Next week our school will host Careers Connect, an evening where alumni and community members return to share their career journeys with our students. It is always a highlight of the year because it reminds us of an important truth: very few careers follow a straight line.
Many students feel pressure to know exactly what they want to do with their lives. In reality, most adults don’t follow a single, fixed pathway. Research commonly suggests that people will change careers around 3-7 times during their working life, and may change jobs 10-15 times or more. In a rapidly changing world, adaptability has become just as important as certainty.
What matters most at the beginning of a career is not knowing the exact destination, but building strong foundations.
One inspiring example is Trudy Noller, the CEO of the Universities Admissions Centre. Early in her working life she trained and worked in hairdressing before moving into university administration and eventually leading one of the most significant tertiary admissions organisations in Australia. Her career path did not begin with the role she holds today, but each stage built skills, experience and understanding that prepared her for the next opportunity.
History is full of similar stories. Harrison Ford worked as a carpenter before becoming one of Hollywood’s most recognisable actors. Julia Child worked in intelligence during World War II before discovering her passion for cooking later in life. Their careers evolved in unexpected ways, but each person took opportunities seriously and worked diligently at the task in front of them.
For students, this is an encouraging message. You do not have to have every step mapped out. What you can control, however, is the way you begin.Good career foundations are built through initiative, responsibility and a willingness to learn. Often the opportunities that shape our future arrive disguised as ordinary tasks or hard work: a part-time job, a work experience placement, helping someone with a project, or stepping forward when others hesitate.
In a Christian school community, we are also reminded that our work is part of our calling. The Bible encourages us in Colossians 3:23: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Faithfulness in the small things often prepares us for greater opportunities later.
Events like our Careers Connect evening allow students to hear these stories firsthand. Our alumni and guests rarely describe a perfectly planned career. Instead, they talk about learning, adapting, taking initiative and being willing to grow.
So if you are a student wondering what your future will look like, take heart. The goal right now is not to know everything about the journey ahead. The goal is simply this: build strong foundations, show initiative, and start well. After all, you don’t need to know the destination to make a great start.
Mrs Helen Lindsay
Teacher Librarian / Careers Advisor / VET Coordinator
Type on the line above then press the Enter/Return key to submit a new search query