the human brain development. Being able to stop, reflect and think about how we are thinking is a remarkable gift that enables the brain to monitor how it is doing and then change according to our needs.
October–December 2013
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SCHOOL
what I wish Iknewabout leaving BEFORE I LEFT
I
Kirsty Spraggon
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wish I knew that school wasn’t the be all and end all of life. When you’re in school it is your whole reality in a lot of ways. We think that is what life is about, whereas the reality is, it is when we leave school that life really begins – when you get to be the captain of your own ship, the director of your destiny. I wish I understood that you don’t have to have all the answers the day
I wish I knew that school wasn’t the be all and end all of life you leave school and that you can make different choices at any point along the way. If you start down one path and find out it actually isn’t what you want to do, that is ok. Change directions. Yes it can be an expensive choice, but what is the alternative? Staying in a job you loathe for 50 plus years? I think a lot of people make bad choices because they are trying to please others, they think there is no money in their true passion, or they don’t know enough about the career they are choosing until it is too late. I think it’s important to go and do some work experience early on. At 15 I went to a child care centre, an office and a nursing home. It helps you get a feel for what you might like to do.
Some things can sound amazing. Like child care – but then the reality of snotty screaming kids may not actually be your forte! We can have an idea in our mind about a dream career and the reality of what it takes mentally to be a scientist, emotionally to be a fireman, stress wise to run your own business etc. It can actually be very different to what you fantasize it to be. So go hang out in different work environments and industries and get a feel for what you like. Are you a team player or do you like to work autonomously?
October–December 2013
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what
now Leaving School is both an exciting and scary time. Often you are glad to be leaving the regimented routine of study and heave a sigh of relief that teachers in your life are a thing of the past. You are now free to do your own thing and start your adult life.
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efore you jump in too quickly with deciding options for yourself, think about your future and where you want to be in at least ten years time. This will put a perspective on your career and help you start on the right path to your goal. Do not worry though if you never took well to education and just want to get a job to earn money. You have to choose what suits your personality and needs.
October–December 2013
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whatnow? IF YOU LOVE EDUCATION You may have already decided that you love learning and are considering further education such as university or a diploma course at TAFE. Many college courses are dependent on your exam grades, so do check out with your chosen college what grades are needed to be accepted on courses. In the event your exam results are not high enough for the course entry requirements, you might like to retake exams and join college later or alternatively look at different courses that accept your current grades. You will need your HSC to attend University but again they will have their own level of requirements for each course. Some Universities are very difficult to get into e.g., The University of Sydney and RMIT and need top grades. Also, take into consideration that often Universities will specialise in a specific subject matter; e.g., Medicine, Law, Engineering or Business. You can find more information by searching on the internet or doing your research before applying.
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IF YOU JUST WANT A JOB Register as unemployed so you can start claiming your unemployment/job seekers allowance. The Australian Government provides payments to support people who are studying, training or undertaking an Australian Apprenticeship. Income support payments like ABSTUDY, Austudy and Youth Allowance provide financial support while you study or train. If you are a student and you live away from home in order to study, Fares Allowance helps you cover the cost of travelling between your permanent home and the place where you are studying. For more information visit: http://www.humanservices.gov.au
O IF YOU DONT MIND STUDYING AND WANT TO EARN MONEY
ther options you might like to consider are: Charity Work abroad or at home (often you have to pay for flights out when working abroad but accommodation and food are paid for). Check the websites of your favourite charity for more information. It is important to research and spend time searching for options: nothing will fall into your lap and you must spend time every day looking for jobs, career options or educational requirements. It is up to you and only you can make your dream opportunity happen. Opportunities can be few and far between and it makes very good sense to have a flexible plan on choosing your options when leaving school.
You might want to think about an apprenticeship. There are many to choose from. You could consider plumbing, carpentery, gardening, printer, electrical or even being a chef or hairdresser. Often apprenticeships will pay you a wage and you learn the skill as you work and whilst attending TAFE once or twice a week. October–December 2013
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money lessons I wish I had learned in school Recently, while planning for a trip to a Spanish-speaking country, I realised that I’d forgotten all the lessons I had learned in high school about this foreign language. Although I had passed the subject in examinations many years ago, I had no recollection of even the basic concepts.
