Careers News
Careers Update
My passion is to help you find your passion!
Welcome back to a new school year. I am excited about the opportunity to collaborate with the students at St Patrick’s College, Strathfield for another productive year, guiding them towards discovering their passions and charting a pathway to pursue them.
The importance of developing career goals.
“If you don’t know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else.”
Goals offer a guiding light, provide a sense of direction, and enhance motivation. Students often find it beneficial to begin by creating a career goal, which entails defining a specific and well-defined objective for their professional journey. This process involves considering their interests, skills, values, and future aspirations. They should then research the ATAR requirements, if any, for various tertiary institutions. From there, they can work backward to determine academic goals for each of their individual subjects. I am here to assist students in this process.
Academic goals and career goals are closely linked. Achieving academic goals often enables individuals to progress toward their career aspirations. Academic goals tend to be more specific and measurable, focusing on short-term achievements, while career goals encompass broader, long-term objectives.
As part of their preparation for pathway interviews last year, the 2023 Year 12 cohort was required to formulate career goals. Many students were exploring various career options and were undecided about their specific career path or post-secondary education choices. Once their career goals were established, during their pathway interview we proceeded to set academic goals. This included defining subject-specific objectives and ATAR targets (for those aiming for an ATAR), all geared towards aiding them in attaining their career aspirations.
“Education brings about opportunity, and in turn inspiration.”
The aim for each student should be to maximise their opportunities, and education is the key to achieving this. Upon reviewing the 2023 HSC results, it was encouraging to observe that many students successfully met their academic goals, thereby securing entry into their preferred courses. While a significant portion of the cohort obtained early entry into universities before the HSC examinations commenced, they remained committed to their academic objectives. This dedication provided them with more options, as they secured admission to additional university courses during the main, second or third rounds of offers, which are based on ATAR results only. However, this abundance of choices also led to some confusion among students who received multiple offers, leaving then unsure about which course to pursue. Nonetheless, this dilemma is a pleasant one to have! Therefore, it is important that all students strive to their fullest potential in order to maximise their opportunities.
Additionally, we celebrate those students that managed to secure an apprenticeship or traineeship immediately after graduating from the College. Among our exceptional young men, we have aspiring plumbers, electricians, carpenters, real estate agents, and even a videographer.
“What you get by achieving your goal is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.”
This year, as I meet with the 2024 Year 12 cohort commencing in Term 2, I will be asking them to set their career goals and academic goals. I will also inquire about their involvement in co-curricular, sports, leadership roles, community/volunteer work, social justice initiatives, performing arts, and other extracurricular activities. Engaging in these activities not only fosters a balanced life but also creates additional opportunities for students as they transition from school to the next phase of their lives.
Our Proxime Accessit, Angus Reen, recently secured a Co-op Scholarship with the University of NSW (UNSW) in the field of Mechatronic Engineering, entailing a tax-free cash payment of $19,600 per year for four years. He earned this scholarship through a rigorous application and interview process, during which the judges assessed more than just his academic abilities. The qualities that contributed to Angus' success in obtaining this highly competitive scholarship included his involvement in the school community, dedication to social justice and community care, his creativity through his Industrial Technology project, musical talent, sporting commitments through co-curricular, leadership contribution, and communication skills. Therefore, the key message here is the importance of participating in extracurricular activities including co-curricular, as they provide valuable transferable skills that can enhance employability after completing studies.
I encourage parents/carers to engage in discussions with their sons about their career goals. Whether your son is in Year 5 or Year 12, initiating this conversation and encouraging them to start thinking about their future is valuable. Even in Year 11 or 12, some boys may not have a clear career path and may be considering multiple options. This is completely normal and nothing to be concerned about.
I am available to meet with any student and/or their parents/carers to discuss career and course options, especially if it helps in setting goals and planning for the future. Please feel free to contact me on 8705 9255 or email me at joanne.cupac@spc.nsw.edu.au.
I look forward to getting to know the students at St Patrick's so I can mentor and guide them in making future course and/or career choices.
Joanne Cupac
Head of Vocational Education and Careers