So, what should I do?

[Serpent_Girl]

Okay, well, I think it’s about time I got some idea of where I want to go with my study and/or career. Some advice would be nice.

The point is, is that; I’m not quite entirely sure exactly what I want to do, and what jobs would suit my talents and interests.

My subjects this year (and, I am not sure if I want to drop one, I might have 12 units and have that extra backup for my UAI) are – Advanced English, 2unit Mathematics (not General) Chemistry, Physics, Software Design and Development and IT. (VET course. Basically, I chose the subjects I am good at, and I have been getting through them with flying colours, with no work whatsoever. By flying colours I mean WELL above average. Yeah, yeah, I’m a “gifted” child.

In English, I absolutely *love* creative writing. Anything that lets me write something on a topic I like, and lets me use my imagination But, I really, really hate all the technical stuff, all the essays, formatting, etc, etc. I also have a problem writing a great deal of work in a short amount of time. I get rather excellent marks in everything though, all the work this year and for the SC, 93%. I have a faaantastic teacher this year who makes us work hard, and I know without fail will get everyone in band 6 and 5, some top in the state. I just really hate working that hard and thinking/remembering so much as tailoring to each thing, blah, blah. I can't damn well write unless I'm inspired!

I’m really good in thinking outside of the square for maths, and have no trouble whatsoever grasping difficult concepts, but, I can never, ever remember the basics and all the formulas and rules.

Chemistry I am doing rather well at and find to some degree quite interesting. I really don’t mind this subject at all. No problems whatsoever here.

Physics I don’t mind too much, I have a feeling I could do really well at it if I could concentrate, not let myself get distracted and see through the teacher’s monotony and listen to what he’s saying. The teaching format…well, it really sucks. Thinking about it, it’s not that difficult at all.

Software is a bit…boring actually. I love working with computers and all but I realise after a while that what we’re doing right now isn’t really that fantastic. I would love to work in the games industry (don’t we all? :)) but it would have to be something that requires insight and creatively fun. Hehe, I looove gaming. :D Coding doesn’t really do that for me. The design process can be alright.

IT is a VET course; know everything we’re learning already, at least in the top 5 (possibly 2) for every single test. Simple, easy, basically I’m doing it for the cert 2 and in the hope that I will learn at least something.

I am worst at not getting distracted, working once my inspiration is gone, motivation, any work that has to be done in my own time. Assessment tasks are my absolute worst enemy. I suck at time planning too.

I feel like I should have done Human Movement because I absolutely LOVE learning about the human body, how it works, everything. I basically know more than all the people in the class about the subject and I haven’t done it. I didn’t do it because my career aspiration for a very, very long time was to be a paediatrician, but I was severely discouraged by people telling me how smart you have to be, how hard you have to work, how much it costs, how hard it is to get in, etc, etc. I really hated that because I loved the stuff they did, and was so good at it. I don’t like all the nutrition things they have to learn but knowing how the human body worked just fascinated me. As does the human mind. Master manipulator I’ve been called, master manipulator I am, really, I’ve been twisting people around my little fingers since I was a small child and often I find myself doing stuff just to see what happens and if I predicted it was right. Ugh, I constantly assess myself and the people around me, and unfortunately my thoughts are often the case. I think I have a gift of understanding and empathy and I can’t just…not be nice. Yes, arrogance is another one of my faults, which I hate to death, but I also have low self esteem. Maybe I’m just trying to convince myself. :p

I thought about being in the Defence Forces, but I don’t want to lose my freedom, plus, I don’t think I would like it.

I want to go to uni and study – well, whatever I decide – but I fear the workload, the fees, the ability to get in (well, I’m hoping I get a good enough UAI) and how I would manage it, esp. with an isolated area I live in, bad time management, money management, a job…the list goes on. TAFE I could deal with easy but I would rather get a higher qualified job. I know I could “work my way up” but that doesn’t appeal to me.

Enough of wasting your time. What do you think and what should I do?