U
nfortunately this problem is replicated with many of the subjects that I studied in school from primary up to tertiary levels. Although I may have excelled at them in class, the reality is that I did not practise their principles outside of school, so their content became distant memories. I know my situation is not an isolated
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case of ‘school-subject Alzheimer’s’. I have often wondered why our education system focuses on teaching children so many obscure topics, while ignoring some practical areas that are crucial to the development of our students. I believe that more attention needs to be paid to imparting important life skills to help students cope in the real world.
WE ALL NEED TO LEARN ABOUT MONEY One vital lesson that is absent from the curriculum of Australia’s school system is personal finance education. Whether we aspire to become doctors, lawyers, nurses or policemen, we all need to learn the key principles of how to manage, multiply and maintain our money. No student should leave school without attaining an age-appropriate understanding about money. Looking back, all my financial lessons were learned through making mistakes and trying to figure out how to get out of the money problems I had created for myself. If only someone had taught me the basic rules of money while I was in school, I would have saved myself a lot financial stress over the years. Today, one of my goals is to promote the inclusion of personal finance training in the curriculum of primary to tertiary level schools. In conceptualising the ideal money course, I thought about all the topics that I wished that I had learned in school, and created a framework that could be adapted to different age groups. This issue, we will look at four money principles I think our children should be learning in school. October–December 2013
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SMART SPENDING
BUDGETING BASICS One of the major problems that people face with their finances is they don’t know how to allocate the money they have to pay all their bills. The concept of budgeting is one that children should learn at school because even then they have to make choices with their money. Using practical applications, students should be taught how to work out all their monthly expenses, fill out a personal budget, calculate the difference between income and expenses and make adjustments in the budget to balance their spending needs with their income.
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Our consumption-focused culture is partly responsible for many of the financial challenges that the country as a whole is facing today. Many Australian’s equate having money with the ability to spend it frivolously. To address this problem, we have to teach proper spending decisions to young children when they are still impressionable. Some of the practical areas that should be covered include making grocery lists, comparison shopping for best prices, finding sales via the internet or press advertisements, calculating unit prices on goods, differentiating between wants and needs, and learning how to save money by conserving.
MANAGING DEBT
SAVING ESSENTIAL The flip side of our high propensity to spend is our inadequate attention to saving. If our thoughts are focused on spending money instead of accumulating it, is it any wonder that many of us live from pay cheque to pay cheque, and never amass any real wealth? Children need to be taught how to save, as many parents are not carrying out this vital instruction. This subject should teach students simple strategies to make regular saving easier, such as putting aside ten per cent of their income. Practical experience would be obtained by them actually opening their own bank or credit union accounts. They should also be taught the factors that make money grow, such as compound interest and the impact of time on savings.
Many people’s first response to having a budgetary shortfall is to try to borrow money to make up the difference. Along with our love of spending comes our dependence on debt. Unfortunately, this negative attitude is being passed onto our children, so it is important to equip them with the tools to understand how to manage debt. Key principles about debt that should be taught include understanding how loans work, reading loan documents, assessing the capacity to borrow based on a budget, using credit cards, recognising beneficial debt as against harmful debt, and the responsibility to repay debts on time.
October–December 2013
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PATENT PENDING
love why I
my job REBECCA MADDERN
It has been said if you choose a job you love you will never have to work a day in your life
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ucky break if you can get it. Most people I know selected careers out of high school based on a rudimentary understanding of what the job would entail. The vast majority swap and change degrees as they ďŹ nd the niche destined for them. I was fortunate; I found a job I liked and as I moved out of radio into television, it was a job where I found my interest grew with its scope. The daily ritual is never the same, the story never as you expect. Different places and faces. If you expect one thing, you’re guaranteed another. In television news, our days and
Many young people we talk to during the day tell us about their hopes and dreams. Apart from the immediate goal of getting better, it’s a privilege to hear about their future aspirations weeks are filled with contrasts. It is an existence where I can be reporting on the appalling deaths of six children in a house fire in the UK one day and the next day be co-hosting The Morning Show with Larry Emdur, laughing about the latest in entertainment gossip. It is a job where you see the best and worst in people. Recently I hosted the Dame Elisabeth Murdoch luncheon in Melbourne. It was a beautiful afternoon, where more than $70,000 was raised for the research arm of the Royal Children’s Hospital. That afternoon, I went back to work and delivered the news of growing tensions between North Korea and the West, alongside the plight of those in refugee camps. It is those contrasts in this role you grow to relish. Those in the media have an important role to play. We are information gatherers and disseminators, tasked
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with a great challenge in giving our audience the best news bulletin we can deliver.But behind the cameras there is somuchmoreatplay. OnGoodFriday,Channel7wenttoair– asithaseveryyearsince1957-withthe GoodFridayAppeal.AsIhaveforyears, Icoveredtheregionalandcountry Victoriatallyboard,announcingthe recordfiguresastheycameinthroughout theevening.Itwas,asitalwaysis,an incrediblenight. I would love to hope no reader has had to visit the Royal Children’s Hospital. But the reality is the hospital has borne the brunt of a rattled GPS from many Geelong families racing up the highway with a sick child on board. During the appeal we met kids from across Victoria who were staying in the wards of the RCH. No one, of course, ever wants to be in hospital, but if you have to be, this is the very best place. The new hospital is an exceptional facility of which we should all be proud. It is a place filled with light and hope and, as importantly, giant electronic games on the wall. There are lounges for families and siblings as well as beds for parents so toddlers and frightened kids don’t have to sleep alone at night.
