We are talking about the ‘soft skills’ which are becoming more and more recognised for determining one’s success and you’re going to have to develop these skills at some stage so why not now!?

At HSC CoWorks we have broken these skills down into 6 student key behaviours and once a student has learnt and then applied these key behaviours, they will not only find it easier to navigate their HSC year, but will be ready for life after school!

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Too Much School Is Not Always Cool – HSC CoWorks

you could be right. There are an incredible number of young people, freshly graduated from universities with Bachelor degrees, Masters, and Doctorates, but they are working in jobs that don’t use those degrees.

Young people are falling into this trap of getting more education, getting lower paying jobs and getting stuck under the debt of that education.

What went wrong?

It’s hard to know exactly how things changed. The older generation told the younger generation a mistruth that a college degree is basically the same thing as a high paying job. And young people believed them. The studies show that 1.6 times more young people are graduating and 1.7 times more people hold degrees from a university. The majority of those people aren’t even working in their fields of study.

That might sound good except that that education has dropped in standards. We’re teaching more young people with sub-level education. It’s like saying that we’ve improved the hunger rate among kids almost 2 times, but the food we’re giving them is Chikko rolls and meat pies.

How do we fix this?

The conversation needs to change. The future is bright for young people. But a degree is not the same thing as a guarantee. The same jobs the older generation had will change in the next 15 years. Things will be automated. Careers will vanish with technology improvements. In order to prepare for a different future, the education must be aimed towards careers that will become more needed in the future.

For example, a career in physical therapy shows that graduates have a 97% chance of finding their chosen jobs within 3 months of graduation. Other predictions show that careers like data analysts and medical technology engineers will be in great demand.

How can you avoid this fate?

Don’t become just another statistic in this trend. Make a choice about your future not because getting a degree is the “done thing”. Make a choice about a field that excites you. People are always driven to hire passionate people. Make an informed decision about promising careers of the future.  They will be in demand.

But best of all, make a choice because you want to, and not because anybody else tells you what they think you should do. You choose your future so make it the best that you want it to be.

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Image via bestvalueschools.com

Have you heard about STEM degrees? No, it’s a real thing, I promise.

STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. It’s these 4 degrees and the fields that they represent that will see the most job growth over the next couple decades. It’s these careers that will change lives. Working in these fields is certain to always be in demand. Have a look at just a few of the examples making waves in the future.

Science

Getting a Bachelor in Science can lead to some exciting prospects. You could be the chief technician of a clinical trial group. It’s certainly interesting, but the pay is even more interesting. An average worker in clinical trials makes over $140,000 each year. Not a bad job for running some experiments. What about working in Pharmaceuticals? Not only can you work anywhere in the world, you’ll make great money doing it with the average salary being $145,000.

Technology

This is going to the field that no one will be able to predict, but that everyone will want to play a part. One of the careers that’s going to change the way we see the future is software and app architect. You get to design the software and apps that people use every day. Your work could be featured in every home, in everybody’s mobile, and on everyone’s laptop. Not a bad way to make a difference.

Engineering

This term has come to mean so much more than designing bridges and plotting structures. Now, the career of engineer has wide possibilities. It’s one of the STEM degrees that opens many doors in all different fields. If you’re not interested in staying in one place, become a technical consultant. With your engineering background, you can advise companies around the world, travel the globe, and work at your own pace.

Mathematics

As Neil DeGrasse Tyson says, “If you want to speak to the Chinese, you learn Mandarin. If you want to speak to the universe, you have to learn mathematics”. As space becomes more a part of our lives, those with mathematic degrees will change the way we think about space travel and exploration. Imagine this. There will come a time when somebody grumbles that “they have to go to the moon today”. It’s through degrees in Maths that this will become a reality.

STEM degrees can be found in jobs like lead designer at Apple, Mars Curiosity drivers for NASA, sports statisticians for ESPN, and 3d printing managers. They have so much potential to adapt and change because your future will ultimately evolve faster than anyone else in human history.

Get the degree that will move with you.

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