Yeah, yeah, I’m asking on an internet forum, I know, but here is a wide variety of experience in different fields and I’m just looking for advice. :)

Thanks! :D

[MC SoD]

Can you give a quick summary of jobs you have considered already and what you thought of them? Something like:

Teacher: Maybe
Defence Force: Yeah but don't want to lose freedom
bartender: nah

etc etc

Also, what did you do for Yr 10 Work Experience (if that's applicable in your State) and what did you think of it, and also any part time work you've done while studying.

[Serpent_Girl]

I have considered -

Programmer - not interesting enough
DF - no freedom
Pediatritian/specialist doctor - yes but don't think can get there
3D Artist - yes but no idea how to get there, don't know what it's like
Chiropractor - Hm, like this one alot
Nurse - Possible, I don't know what the work is like though
Psychiatrist - yes but don't think can get there
Pilot/navigator - unable to do so because of lazy eye
Some kind of medical person thingymebob - yes, no ideas though
Investor - Will do this one no matter what job
Artist - I love art, but would only do it as a hobby
Writer - same as artist
Journalist - don't think would like it
Checkout chick/shop attendant/those kind of things - only for pay/in desperation
Games reviewer/writer - don't think I could consistently do that kind of work
Editor - could do well, bit "meh" like
Lawyer - don't like lying
Politian - good at arguements, but nah
Scientist of some sort - yes, indeed I could do that, but unsure where
Farmer - I only wanted to do this when I was really little!
Vet - same as doctor
IT monkey - yes but depending on the work
Teacher - are you kidding?!
Buisness owner - naah, couldn't deal with it
Ambulance worker - would be exciting
Call centre - "meh" like
Someone who specialises in people - yeah, I want something along these lines

I have done work exp, and work placement, both were in computer shops, very "meh" like. I might be getting a part time job at the cinema soon.

[dwarfthrower]

Veterinarian, police force maybe?

[Serpent_Girl]

Vet is in there and I would hate the police force, because it's too physical and I wouldn't like dealing with crime and agressive people. :p

[MC SoD]

1)
Pediatritian/specialist doctor - yes but don't think can get there
Psychiatrist - yes but don't think can get there
Chiropractor - Hm, like this one alot
Some kind of medical person thingymebob - yes, no ideas though
Vet - same as doctor
Someone who specialises in people - yeah, I want something along these lines

Ambulance worker - would be exciting

2)
3D Artist - yes but no idea how to get there, don't know what it's like
Nurse - Possible, I don't know what the work is like though
Scientist of some sort - yes, indeed I could do that, but unsure where
IT monkey - yes but depending on the work

3)
Investor - Will do this one no matter what job
Artist - I love art, but would only do it as a hobby
Writer - same as artist


Lawyer - don't like lying
Politian - good at arguements, but nah





Thanks, okay. I have tried to work these into groups.

(The lawyer/politician thing I left cause it's funny. Politicians have to lie too).

1)
By the looks of things you are *very* interested in medicine. A psychiatrist has to have a medical degree and specialise just like any other specialist (nothing like a psychologist). It seems like a lot of your choices revolve around the medical field and helping people.

So, what are your marks like so far?
It shouldn't actually be that hard to get into if you are doing well. The question is whether you want to do 6 years of uni, work for a few years then do more studying when you decide to specialise.

The ambulance thing I think is just another part of the whole medical theme you've got going.

2)
I think these are jobs you need to try to research more. Ask people you know in those fields what they are like, try and get some work experience in these areas over your holidays etc.

Technical stuff you can probably get lots of advice here, so ask specific questions about different jobs (I can't help with anything technical though).

3)
Whatever job you're doing, I'd keep working at this stuff if you're passionate about it - as you said, as a hobby.


This is all very vague advice, the most I can say is I think you have a definite leaning toward medicine and perhaps you should speak to a careers advisor at school about this field.

The jobs you have considered so far are generally things that require specific training, such as a Nursing Degree or a Medical Degree, rather than your generic degrees (Commerce/Arts etc).

This means you can't really just get an Arts Degree then decide later, unless you want to do that and get some work experience in different fields, then do further study once you've decided on something specific.

[Uther Pendragon]

If you have a boring physics teacher but are genuinely interested in the foundations of physics and science in general this book is really worth reading in your spare time:

http://www.dymocks.com.au/ContentDynamic/Full_Details.asp?ISBN=0140297413

It doesn't do stacks of formulae or any crap like that, just walks you through how the field of science has developed. I reckon I learned far more about physics reading that book than the whole 2 years of physics at school.

