Towards the end of year 12 students have had many opportunities to attempt to choose the career path they would like to follow after leaving school.
It can be a traumatic time for these young adults planning to face the rigors of the work force or the discipline of further study. Some of them have no difficulty in making a decision about their future; others are not so sure what direction they will take.
While government, universities and private agencies provide careers advice and school counsellors provide positive support, the final choice must rest with the school leavers themselves and the academic levels they have achieved in their final assessments.
Sometimes parents can be guilty of pushing their kids in the direction they want them to go. Unwittingly, they may even force them to consider a job or career simply because of the prestige it carries or the remuneration it offers.
We should encourage our kids to aim for a career that will enable them to best use the gifts and talents they possess. It is important they be happy in their job, as we all know unhappy workers become unhappy wingers.
I’m Peter Mack and that’s life.