Many young people we talk to during the day tell us about their hopes and dreams. Apart from the immediate goal of getting better, it’s a privilege to hear about their future aspirations – there were even some budding journalists in the mix. They asked me what it was like to be one. My response to that question is always the same. I tell them, it’s one of the greatest jobs in the world. Throughout a journalist’s career, there is one word that is pivotal. It’s very simple and they will use it over and over and over again. Why. It’s just three letters but in almost every situation the answer to it will begin to unravel the truth. It’s often not an easy question to answer, and when one little boy fired back at me: “Why is being a journalist the best job in the world?” I’ve got to admit I was momentarily stumped. Jackson was just 10 years old, so I answered it by giving him a tickle under his arm and said it was because it enabled me to meet people like him. To be honest though, it was only in part the truth. What is more fascinating than meeting and talking to people? Listening to their triumphs, their heartbreaks, their resolve or their struggles?
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Throughout a journalist’s career, there is one word that is pivotal. It’s very simple and they will use it over and over and over again. Why. As journalists we become a conduit between their message and those who need to listen. It is a privilege to be in that position and that’s why I really do think being a journalist is the best job in the world.
LAURA, Media Communications student
DECIDING ON A FUTURE CAREER?
Use our career profiler to discover your dream job based on strengths and personality. For support or info call 1300 ASK ACU or visit acu.edu.au/youracu
Arts & Sciences | Business | Education | Health Sciences | Law | Theology & Philosophy
Australian Catholic University – CRICOS registered provider: 00004G, 00112C, 00873F, 00885B
Mother Nature’s playground is just a five-hour flight across the Pacific. Welcome to the beautiful islands of Samoa – clean, green, safe, mayhem-free and fun! In the heart of the South Pacific lies Samoa, where life ambles along in its own measured pace; partly because of the balmy tropical weather but mostly because it’s the Samoan Way, known as Fa’a Samoa, a 3,000 year old tradition and way of life found nowhere else in the world.
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Fa’a Samoa is the Polynesian culture at its most raw and its most authentic and is a way of life adhered to by Samoans all over the world. Spend time with a local family in their village and experience a culture that celebrates traditional family values based on respect – respect for self, for family, authority and nature. It is a culture rooted in dignity and pride and defines what a Samoan is. Fa’a Samoa is also a culture that protects the beauty of Mother
Nature’s creations. Experience Samoa the Samoan Way as you explore the islands and discover uncrowded beaches with dazzling white sand and turquoise waters, stunning waterfalls to leap into, lush emerald jungles to explore and colorful coral reefs teeming with marine life. With waves constant all year round, Samoa is a great destination for surfers while its sheltered coves and lagoons make it an excellent destination for kite surfing. Inland trails leading to October–December 2013
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fresh water swimming holes, powerful blowholes or mysterious lava fields dot the islands and offer soft adventure for the adventurous traveler. Do little or as much as you like – Samoa is the ideal place to relax, unwind and reconnect in postcard-perfect paradise. A visit to Samoa is not complete without attending a Fia Fia night with a traditional buffet feast and entertainment. Expand your taste buds’ horizons and sample the local food offerings such as suckling pig, palusami (coconut milk baked in taro leaves), fresh seafood like oka – raw tuna cubes marinated in lime and
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coconut juice. Join the party and celebrate the Samoan culture through song and dance with the highlight being the spectacular demonstration of the fire twirling dance that originated in Samoa called the Siva Afi. From the moment he saw our beautiful islands and friendly people, Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author of the adventure classic Treasure Island knew he had found true paradise to call his home. Buried at the top of Mt Vaea he dedicated his home to the people, now a fascinating museum set amongst lush tropical gardens.