[jeffxor]

Well I guess I was a late bloomer, I had no idea what I wanted to do until half way through year 12 as my marks show. I never really thought about going to uni as I hated high school so much.

I was always interested in technology and how stuff works so I decided for computer science and somehow scrapped in. At uni I found that I really liked the technical programming side of computers and for the first time I actually studied and decided this was what I wanted to do.

I defintely think you should aim at getting into uni in whatever you fancy, uni will give you the oppurtunity to change between many disciplines. You will meet people from different backgrounds.

Many of the people I meet in first year changed degrees and graduated in differnt fields.

comp sci -> commerece -> real estate agent
science -> teaching
RAF Pilot -> medicine

I think I would have to agree with MC SoD you might want to look into being psychiatrist.

[Javaira]

The problem for me at that age where there are too many options. It wasn't until alot later that I heard some good advice. It was just make a decision and do something. Anything will do. If you discover you hate it, you at least have more information than you did before you tried it out. The biggest mistake is wander around aimlessly.

Give yourself bite size goals. Choosing a university course or tafe course, doesn't have to necessarily have to lead to your dream job. The reality of the situation is alot of people go to university and then take a career path that has little to do with their chosen course.

So choose something to study, something that you would like to learn. Use that time to learn about yourself. Perhaps even revise your choice of courses later on. Don't let the cost of HEC's scare you off, the most important things you learn at university will be about yourself.

Finally I have found that once in the work force, the actual job has been of little importance. The thing that has made me most happy in a job was the people I ended up working with. I could be emptying garbage bins and I would be pretty satisfied if I was sharing that time with people who make me laugh.

[ms edeity]

I went to Cumberland College in Sydney uni and it was great for this sort of thing. It's where they do health sciences so you study a BSc and then do the course work for the specific job e.g. physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nursing etc... If you like science and are curious and also want to do health based study check it out. The campus was really supportive and way smaller than main syd uni so classes are smaller and i was pushed to do assignments rather than being lost as a number. Also they had so much "hands on" that it was fascinating. Anyhow i'll stop rambling now

[hooptieride]

Just bag a rich husband.

[Girl.]

I think the best thing to do is keep a very open mind about potential jobs. I was in a similar situation to you in highschool, I had pretty decent marks but no idea of what I wanted to do when I finished school. I ended up going overseas as an exchange student for a year between highschool and Uni, because I felt that while I was fresh out of school I didn't have enough experience or maturity to really decide on what I wanted to do and I thought that a year overseas might push me to figure out what I really wanted. It worked, and I came home with a better idea of the direction I wanted for my life and (as stupid and trite as it sounds) a better idea of what kind of a person I was and my own strengths and weaknesses.

I went to the school careers counsellor before I left school and had them calculate roughly what my UAI might be (my actual UAI was 1 point off my projected UAI so it was pretty accurate) so that I could figure out which courses I could be accepted into, figured out which university I wanted to attend and ended up applying for a combined commerce/law degree at that university, not because I actually wanted to study law but because I figured I should just enroll in something and then switch once I figured out what I wanted to do. I know a lot of people who also did this - one of my closest Uni friends enrolled in Psychology and then switched into law after her first year. Lots of people start a degree and think they will love it but end up hating it because it's not what they expected it would be like -- I think that while you're at school you tend to develop ideas about what it's like to be a doctor/lawyer/accountant/whatever which aren't necessarily accurate. In first year law, we started out with around 350 people but now that we're in fifth year there are only about 100 of us left-- people assumed they'd be prancing around in front of bar tables and making elaborate speeches and were disappointed that first year law is mainly a long series of boring lectures :) I ended up absolutely hating commerce and dropped it for an arts degree, which I'd thought sounded boring while I was in highschool.

Maybe you could pick out a few jobs you're especially interested in and talk to people who actually do those jobs? As I said before, stereotypes about certain jobs and what those jobs actually entail in practice can be vastly different, and if you don't have a realistic idea of what a job actually involves you can end up disappointed.

