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Started casual employment at a retail store (BIG W) working approximately 15 hours a week
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Offered a traineeship at Big W. I though very hard about taking it and was close to accepting… mostly because I felt honoured that I had been offered it in the first place. I loved the positive praise I was getting in the job and I had a great relationship with the staff. It was my sister who turned me off that path – she made me realise that it was the positive words and affirmation that was actually appealing to me, as opposed to the job itself.
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Year of high school graduation – not 100% sure what I wanted to do at this stage. I knew I wanted to work with words, using writing and communication skills. I applied for university courses related to the arts and communication that would leave my options for majors open. Journalism was in the back of my mind as the most likely career choice. I was influenced in this by comments from teachers and parents in regards to my writing ability.
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I was approved for my first QTAC choice of degree (Bachelors degree of Mass Communication). I started the degree but was immediately put off by the competitiveness evoked in the students and my disinterest in the topics covered. I dropped the degree approximately half way through the first semester.
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I applied to study a double degree (Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education) and was accepted. I remembered back to running small group activities at school for the lower level grades and the feeling of accomplishment I received through that. I had also loved coaching netball to adolescents, and so decided that teaching might be a good option for me. I chose to study English teaching so that I could still have a profession linked to my love of writing.
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I was offered a permanent teaching position at quite an affluent school in North Brisbane. I loved working with the students, but quickly realised that my passion was more for the connection with students and helping them emotionally, rather than designing and delivering learning tasks.
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I started to think about possible career choices that would allow me to still work with students in a school setting, but outside of the confines of a classroom. I started researching Guidance Counsellor qualifications, but put it to the back of my mind, mainly thinking that I was still probably too young and experienced at this point.
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Looking for a change, I started my rural teaching placement at a public school in an extremely low-socioeconomic area west of Brisbane. Working with kids experiencing severe poverty and trauma reinforced my feelings about wanting to connect with and help students outside of a classroom setting
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Started studying my Masters of Education, majoring in Guidance and Career counselling. This was heavily driven by my work with disadvantaged students and the desire to help them more than just academically.
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Hopefully I will be working as a guidance counsellor in a low socio-economic area working with disadvantaged youth.