Careers Update
Career Community News -
2025 Careers Events at EMC
At EMC, our Careers Team is dedicated to helping students navigate their future with confidence. We understand that each student is unique, and we aim to support them in making informed decisions about their education and career pathways.
To assist students in their career exploration and pathway planning in 2025, we will offer a range of engaging opportunities that complement the Careers Curriculum (delivered from Years 7-12) and help students make well-informed choices about their future. Below is sample list of some key events to look out for:
Year 9 My Careers Insights: Morrisby Profile – Wednesday 15th October
The My Career Insights program is a government initiative designed to help students explore potential career pathways and make informed decisions about subject selection, vocational education and training, and further studies.
During this time, students will create an online Morrisby account and completed a series of profiling quizzes and questionaries. As a follow up, students who complete their Morrisby profile will receive a receive a 1:1 appointment with a certified Morrisby Counsellor. During this time, the counsellor will help the student unpack their results, identify possible career options, and explore the functionalities of their online profile. Students will attend their scheduled appointment during the regular school day from Monday 27th – Friday 31st of October.
We encourage students to take full advantage of these opportunities to explore their interests and plan their future pathways. If you have any questions, please reach out to the EMC Careers Team.
- Careers Website www.emccareers.com.au
Pathway advice: Contact the EMC Career Team for general advice – 97882745.
HOW MUCH HOMEWORK SHOULD YOU BE DOING AT HIGH SCHOOL?
Are you spending hours hunched over textbooks wondering if you’re doing too much or too little homework? You’re not alone. The homework debate has been raging for decades, with students, parents, and teachers all having different opinions on how much study time is actually beneficial.
The truth is, there’s no magic number that works for everyone. But there are some research-backed guidelines that can help you find the sweet spot between academic success and maintaining your sanity.
How much home work should you be doing?
We’re going to get to that in just a minute, but there are a few things to cover off first…
- Excessive studying is unlikely to dramatically increase your academic outcomes – and it can be extremely bad for your physical and mental health too.
- Academic results are just one factor in your success, and too much study can reduce the time and energy you have for other resume-boosting activities.
Let’s explore what the experts say about homework and how you can strike the right balance for your learning and wellbeing.
Why too much homework can backfire
Before we dive into the numbers, it’s crucial to understand that more isn’t always better when it comes to homework. In fact, excessive studying can actually work against you in several ways.
It can impact your health
Overdoing homework can seriously impact your physical and mental health.
If you’re experiencing regular headaches, stomach problems, frequent illnesses, sleep issues, or feelings of anxiety about school, these could be warning signs that your workload is too heavy. Multiple studies have linked excessive homework to these health problems, and your physical and mental wellbeing should always come first.
It actually decreases your motivation
Doing over the recommended limits of homework could also be reducing your motivation and focus, which won’t help you kick your academic goals. Think of homework like exercise – a moderate amount strengthens your academic muscles, but overdoing it leads to burnout and injury.
You’ll also have less time to rest, exercise, work, spend time with family and friends, and just enjoy yourself, all important factors in your development and wellbeing.
What the research says
This information doesn’t just come from disgruntled students – a heap of academic research has been done into homework, and some of the findings might surprise you.
Less homework doesn’t mean less results
Here’s something you might not expect: countries that assign the least homework often perform best academically.
Korea, Japan, and Finland, for example, give students minimal homework, yet consistently rank among the top countries for reading, maths, and writing in international assessments.
It’s about quality over quantity
Educational researcher John Hattie ranks homework at 279 from a list of 438 student achievement influences. Interestingly, he found the benefits of homework start at nearly none in primary school, but increase further into high school.
Quality homework and feedback is far more important than spending mindless hours covering the same work again and again.
“Homework that is meaningful and driven by student input is linked to improving attitudes, knowledge and student retention…”
– Corno, 2000
You can have too much of a good thing
Research shows that once homework exceeds certain time limits, academic performance actually starts to decline.
A 2015 study also found that middle school students assigned more than 90 to 100 minutes of daily homework began to see a fall in their maths and science test scores.
“Moderate amounts of time spent on homework are linked to better results, but a great deal … of time spent on homework is actually less productive. This means when middle school students spend more than an hour and a half a night there is a correlation with lower scores.”
– Cooper, et al., 2006
The homework sweet spot by year level
Based on multiple studies and expert recommendations, here are the optimal homework amounts for different school levels:
Middle school
Aim for up to one hour of homework per weekday. This gives you enough practice to consolidate classroom learning without overwhelming your developing brain.
Lower senior school
At this stage you should be able to handle between one and two hours daily. You’re building stronger study habits and can manage slightly more complex work.
Upper senior school
By now your target should be around two hours per day. This prepares you for the increased academic demands you’ll face if you continue to university.
Remember, these are guidelines, not rigid rules. For example, if you’re taking more subjects than other students in your cohort, or if you’re taking part in extra programs, then the amount of study you may have to do could increase.
Around assessment and exam time then you might find you’re reaching the upper limits of the recommended homework times too, and that’s normal, but it shouldn’t be the norm for your entire school year.
Making homework work for you
The key isn’t just about time – it’s about making that time count. You don’t need to do all your studying in marathon sessions. Break it up throughout your day and week.
Read your notes on the bus, watch educational documentaries that relate to your subjects, or discuss what you’re learning with friends. Even casual conversations about your coursework can reinforce your understanding.
Consider your natural rhythms too. Are you a morning person who thinks clearly at dawn, or a night owl who hits their stride after dinner? Schedule your most challenging homework during your peak energy times.
Setting yourself up for success
To make the most of your homework time, create a study environment that works for you. Find a space where you can focus without distractions, whether that’s your bedroom, the kitchen table, or your local library.
Write a study plan and stick to it. Include regular breaks because your brain needs time to process and consolidate information. Research shows that after about 15 minutes of focused learning, your brain needs a few minutes to restore the neurotransmitters that help you concentrate.
Think of breaks as brain maintenance – they’re not time wasted, they’re essential for keeping your mind sharp.
“After about 15 minutes of learning and practising something – such as the Pythagorean theorem in maths – the regions of the brain activated in spatial-numerical learning get fatigued and need to rebuild the neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, that get depleted. The restoration only takes a few minutes if the break is timely, but if they are pushed to stay with that same process for too long, stress builds, neurotransmitters drop way down and it will take twice as long to restore full efficiency to that area of the brain.”
When to seek help
If homework is taking over your life, it’s time to reassess. You should still have time for exercise, hobbies, work, family and friends. These activities aren’t luxuries – they’re essential for your development and mental health.
If you’re consistently struggling to complete homework, speak with your teachers. They can help you develop better study strategies or adjust expectations if needed.
One more thing to bear in mind
If you’re contemplating university after high school, the expectation is that you’ll be studying for around 40 hours per week, and that includes all of your lectures, seminars, and tutorials (it’s the also the equivalent of a full-time working role).
If you’re already doing 30 hours of school and 20+ hours of homework weekly, you’re already exceeding university level workloads, and that’s a red flag. Remember that work-life balance is important at all ages and is a great skill to master early in life.