Careers Corner

Year 10 Work Experience

All our Year 10 students are currently preparing for and trying to secure work experience placements for 17th – 21st October. Late last term one of our Year 10 students was lucky enough to be accepted into a work experience program run by The University of Melbourne, below Nina has shared further details about her experience placement and what she learnt during this week.

During the last week of Term 2, I completed work experience at Science Gallery Melbourne. An exhibition space run by the University of Melbourne, it aims to engage young people with science through art. 

Our activities focused on learning about the behind-the-scenes processes of the Gallery. The week consisted of workshops on disciplines as diverse as visual storytelling, audience engagement and prototype development. The previous exhibition Mental: Head Inside had just closed, so we also witnessed the de-installation process. Our main project was developing a hypothetical exhibition to be staged at the Science Gallery. The week culminated in a pitch to the Gallery team, and a poster fair displaying the week’s work. The week was busy but fun, and everyone enjoyed the interactive initiatives - even (and especially) eating insect waffles!

Overall, I found it was important to see the massive variety of career options available - and how one job can combine seemingly disparate passions. We're often told to choose a set path and stick to it, but the journeys of the SGM team (such as neuroscientist to designer to Gallery assistant) proved otherwise. Sometimes you can have the best of both worlds.

Nina Gibbs 10B

Year 12 2022 VTAC Dates

Careers in Focus

FORENSIC SCIENTIST

Average weekly salary: $1,794

Education/Training: An undergraduate bachelor’s degree in forensic science and/or postgraduate qualifications in Forensic Science

Subject prerequisite/assumed knowledge: Assumed knowledge in English and Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics and Biology

Forensic Scientists apply scientific procedures and techniques to the examination of potential evidence that may assist in legal investigations. They can then advise courts and lawyers about the forensic details on an alleged crime.

Tasks include: 

• Identify illicit drugs and analyse drugs and poisons in human tissue and body fluids, including blood alcohol results
• Examine and compare materials such as fibres, paints, cosmetics, oils, fuels, plastics, glass, metals, soils, and gunshot residue
• Examine human and animal biological material to be compared with victims and suspects using DNA profiling
• Examine crime scenes
• Produce reports, appear in court, and present scientific and/or opinion testimony accurately
• Detect, enhance, recover, and identify latent fingerprints, footprints, tool marks, shoe marks, tyre marks and tracks

Personal attributes: 

• Good communication skills
• Able to remain unbiased in the examination of potential court evidence
• Meticulous and capable of clear, logical, and lateral thinking
• Able to work as part of a team
• Initiative and motivation
• Perseverant
• Good observation skills

Related Careers: 

Chemist, Medical Laboratory Technician, Medical Practitioner, Medical Scientist, Microbiologist, Botanist, Pharmacist

Resources: Good Careers Guide 

Heather Palm

Careers and Pathways Coordinator