Hike up the mountain and enjoy spectacular views of the coast then cool down with a dip at Papaseea Sliding Rocks – Mother Nature’s very own water slides! We have a range of accommodation to suit all types of budgets. From deluxe spa getaways, to family beachfront resorts, city escapes but nothing beats the Samoan beach fale. Just a platform above the sand, steps away from the waterfront, a fale is a uniquely Samoan dwelling. There are no words for ‘walls’ in Samoan and there are no walls in a fale. You want privacy? Just pull down the blinds. Fales are the traditional way of living for many Samoans and are a fun and cost effective resort break. For approximately $35 per person per night inclusive of breakfast and dinner, it’s beach camping the Samoan Way and is a fabulous setting to connect and reconnect with loved ones and potential life long friends. Clean, green, wholesome, mayhem-free and fun – with guaranteed experiences to generate memories to last a lifetime.
THAT’S HOW WE HOLIDAY THE SAMOAN WAY.
world
the
does not owe you a living.
It owes you an apology.
o
As a social researcher, studying the demographic, social and technological shifts that are shaping our changing world, one social change in particular has been most apparent to me.
ver the past decade, social researchers have observed one troubling change amongst school leavers and university graduates. They have called it the confidence – competence gap. The confidencecompetence gap refers to the situation observed right across the country, which I have heard from many different employer groups, professions, the trades – where new entrants to the workplace display tendencies to already “know it all” – they have
a level of misplaced confidence or ability and an ill-befitting and unhealthy sense of entitlement. It’s all very well for employers in frustration to bemoan this new reality but it is important, I believe, not to simply criticise without first seeking to understand. So, how has this come about? When you peel back the onion, dig a little deeper and explore what are likely contributors to this social outcome, two contributory underlying trends become apparent.
October–December 2013
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1
Overprotection
Over the course of the past 25 years we've become a nation of helicopter parents, gently hovering over you, our children, in an overly-protectionist fashion to do our best to ensure you come to no harm. This is not a trend confined to Australia, by the way. In Scandinavia and North America it's referred to as “Curling Parenting” – a reference to the winter sport of curling where a large stone is pushed along the ice track and two sweepers in front vigorously sweep the path ahead, removing any obstacles to ensure the stone glides smoothly along the pathway towards its intended destination. Author Brene Brown (www.BreneBrown.com) has said there is a sense of underlying hopelessness amongst many young people today because most have never known adversity. I hope this is not you. Perhaps somewhat counter-intuitively, there is strength to be gained from experiencing the vicissitudes of life. So my message to you is this: Do not be afraid of tough times. Do not be afraid of tough times coming your way. For as it is in the fiery furnace that the steel is shaped and its strength revealed, so it is in life that your character will be strengthened and revealed.
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2
Reward Without Effort
From a very early age as children you’ve been rewarded with certificates for anything from “Great work tidying up” to simply “Great job for turning up!” This truly is only a very slight exaggeration. Perhaps the best example is the children’s party game, Pass the Parcel. It used to be there was *shock horror* just ONE prize under the final layer and Mr – or Mrs – Music carefully coordinated the timing between music and parcel movement, taking careful note how many wrappers had been torn away – to ensure the parcel landed in the lap of the birthday subject in time for the final wrapper to be removed, revealing the...packet of stickers! I am a twin so the event was repeated a second time! But how many prizes are there today? One under every layer. That’s right, today every player gets a prize. But you need to know: life is not like that. In life, every player does not get a prize simply for showing up. The prizes go to those who are prepared to roll up their sleeves, get stuck in and put their talents and skills to worthwhile endeavour. In short, to those who are prepared to work, to be productive and achieve the desired results.
So, as you reach this most important juncture of your life, transitioning from life at school to life after school, and you embark on whatever future pathways you choose, if you have been shielded from all adversity and if you've been taught (or learned) it is possible to have reward without effort, I say, Sorry. I wish you well and I encourage you to be bold and of good courage, be resilient, be considerate of others, be enthusiastic and have high goals, but do temper your sense of entitlement. Importantly, if your academic results are not what you had expected or hoped for and you do not gain entry to a course that you had your heart set on, do not worry and do not be discouraged. Though it may be hard to see this right now, please understand: Life actually has a way of working itself out. Above all, seek to do something fulďŹ lling with your life. For it is when the work you are doing is in accord with your personal values that you will ďŹ nd that which we all are ultimately striving for: a sense of personal achievement and inner peace.
resumétips for school leavers School’s nearly finished! Leaving school usually means you’re now a job seeker and a realisation that the hard work now really begins. Many school leavers who are looking for work don’t take the time to create a good Curriculum Vitae (CV). Whether you are a school leaver or looking for a career change, there are some rules and tips which will help any resumé stand out. Let’s take a look at this guide to get the most out of your resumé.