Hope this helps :)

edit: If you're still unsure about what to do, a combined degree can be pretty good as well - most combined degrees are 4 or 5 years long and give you more choice in which areas you can work in.

[Hired Goon]

It's good that you don't find software coding all that interesting, cos it's not much of an industry. In fact, you'd be better off taking a job working as a sandwich hand, I think. Basically, the bubble burst around 2001, and the industry has been in the shiezer ever since. Considering looming cut backs at Telstra, which provides a lot of work to the sector in Aus, things aren't exactly looking great.

On top of that, you basically get treated like an organizational leper in what I term cost centre alienation. People don't value or understand the work that you do, and you're always under threat of being downsized, outsourced, made redundant or just getting your arse kicked. Add to that getting project funding/new work is quite hard, and well, sometimes I really wonder why the hell I decided to get into IT. Routinely somebody comes up and says "hey, you're in IT, I can't seem to get my printer to work, can you help?" and it hammers home how truly pointless trying even is. Sadly, my optimism for this industry has been crushed.

Anyway, enough negativity about IT. Sounds to me like writing/journalism would be a good thing for you. Sure, you're going to have to do some ordinary stuff to start, but there's some good opportunities in that field to express yourself and apply creativity. That's gotta be a good thing.

[MC SoD]

Just bag a rich husband.


Actually best advice in thread. If he's also good with money.

There is no such thing as an ugly rich man.

[brotherkrusty]

As someone who did well at high school, went to Uni to do a BSc. Got thrown out of Uni and went to TAFE ADip Civil Eng and did not finish that. Worked in a bottle shop, as a Security Guard and a bouncer (which sucked BTW, $15 hour to work with crazy people) Surveyor and finally into IT. I offer this one piece of advice.

Finish School with the best marks possible.

Get on a plane/boat/train and vanish for 12 months. Get layed, drunk and spend every dollar you have. Wake up one morning wiht nothing and get a shit job for a month packing shelves or working a bar until you have enough money to get home.

Come home.

Then after you have seen the world, experienced life in way you would never have before and done a shit job you will be in position to understand what you want to do with your life.

Then decide...it is not like your marks are invalid after 12 months. There is absolutely no reason why you need to do all this shit right now.

By the time you are 25 you will realise that no one in the world has asked what your highschool certificate marks are. Fuck I am over thirty and I do not even remember what my mark/score was let alone where the certificate is.

If all fails go to Canberra...find a job in a government department. Do your time for 5 years and before you know it your are managing 20 staff and earning more than your friends who did Arts at Uni.

The right Job always seems to find you some how. Its up to you wether or not you fuck it up once it turns up.

[Serpent_Girl]

Thanks for the advice everyone - I appreciate it. ;)

My plan so far is to finish High School and get as good marks as I can. I know of course, that in the end they may not matter, but I'm pretty sure they can help. If I do tooo badly, I'm sure I can work myself there if I really want to be there. In the end, if I do badly it's not the end of the world. Far from it. Even a beginning, perhaps. I just am unsure how difficult it might be to get in and even if I get there if I would like it or not. I suppose with some things you just gotta see for yourself. :)

Actually, I was thinking of getting some money and going off and travelling around the world. I'm sure it would help be get some experience and help me in my decisions....if not, well, it is travelling around the world, after all, and I think it would be fun.

I don't want to work at a job I don't enjoy. I know a great deal of people do jobs that they don't enjoy but I would rather be earning less and be happy.

I'm starting to think I really should do something in the field of medicine or human self help because I think I could be passionate about that. As an added bonus I think learning about other people helps you learn about yourself and makes you a wiser person. Not knowing WHAT job in the fields is my problem. I might do a combined degree containing two things I am very interested in and go from there. I want to do something that has in it all the things that I enjoy and am good at, minus the things I despise. But it's not ever going to be perfect, and I'm ok with that. But of course, I'm sure these things will sort themselves out, eventually. :)

[brotherkrusty]

I was not suggesting you do a job you don't like for long. I know that some time in your life you will have to take a job you don't like. Everyone does at some stage.

