Careers & Pathways
Careers myNHS
The myNHS space has been updated, and so has the Careers Page. For information about topics related to careers, pathways, work experience, uni options and applications - visit this page regularly, as it will be updated throughout the year.
The VET page is also a valuable source of information about more hands-on options that can either lead more quickly to the workforce or enhance a VCE study program. Do not wait until your child is in VCE to engage with their planning for the future, though – the resources are intended for everyone, and if you feel something is missing, please let us know.
Students are encouraged to make individual appointments with our careers practitioner, Ms Kylie Witt. To make an appointment, please follow this link: https://calendly.com/witt-kylie-i
You can also contact Kylie by phone or email via Compass (see below).
Where are they now?
Our 90th birthday year is a good time to reflect on where life has taken our alumni. If you are an NHS alumnus, or know of someone who is, please make contact with the school this year to update your details. From a careers perspective, our current students can benefit enormously from finding out about where former students have ended up post-NHS, and what factors have shaped their career journeys.
NHS careers spotlight - Patrick O’Sullivan NHS 1971
Currently Chief Executive of the Urban Camp, a cooperative that facilitates city camps for students from country schools, Patrick commenced Year 7 in 1966 at NHS when it was boys only and during turbulent and interesting times. Teacher strike action in Year 10 during 1969 meant that his schooling was disrupted by a complete term of minimal teaching.
The Principal of the day, Stan Seabrooke, who was quite a visionary for his time, showed an interest in Patrick’s career prospects, recommending him for study at ANU and facilitating an interview with the ANZ bank; both of which led to the offer of a position. He simultaneously sat the Public Service entrance exam successfully, and began his post-school life working for 5 years in the Health Department. When the Labor Government under Prime Minister Gough Whitlam introduced free university study, Patrick returned to his first love – the fine arts – and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Ballarat Uni (recently reborn as Federation Uni). A subsequent Bachelor of Education (Teaching) at Melbourne University led to 15 years as a secondary Art Teacher in regional Victoria. A move back to the city and a career change has seen 20 years involved in a community based cooperative which links country students to city life.
Patrick remembers NHS in the 60's & 70's as an uncompromising school both inside and outside of the classroom that prepared students to deal with the many and varied challenges that life and work situations presented. Several teachers, including the Principal, left an indelible mark and provided inspiration to make the most of opportunities that may arise in life.
If you are a former NHS student, and would like to share your career journey, please make contact with Kylie Witt. Or “dob in” someone whose story you think would be of interest to our school community.
How can you help?
Young people start to internalise career-related information quite early, based largely on the input they get from their environment. Who am I? What am I good at? What is the “right” job for me? They ask and answer these questions for themselves regardless of whether the answers are readily available to them. We can all reflect on moments in life when we internalised a message or assumption that may have later been revealed to be a misunderstanding, but which shaped certain parts of our career journey – eg: “I can’t do subject XYZ”.
Teenagers look to their parents, teachers, family friends, peers and various media sources for information. If they are to make wise choices, they need accurate information about a wide variety of options, as well as the capacity to reflect on their own skills, wishes and personal strengths. It is now widely accepted that a set of skills that enables young people to adapt to change, identify and embrace opportunities, and develop resilience for the inevitable tough times are more important for long-term career success than memorising a specific body of knowledge. That said, the capacity to acquire new knowledge and develop new skills is crucial to surviving in a world where rapid change is the only constant.
NHS addresses this continually through our formal curriculum, tutorial programs and extra-curricular activities. However, parents and the wider community play an equally (if not more) important role in assisting their children to find accurate and relevant information. Helping them to find opportunities to develop so-called “employability skills” in a variety of settings (eg: work, sport, volunteering, hobbies) will pay huge dividends later.
We are always looking for anyone who has time, expertise or insight to share with our students as they begin to prepare themselves for the world beyond their secondary schooling.
Activities we already run that might interest you include:
- Speaking at an assembly
- Talking about your career journey at a year level career expos
- Running workshops on workforce-related issues (CVs, interviews, job-searching)
- Articles for the newsletter
- Classes or lunchtime sessions for small interest groups
- Meeting with staff and/or students to discuss your field of expertise from a careers perspective
There is also plenty of scope for additional activities to be added, or for existing ones to be fine-tuned, so if you have any thoughts on this, please start by contacting
Ms Kylie Witt.
Careers Practitioner