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career objective be honest
Don’t make stuff up in your CV to make yourself stand out because chances are, you’ll be caught out. Be totally honest in your resumé about your skills, achievements and qualifications.
State your career objective at the top of the resumé. This is difficult but it is important. It needs to be brief, specific and personal. State what you have, what you will give and what you want to achieve. For example “To gain a retail manager position where I can demonstrate and apply my customer service skills and develop my team work and communication abilities.”
3 resumé layout A good resumé for a job seeker should have a layout such as this: > Name, address, contact details > Career objective > Core strengths > Career history > Qualifications > Achievements > IT skills > Relevant personal information, e.g., community service
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don’t sell yourself short
A lot of school leavers omit generic skills in their resumés. For instance if you have been part of a committee at school or you have had a part-time job or done community service work then you should be able to demonstrate team work, time management, problem solving skills. Expand on these a little in your resumé.
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visual appeal
Make sure your resumé looks good. Have a consistent font, sufficient spacing and use headings / titles to draw emphasis to important points. Consider using a border around the page. A good tip is to have your name and mobile number at the top of every page as a small header.
less is more
6 tailor the resumé to the job
A resumé should generally not be more than two pages. School leavers should have plenty of information to fill two pages but any more than that will probably be disregarded by employers. Say what you want succinctly. Bullet points are great and you will have a better a chance of getting that job than if you ramble on...
If you are seeking different types of jobs then it is a good idea to tailor your resumé to the position descriptions, selection criteria and requirements of each particular job. A generic resumé looks lazy and might be quickly overlooked if it’s not relevant to the requirements of the job. October–December 2013
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readit. thenread itagain. thenget someone elseto readit.
don’t state the obvious
8 Don’t expect to get a great job if your resumé or CV is full of spelling and grammatical errors. Don’t rely on spell check; print the resumé out, give it to someone to read and then read it again.
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Too many school leavers put on their resumés “Please contact me for an interview.” This is a given and doesn’t need to be stated. Leave out irrelevant stuff so you fit more of your skills, education and qualifications in.”
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only recent information A potential employer doesn’t really care if you aced kindergarten. A general rule for your first CV is to mention only your experiences, skills and achievements for the last three years. In other words the more recent the better. Many resumés get discarded when employers start reading about junior school awards.
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THECAT EMPI R E ON BEING A
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MUSICIA 44
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I remember when the careers advisors came to my school. Everyone wrote out their interests and their talents and their hopes for the future on a little form. The form went into a computer, and the computer printed out your results: professions that you might be suited for. When I looked into my future, I saw a musician. My trumpet teacher was feeding me cassette mix-tapes of great old jazz songs. I was doing my research. I was getting serious about this music. And I was good at it, too. But when my careers guidance form came back, I was told that the three potential career paths for me were: a) Music Teacher b) Music historian c) Music Therapist. That was it. No mention of becoming a musician. For the next couple of years, right up until the end of high school, my desire to become a musician was tactfully and sympathetically discouraged. This is something that lots of kids have to deal with. All their life, they have been
celebrated for their creative talents. Even in kindergarten, the parents boast to each other about how artistic their kids are. Piano lessons from age five, drama classes after school, paintings stuck in prime position on the fridge - and then along comes the end of your school life, and you say: ‘I want to be a musician/ writer/painter/actor’, and all of a sudden the adults around you begin frantically backpedalling. Are you sure you want to be a musician? Maybe you could study teaching, and become a music teacher. Maybe you should study psychology, so you’ve got something to fall back on? It’s just so hard to succeed as a musician... it’s not a reliable option. Well, they’re right about that. It’s bloody hard. I’m one of the lucky ones, I make a great living from my music. Not everyone is so lucky. We all know that lots of musicians are poor. But let me paint a picture for you of what all
October–December 2013
