Graduation... And then what?

With the Year 12's graduating last week I thought it would be a good time to discuss what happens after Year 12, if you even make it that far. 

As most of you will now know after following my blog, I left school when I was 15, half way through Year 10. After having six months off I moved to Karratha and signed up to a program through the high school and TAFE to complete Year 11 and 12 while also completing a Certificate II in Travel and Tourism. 

This was a fantastic program which wasn't as structured as the normal high school and had a lot more freedom. It also included working one day a week at Harvey World Travel (this soon included working Thursday nights and Saturdays in my own time which I was very grateful for). 

We studied at the TAFE as opposed to the high school which made me feel 'so grown up'. I was the only white girl in a class of aboriginals which I really enjoyed - I learnt a lot from them and it gave me much more appreciation for their culture and their lifestyle. 

After completing the course I had officially graduated from Year 11 and 12 and it was time to enter the big wide world. 

But did I need to finish Year 12 before entering the big wide world? Could I have started work after leaving in Year 10? Or should I have been going on to university? 

Those are all questions that have very complex answers. Yes, I could've tried getting a job straight out of Year 10, but it would have only allowed me to get a small minority of jobs unless I was willing to do some form of further education. Another option could have been to start an apprenticeship. Back then it would've been easier than it is now to obtain an apprenticeship, as these days they are not as easy to come by. 

Apprenticeships are a fantastic option if you can obtain one - you have on the job training and earn an income while you are studying and learning a trade. Some people leave school after Year 10 to start an apprenticeship as early as possible, while others either finish Year 12 first or decide later in life that they want to start an apprenticeship, perhaps deciding on a new career path. 

There are many jobs that require university degrees which is a path that many people take. Unfortunately these days there are far too many people that study hard for years at university only to graduate and then realise that there are too many graduates and not enough jobs on offer. Or they complete a degree only to decide that the path they have chosen isn't what they really want to do. 

Something many people do after completing Year 12 is take a gap year. This could involve either heading off overseas and travelling for 12 months, or taking a break and working part time before starting university or getting into a full time job in their chosen field. 

For me, well I finished Year 12 and got my Certificate II in Travel and Tourism. I had no intention of going to university, I didn't know what I wanted to do as a career so it wasn't a path I wanted to go down. I had part time waitressing jobs while I was at school and then when I left school I did a lot of bar work before moving to New Zealand where I started working in a law firm. I'd worked for a short period at a law firm in Esperance when I was about 18 and had completed a Certificate II in Business Administration, but that was my only real experience. 

After temping for a short period I started at a law firm which I ended up staying at for four years. This was by far the longest job I had ever had. As you might be realising, I like things to be fun and interesting, and if they're not, then I change them. Working at the same firm for four years was a big step for me, and it was only because my life outside of work was so new and exciting (new country, new relationship, new adventures) that I was happy staying in the same place. 

Working as a personal legal assistant doesn't require a tertiary education, it is something that you learn on the job and luckily for me, as somebody that had little previous experience, the firm was willing to give me a chance . Companies like that can be hard to come by unfortunately, so I was very grateful for the opportunity. 

I studied for two years to obtain my Legal Executive Diploma. I didn't complete the final year as we moved to Australia and the qualifications didn't carry over. The knowledge I acquired in the two years helped immensely in my job, so I wasn't too bothered that I didn't complete the final year.  

Once arriving in Australia I worked for another 20 months at a law firm before deciding office work wasn't for me. 

I changed to my current job as a boarding supervisor at a boarding house and it is something I love. I love the interaction with the kids and love that there is something different happening every day. The job didn't require any qualifications which meant I could leave the law firm and start at my new position straight away. I was given the position based on my personality and willingness to learn a new role. 

Unless you know the path you want to go down in life, you might not know what you want to do after Year 12. Or you might continue on to obtain other qualifications or experience in a job and then change careers down the track. 

Life is a mystery, you never know where you'll end up or what you'll end up doing. Base your decisions on the information you have at the time and what your passions are. Those passions or goals may very well change two or three or more times before you find what you want to do, and that's ok. You might decide what you want to do with your life and stick with that same career until you retire - if it's something you love, then go for it!

I know I won't be in this job forever, but for now it suits our lifestyle and gives us the opportunity to travel together on school holidays, and at the moment that is our main priority - a career might come later...