career options

Life after school can offer many interesting and exciting opportunities, including developing new skills, discovering new passions and learning more about what you want out of life. However, change is often challenging, and COVID-19 has presented many of these!

The workforce and education landscape is also continually changing, but there are lots of options for training, education and work in 2022 that can help you further your career. The Australian Government’s School Leaver’s Information Kit (SLIK) can help you discover what options are available, so you can make your next life-changing move. It also offers support and guidance to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people, or those living with a disability or special education needs. The SLIK has also been translated into additional languages. Here are some of our tips on career options for school leavers. You got this!

Start work

If you’ve decided to jump straight into the world of work, the Your Career website can help you navigate your career options. You can find out which occupations match your preferences, whether you need further training and education to secure a job, what skills employers are looking for, and what your estimated pay might be. The tool asks you things like what are your interests? Do you have any deal breakers? And do you have an industry in mind?

Undertake study

If you are keen to undertake some further study to enhance your knowledge, skills and career options, consider:

• Higher education courses. These include studying at university or other higher education provider for an undergraduate Certificate, Diploma, Advanced Diploma, Associate Degree, Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. The length of time it takes to complete higher education varies. As an example, most Bachelor’s degrees take a minimum of three years to complete.
• Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses. These include apprenticeships and traineeships that typically combine paid work with structured training. They focus on real skills, knowledge and attitudes and can be delivered off-the-job, on-the-job, or both. VET courses aren’t just for traditional trades either. They included hundreds of different industries and occupations, from retail, accounting and technology to arts and hospitality. Apprenticeship usually involve structured training for three to four years. Traineeships are usually between nine months and four years, depending on the vocation and Certificate required.
• Short-term courses (including online courses like ours) are also a great option if you don’t want to commit to the time and financial commitments of a degree. These can also sometimes be credited towards a full qualification if you decide to continue further study. Plus, if your career goals change, you don’t have to stick with the qualification you started with. You can move between different types of training and courses if your priorities and interests change!

Other career options

Want to try something new and different? There are so many options for you to explore after leaving school. And the best part? You don’t have to pick just one!

Short-term work placements

Early experience in the sector you’re interested in can help you decide whether a particular job is right for you, and it might also help further your career. You can find out more tips on short-term work placements here.

Volunteering opportunities

These can help you build valuable skills and give you the chance to make a real difference to people’s lives. You can get involved with many sectors and organisations, depending on your location, interests and availability. Find out more information on volunteering opportunities in your state or territory here.

Start your own business

Keen to turn one of your passions into a business idea? Even though starting your own business is generally a long-term venture, if you have an entrepreneurial spirit, it shouldn’t stop you from giving it a go! The Australian Government’s Business website has some great tips. You can read more here. Starting your own business might also involve you joining what’s called the “gig economy”. This can involve being employed by an employer as a contractor or freelancer.

Take a gap year

Taking a gap year used to be about meeting lots of new people and exploring new countries. But with COVID-19 still affecting our lives, including our ability to travel, the idea of a gap year has changed. If travel is something you are passionate about, why not think about travelling within Australia instead?

There are lots of opportunities for seasonal work in Australia. Whether it’s pruning vines, picking fruit or veggies or working on a dairy farm, you’ll be helping farmers while topping up your savings along the way!  And if you’re at least 17 years of age and have graduated from Year 12, you may also be eligible for reimbursement of up to $6,000 to cover the cost of accommodation, travel and some work-related items. You can find out more here.

Do some research

If you are exploring your future career options, an excellent place to start is to think about the types of industries in Australia and the range of roles that might be available in terms of your interests, skills and abilities. Some of the biggest sectors include:

• Hospitality, tourism and events
• Agriculture and horticulture
• Arts and recreation services
• Construction
• Education and training
• Electricity, gas, water and waste services
• Financial and insurance services
• Information, media and telecommunications
• Manufacturing
• Mining
• Professional, scientific and technical services
• Public administration and safety
• Rental, hiring and real estate
• Retail trade
• Transfer, postal and warehousing
• Wholesale trade

Continuing globalisation, new ways of working, and the challenges of COVID-19 have also changed the career landscape, the “future of work”, and your career options. According to LinkedIn’s Jobs on the Rise in 2021 report, some of the current high-demand jobs are for:

• Community services workers, including people looking after children, adolescents and the elderly.
• Healthcare workers, including people in case management
• Customer service workers, including people in retail
• Digital professionals, including people in E-commerce, social media and writing
• Education roles, including people working in early childhood education.
• Finance professionals, including people who work as accountants and bookkeepers.
• Recruitment professionals, including people working in HR and recruitment.
• ICT professionals, including those working in information security, AI, cloud computing and cyber security.