Finding Your Future After School 

H. Vance

EVERY YEAR, SHORE PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY for students to participate in Work Experience, one of the many resources we can take for granted that some other schools cannot offer. All Year 10 to 12 students have the chance to undertake Work Experience during the School Holidays, with a specific compulsory programme allocated to Year 10 students in the last weeks of Term 4. It involves spending five days with a company of your choice, overseeing daily tasks, helping with small projects and talking to workers.

You might be thinking, “Wow, a compulsory early holiday to swindle my way into playing games all week” but no, it’s not just a week where the School’s feeling a bit lazy and wants someone else to look after you.

Complementary to the direct online resources, several career presentations were organised by the Science Department to help students discover alternate ideas and interests in given topics. In this presentation, a range of former Shore students explained their industries to Year 10, showing their varying pathways to their given careers.

In my case, I found interest in design and construction from a presentation by a Project Manager, Richie, at one of Australia’s leading property developers and construction companies, Lendlease. Later, when work experience was offered with his company, I jumped to reply to the Team’s message to secure my spot. After more paperwork than an HSC marker would experience, I was given my own desk, access card, hard hat, steel-toe boots and high-vis vest (pushing me straight into the deep end). I was able to oversee the One Sydney Harbour project under the supervision of Richie and many of his colleagues in the Lendlease team.

View from the Penthouse of Tower 1 (sold for $140 million).

During my time, I was involved in several tasks, including a display suite tour (used for potential buyers of luxury apartments), tours around the three towers and the precinct (full basement to penthouse), completing admin tasks, working with the sustainability team, and a large task of interior designing the two-story penthouse for a specific buyer (presented to the team at the end of the week).

Old photo of One Sydney Harbour Project (towers to the right of the Crown).

Profuse construction smells, scaringly unstable lifts, warm welcomes from charismatic workers, and 8am-5pm hours are just a couple of things I’ll never forget. Nonetheless, work experience was one of the greatest ways to solidify my interest in the field. I can’t explain how useful it was for me, especially when picking elective subjects.

Now’s your time to close that retro bowl tab, open Lampada’s careers page and have a chat with Ms Shirriff or any teacher of your favourite subject. Do anything, do something!! Just remember to pick something you’re genuinely interested in. Pursuing money will only tease you to chase your shadow – you may tirelessly reach for it, but in the end, it disappears, leaving you in the darkness of unfulfillment.