Concept Development 25/10
When I was about 4 or 5 I had a Pa (Grandfather) who would constantly tell my family and I that I would grow up to be super tall like my dad (his step-son), and because of that tied with my “beauty”, I would be a world famous model... Looking back at it now I think it was a hilarious prophecy as I am 21 years old and I stand at the mere height of 5 foot 3, indicating that I take after my Maltese mother who is also short-statured. Right up until I was 11 he would tell me every time he saw me that I would be a model one day, but I lost contact with him after he had the divorce with my Nan. His prediction fell forgotten, but i believe if I had kept in contact with him he would have encouraged me to follow that pathway still to this day.
From as early as I can remember I have always loved and owned pets. Until I was about 7 I had lived on property so I had every kind of pet you can imagine. There has not been a time in my life where I haven’t owned either a dog, cat, bird, hermit crab, guinea pig or rabbit/s at one time. Even now I own three dogs that I care for better than myself. Still to this day I believe there would be no better profession than to be a vet, vet nurse, zoologist, or even just an owner of a pet kennel or sanctuary. I had always told my family that I wanted to be a vet when I was older, but I was constantly told that I wouldn’t be able to do it because I have the tendency to faint over blood. When I was in year 10 and considering my subject choices for senior school I considered choosing a science-based timetable so that I could follow a pathway that would enable me to become a Vet, but my careers adviser told me that I should reconsider this pathway because the university degree for Veterinary science was 6 years and I would need an ATAR of 90+ (which at the time my grades did not reflect). Because of this I chose 0 science focused subjects and followed a timetable based on my other passion of art. After the HSC when we started to apply for universities I still wanted to apply for Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney, but again my careers advisor told me that it would be unlikely I would be considered because of my subject choices.
I went on to get an ATAR of 88.35. Attending a rural school meant I received 5 bonus points, which put me up to the ATAR of 93.35. This meant that if I had applied for veterinary degrees my application would of indeed been considered despite my subject choices. Now that I am out of high school and I have seen all the different pathways into university, I could have been more than capable of obtaining this degree whether I needed to do bridging courses or not. As you can imagine, I don’t have very fond feelings towards that careers adviser now.
Having a gap year to travel:
When I was in year 12 I contemplated having a gap year in between finishing school and going to University to travel and work. My parents insisted that I go to university to get a degree because that was “the only way to make money these days”, “my brains would be wasted if i didn’t” and “I would waste a year of my life where I could just smash out uni and be working full time by the age of 23″. My careers adviser had also told our entire cohort that those who have gap years would be more academically disadvantaged than those who went straight onto tertiary study, and those who put off going to university risked loosing their offers because universities were beginning to change their ATAR cut-offs and they may be affected.
Considering these influences I chose to not have the gap year. Half way through my first year of uni I heard a hack story on Triple J that discussed the benefits of having a gap year. They said that a recent study had revealed that students who take a gap year before university are more motivated and go on to achieve better results. Now in my third year of my degree I have never felt more drained and unmotivated in my life. I sincerely regret not taking the gap year to explore the world and get new perspectives on life, as these may have altered my choices concerning a profession.
When I had decided that I wanted to pursue an artistic pathway, my parents told me that I wouldn’t make any money as an artist. They insisted that I do a teaching degree behind my arts degree so that I always had the security of full time employment
Professional soccer player:
I started playing soccer when I was 10. I quickly grew a strong passion for it and wished one day I could play it as a profession. I was the top goal scorer in my team 2 years in a row and I was selected for the under 15′s rep side. When i asked my under 16′s coach how to go pro he said that there was no future for women’s soccer and I wouldn’t get noticed living in a rural area.
There was a time in year 12 I considered pursuing hair dressing or beauty as a profession because I was very interested in the field. My parents, friends and teachers told me that I would go no where in life and “wouldn’t earn enough money to buy my my own home one day”. One of my good friends left school in year 11 to do a hairdressing apprenticeship, she has just gotten a loan and put a deposit on her own house and owns her own business.
