05 Jul 2020

If you’re what your grandparents would call an “ambitious young whippersnapper”, then there’s a good chance that you’re itching to finish school already so you can start killing it in the next chapter of your life.

Well, we’ve got good news for you.

As it turns out, you don’t actually have to finish school before you can get going with your career. Whether you wanna be a travel blogger, tradie, DJ, politician, teacher, or anything else – there are plenty of ways to get the ball rolling well before you’ve held your 18th bday party.

Get networking

When it comes to having a successful career, who you know is just as important as what you know. If you know someone (or even know of someone) who’s currently working in your dream job, then get in touch!

Whether that’s someone you follow on Instagram, your mate’s dad’s mate, your next-door neighbour, or someone through your school’s career advisor – just get in touch and let them know you wanna follow in their footsteps. Ya never know what could happen.

Ask them if you can follow them around for a day, maybe even help with some of their tasks. Find out what (or if) they studied after school. Ask for advice – it’s shocking how many people are down to help anyone who simply asks for help.

Start a side hustle while you’re at school

If your dream is to own your own business one day - what’s stopping you from starting now?

No matter what it is you wanna do in life, there’s always a way to start setting things up while you’re still at school. Whether you’re selling cool T-shirts to your mates, teaching some Year 7s how to play guitar, doing a short course on coding on the weekends, or just reading every relevant book you can get your hands on – you defs don’t have to wait until next year to get your career started.

Even if all you do is set an Instagram for your business and get a few followers – you’re setting your future-self up for success later down the track.

Before you start your own business it’s super important to do some research into all the things you need to know before you begin (think taxation and all that good stuff), so make sure to dig around online or even ask a family member who you know has started their own business! It’s easier than you think.

Do an Australian School-based Apprenticeship

If you’ve got your heart set on a certain career and you’re currently in Year 10, 11 or 12, then doing an Australian School-based Apprenticeship (ASbA) could be the perfect fit for you. They’re apprenticeships that let you get started on your career while you’re still in school.

Basically, you substitute some of your school subjects for one or two days of training and working for your apprenticeship (and don’t worry, they don’t detract from your school marks – they add to them).

You get paid a proper wage, you make some seriously good industry connections, as well as some super invaluable work experience (which employers love).

The best thing about ASbAs is the range of professions you can choose from. If you go through the ACT Education Directorate, they can sort you out to start an apprenticeship or traineeship in:

  • Sport and recreation
  • Early childhood education and care
  • Business
  • Events management
  • Government
  • Horticulture
  • Digital media and technology
  • Plus way more which you can find out about here.

But hey, don’t hear it from us – hear it from someone who’s actually doing an ASbA!

We recently held a webinar with Blake Frantz – a legend who was struggling to find the motivation to finish school until he started an ASbA. He completed his Certificate II in Business and landed himself an opportunity to continue to be employed to complete a Certificate in III in Business, all before he finished school. You can watch his webinar here!

If you want to apply for, or find out some more info about ASbAs, then check out the ACT Education Directorate.