No matter how many trips overseas you have done or what doumentaries you have seen all school leavers are generally ignorant of the greater world and what it can do to you. I know I was.

My advice is experience the world first then decide how you want to live in it.

I guarantee you will not work it out until you are in your late 20's anyway.

No one does.

[Serpent_Girl]

Oh wait and I forgot to add I'm aiming to marry someone really rich!! :D:D


Actually, I'm good with money anyway, I'm not going to have too much trouble, seeing as one of my hobbies is investing. ;)

[The Cunt]

What are you like at lap dancing?

[Serpent_Girl]

No, I am not going to make a career "on my back!"


Biiiiitches.

[edeity]

Law or Finance. Preferably both. Money is interesting and exciting. Everyone else uses their "interesting" job as a crutch to make up for it later in life when lonely and trying to desperately get laid.

[Truephoenix]

No, I am not going to make a career "on my back!"


Biiiiitches.

HAHA, i know where you got that one from ;).

[Kez]

Serpent, go for ADFA

I know you think you'd loose your freedom, but with the armed forces, depending on what you do, you pretty much are already free. I have a few friends in it, and 2 of my TAFE teachers were in the Air Force and Navy and said they didn't regret it. One worked in IT while in the Air Force and was also Airborne tactition trained, while the other one worked in the Navy setting up secure computer equipment at Garden Island and other naval bases around Australia.

If you go Air Force/Navy, you wont be stuck in a room all day long, it's alot of field work in IT. You're a smart person, so you wont have to worry about your UAI not being high enough for entry :p.

Either way, make sure your educational carreer is planned for once you finish school, and dont take a "break from learning" like other people do once school is out. Enjoy the 3 - 4 months you get off after school is over, then goto uni, otherwise you'll become lazy and not want to goto uni.

[Kez]

Ignore my previous statement. According do Jobpredictor.com:

L***a A*****d, Your ideal job is a Rabbit Slayer.

Enjoy the Rabbit Killing :)

[Mr Bigglesworth]

SerpentGirl, the only advice I can offer you is that you dont do your hobby or what your interested in as a full time job. You will ruin it if you do, thats all.

[Directed]

Serpent Girl, you said:
Pediatritian/specialist doctor - yes but don't think can get there

Don't sell yourself short, girl. My wife thought the same thing, that she liked being a doctor (she wasn't as good in school as you either), but she made it. You sound like a perfect fit for being a family practitioner or pediatric doctor. You like people, and you like engineering type things. That adds up to doctor believe it or not.

My advice is aim higher than you think you can make. If you aim high, you may not hit it, but you will still be flying above the rest. If you aim low, you will hit it, but what's the point?

Consider engineering of some sort, too. Don't go into software stuff. You will hate it. People who do well in software are weird and don't like others or work well with them. Then they post in Zgeek. :p

[Kez]

Don't go into software stuff. You will hate it. People who do well in software are weird and don't like others or work well with them. Then they post in Zgeek. :p

Heed directed's words, and place them on a piece of paper and carry them with the rest of your life.

[abelgold]

Serpent Girl,

I reckon go to uni.. have a good time and things will become more apparant there.

I did chemical engineering: Engineering cos it provided a broad base from which many life paths could benefit, and particularly chemical cos it had the highest percentage of girls :)

I had a ball at uni (old enough to be independant, young enough to not be accountable), finished the course and tried engineering for a while.

I realised that my interests lie in different areas and made a move into Special Effects for the Film Industry (physical effects such as explosives, smoke, gas, fire, wind, etc, NOT the computer generated images) - having a eng degree did come in handy.
Although I love this work, the nature of film industry is that work availability is patchy... but armed with my trusty engineering qualification and some skills picked up along the way I have managed to wangle the following jobs to keep me going:
* Engineer at Arnotts
* Officer at Workcover
* Mortgage broker
* Crew on short films
* and now, I'm working for a furniture restorer in between SFX work.
My uni mates have taken their skills and gone into other things like finance, programming, manufacturing etc.. some are even in engineering.

If you're still confused about your career path, I'd suggest giving engineering a thought. As you can see it's gives you a good broad basic skillset which will help open opportunities in whichever path you want to follow.

Good Luck!!