Careers

There are many things happening in the Careers Department this term. 

Morrisby Testing and Careers Interviews 

All Year 10 students completed their Morrisby Career Profile Testing last week. The students completed a range of online assessments in relation to their personality, aptitudes, and interests. Students were then given access to a report which summarises the results of the testing and gives suggestions regarding VCE subject options and tertiary courses/careers that they are well suited to. 

This will be followed up by the students attending a compulsory 30-minute interview with myself. In this interview they will receive more feedback on their Morrisby report as well as information on prerequisite VCE subjects that they may require for their tertiary courses. This will ensure that students are well prepared for their subject selections later in the year. 

Year 11 students will also be given the opportunity to attend a Careers Interview to seek feedback on changes to VCE subjects for year 12 at the start of Term 3. 

Careers Future Insights Event 

On Thursday May 25 we will be running our second 'Careers Future Insights' Event in the IRC. It will run from 3.30pm to 5.30pm and will be open to students and parents from Years 9 –12. 

At this stage we have 7 speakers who have completed a range of University courses coming to speak. They will introduce themselves to the group and highlight the key aspects of their course/career and will then be part of an open-table discussion with interested students. They will be placed in different areas of the IRC and students and parents can speak with those that they wish to individually or as a small group. This gives the opportunity to ask any questions that you may have about their course or the careers that they now have.  

We will be running a third event in August which will have a further range of speakers. These events offer an opportunity for students to learn more about specific courses and careers. Hearing first-hand from someone in the role is invaluable as is the opportunity to ask questions you have been wanting to ask for a long time. Even if this is not a career you think you might wish to do, this is a terrific way to find out more. I strongly advise senior students to attend.  

Bookings can be made here: https://events.humanitix.com/careers-future-insights 

National Careers Week (May 15–19) 

National Careers Week is an initiative of the Career Industry Council of Australia and aims to celebrate careers, career development services, and career development practitioners and to promote the economic, social, and personal benefits of career development. Career development is about much more than jobs – it is about how to live your life. 

During National Careers Week we are running a competition for students to try and match their teachers with the careers that they held prior to becoming a teacher. This has been great fun, but the message underlying this competition is for young people to see that their life is likely to include a range of careers. It is also to highlight that learning can be lifelong. The student who receives the most correct answers will win a Hoyts Movie Voucher. 

Throughout the week there will also be information on Shelly that provides relevant career planning advice. Students can learn important points regarding resumé construction, employability and interview skills.  

As part of our celebration of National Careers week, one of our past students from 2022, Bridget Wilson, has provided an insight into her move to study in regional Victoria and the importance that her career counselling had in terms of her decisions regarding tertiary education. 

Bridget Wilson (Class of 2022) 

Hi everyone! I am Bridget and I am currently doing my first year of the Bachelor of Nursing at Deakin University Warrnambool campus. Here, I have been able to experience living on campus and studying regional and rural aspects of nursing. Moving away from home for university was something I had always thought about but never knew where to apply or start with research. Ms. Freney helped me with finding resources and important costs needed such as rent, application fees, etc.  

Originally, I was looking at just universities in Victoria, however, with the guidance of Ms. Freney, I also researched different universities Australia-wide. I applied to three states (Tasmania, New South Wales, and Victoria), the careers department helped me fill in the forms and the VTAC, UAC, and UTAS websites where I placed my preferences originally in September of last year.  

While researching my options, Ms. Freney discussed with me options at rural campuses such as Warrnambool and shared her first hand experiences of her time at a regional campus university, as well as the advantages of studying outside of metro areas such as smaller class sizes and a more community feel towards formal studying.  

In the end, I received five offers from Deakin Warrnambool, the University of Tasmania, the University of Wollongong, Charles Sturt Wagga Wagga, and Holmesglen. With all the information provided, I was confident in making the best decision for myself and my future study.  

Because I knew that I wished to go to a rural campus, once offers came out in December of 2022, I immediately declined the offer from Holmesglen which left me with the offers of the rural universities. I chose Deakin Warrnambool because I was able to attend the Open Day and was able to imagine myself being a student at the university campus as well as gaining independence and opportunities from living on campus with people from many diverse backgrounds and places. I have made friends with people from as far away as Wisconsin, USA, and as close as someone who grew up living two minutes away from me. Here in Warrnambool I have a studio apartment supplied by the university with my own ensuite bathroom and kitchenette. I have joined the on-campus musical and the Deakin University Student Association (DUSA), I now also have a job with my university as a student ambassador, where I promote Deakin University and assist people with seeing if Deakin is the right choice for them. 

I am really loving my life down here!

Catherine Freney 

Careers & Future Pathways Coordinator