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musicians are lucky enough to have, regardless of their financial situation: We live outside the walls of regular society. We can sleep in, we can stay up late on a Tuesday night. We love what we do. We are a part of a community of wonderful people who know how to laugh, who love to dance. We are often inspired. We travel. We chase our dreams. We are our own masters. And the best thing of all: music brings everyone together. We meet people from all walks of life. People in far away places, people from other cultures, people from different economic backgrounds and people with different political or religious beliefs, all brought together through a love of music. We are deeply grounded in the fabric of human culture. Our trade is ancient, one of the oldest, up there with priests and prostitutes, but much more socially acceptable. And if society ever fell apart, mown down by war or natural disaster, all the life coaches and the IT consultants and the branch
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We live outside the walls of regular society. We can sleep in, we can stay up late on a Tuesday night. We love what we do. We are a part of a community of wonderful people who know how to laugh, who love to dance. We are often inspired. We travel. We chase our dreams. We are our own masters. managers and the lawyers would be lost in the wilderness with a set of useless skills. The musicians will be traveling from town to town, singing for their supper, helping people to forget their troubles in a moment of joyous song. Of course, we can’t all be free-living, free-loving artists. That too would be a nightmare society, the cafes and bars full but nothing to eat or drink, the toilets backed up, the lawns unmowed, the supermarkets empty, the streets strewn with rubbish and the airport closed. I remember a feeling of dread that used to come over me. It wasn’t so much when I was thinking about my exams, or my results, or any of that stuff – it was more when I thought
about becoming an adult. Not just any adult – those sad, moping, shambling, stressed-out, coffee-guzzling, repressed creatures in uncomfortable shoes that you see on the train, and you think: They look like they really hate their jobs. How do you avoid becoming that person? I think that’s the question that probably keeps a lot of year 12s up at night. What’s the answer? By becoming a musician? Well… I’ve met enough dejected, exhausted musicians by now to know that’s not entirely true. Some people are happy and some people aren’t, for all kinds of reasons. Professional satisfaction is a big part of it, for sure. But it’s only one piece of the puzzle. Still, if you like late nights, crazy times, singing, dancing and happy people, I can recommend music as a path in life. You can do it in your spare time, the way Einstein did, the way millions of people do. I know bricklayer blues
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To be a musician, you have to have talent, and you have to have vision, and contrary to popular opinion, you need to work hard at it too. And you might always be poor. But if you want to try it, why not try it? guitarists and rapping lawyers, jazz guitarist doctors and opera-singing scientists. They’re all great artists. Or, you can do it full time, like I do. To be a musician, you have to have talent, and you have to have vision, and contrary to popular opinion, you need to work hard at it too. And you might always be poor. But if you want to try it, why not try it? I can’t understand why people are made to believe that the choices they make at the end of year 12 will determine the course of the rest of their lives, with no second chances. It’s simply not true.
G N I V I V R U S year
twelve A few tips for parents
The final weeks of exams can be just as stressful for parents as it is for students. One of the most important gifts you can give your child is to support them in studying smart. Below are a few simple tips to help them increase the amount of information learnt and prolong the length of time the information is remembered. Guide, support and encourage your son or daughter. Encourage healthy eating, regular exercise and plenty of sleep. Take their efforts seriously. Create an effective work space in the house if they can’t study in their room. Take a whole family approach to supporting the student. Let them know you’re there when they need you. Encourage them to believe in themselves. Remind them of their goals. Give them positive feedback whenever possible. Don’t nag. Remember the final year is about them, not you. Don’t tell them they will fail if they don’t work harder. Encourage them to take study breaks when necessary. Help them put, and keep the year in perspective. Keep an eye on their emotional health. Don’t overload them with domestic chores.
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1.6km
Norwest Private Hospital 11 Norbrik Drive, Bella Vista NSW SW W 21 2153 53
5.4km
Blacktown Hospital 18 Blacktown Road, Blacktown NSW SW 214 2148 8
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Westmead Hospital 166 Darcy Road, Westmead NSW 2145 145
11.2km
Norwest Private Hospital 11 Norbrick Drive, Bella Vista NSW 2153
18.5km
Blacktown Hospital 18 Blacktown Road, Blacktown NSW 2148
22.8km
Westmead Hospital 166 Darcy Road, Westmead NSW 2145
Norwest Private Hospital 11 Norbrick Drive, Bella Vista NSW W 2153 2153 Contact Details Telephone 02 9836 5088 Emergency 02 8882 8555 Opening Hours Monday 8:00am - midnight Tuesday 8:00am - midnight Wednesday 8:00am - midnight Thursday 8:00am - midnight Friday 8:00am - midnight
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