Now’s a good time to talk “career”

Now’s a good time to talk “career”

As the school holidays draw to a close and you are gearing up for the third term it is a good time to have a “career conversation” with your teen says Careers New Zealand’s Ailsa Tini.
“Now is the best time for young people from year 10 and up to be thinking about their subject choices and where those choices might lead them,” says Ailsa, Careers New Zealand’s Manager, Compulsory Education (Northern).

“So it’s a good time to be talking about their future and how they plan to get there. Subject choice is key - but you don’t have to narrow things down too much. It’s about learning and progression. You need to be thinking about where particular subjects will lead, but it is also good to keep the options open.”

Ailsa advises encouraging young people to continue with English, Maths and Science so they will have more choices later.

“Then you should talk about what subject areas they like and are achieving in. And what things outside of school are they interested in. It is worth checking out the Careers New Zealand website (www.careers.govt.nz) for some interactive tools where you can “plug in” areas of interest, existing skills and hobbies as well as school subjects to get ideas and information about possible careers.

“In particular have a look at the Career Quest and Skills Matcher tools,” she says. “It’s best if you work with them, sit alongside them and talk about the questions and their answers.

“Then when the tool gives you options and ideas to explore you can talk each one through. Career Quest also links through to our jobs database where you can look at the opportunities, potential earnings and what further training is needed in the various careers.”

Ailsa says there are a few other things to bear in mind:
• It is useful to have an understanding of the New Zealand qualification system – you can goto the NZQA website (www.nzqa.govt.nz) to find information about this.
• You need to be aware of deadlines – when do you need to submit the choices? How long have you got to make changes?
• It’s also a good idea to find out how your school manages curriculum and subject choice – if you don’t know ask.
• Keep an eye on your young person’s NCEA achievements and where these will lead – for example if there’s something they want to do next year have they got the prerequisites? How many credits do they have and how many do they need?
Ailsa advises taking the time now to work through subject choices and how they will affect decisions further down the track.

“It will be time well spent.”

ENDS

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