This page is dedicated to young people who
roughly fit the ages of 14-25, so if you are older check out our
other pages - there is one just for you!
Young people are engaged in 'formative' experiences, which
involve learning, growing and testing out the waters in preparation for adult
life - these include secondary and tertiary study, completing apprenticeships
or traineeships, and settling into the workplace. It may also involve travelling, living out of home, establishing new friendships and taking on new challenges. The Gap Year suits this purpose admirably.
If you are in this category, you might have found
yourself questioning the whole career thing. You might be looking to others
(parents, teachers, older brothers and sisters) for advice about what you
should do with your life. You might have tried a couple of courses, changed
your subjects or units.
These are some of the many career concerns young people have:
- They have no idea what they really want to do with their life
- They are worried that they will not get into the course they want, or have already missed out
- They are trying to decide between two or more career options (sometimes these options are quite different, and sometimes they are very similar)
- They have started a tertiary course but are not enjoying it
- They want to change their course (but are worried about telling their parents)
- They are having trouble juggling work and studies (and perhaps other responsibilities)
- They are about to graduate and want to get a great
job
- They are unhappy in their job
- They have not been able to get a graduate position
- They are looking into non-standard work options (such as starting a business, being an artist or sportsperson, or working in a freelance capacity)
If any of these describe your current career
dilemma, don't worry - you are completely normal! This is all part of growing
up. Most of these problems can be overcome with the right kind of research and self-examination. If you can't resolve it yourself, see a career counsellor.
*If you are a parent of a young person and want to
find out how to best help him or her, please go to the Parents page
*If you are a recent graduate from tertiary
studies, or this is your final year, take a look at the Graduates page.
