The world is the oyster of Cape York students, and with the myriad job opportunities available in our backyard and beyond, editor Lyndon Keane says events like the Western Cape Careers Expo are vital to ensuring our future leaders discover all the options on the table. Photo: Cape York Weekly.
It’s the cliched question no one wants to hear when you’re barely navigating the maze that is adolescence as it is: what do you want to be when you grow up?
On top of secondary school, juggling complex and often shifting social networks, and enjoying everything life on Cape York has to offer outside of the schoolyard, it’s hardly surprising so many kids embrace a deer-in-the-headlights reaction to the question of a career and making that terrifying transition into becoming a responsible adult.
Take it from me, there are more than a few so-called adults in their 40s and 50s that still baulk at the concept of responsibility and a clearly marked career path through the jungle of job possibilities. That may or may not include the editor of a certain newspaper in the northernmost part of the state that shall remain nameless.
The myriad possibilities and ridiculous pressure to have the next four or five decades of your professional life mapped out in your teens makes events like last Thursday’s Western Cape Careers Expo critical for our young leaders.
After speaking to dozens of Western Cape College students over the course of the day, it was fantastic to see their eyes being opened to opportunity as they spoke one-on-one with stallholders from a diverse range of industries. More impressive was hearing them starting to ask questions about different careers that could have otherwise remained unasked for fear of being labelled a stupid query, albeit one about an exceptionally important element of their future.
Don’t believe the old chestnut about there not being such a thing as a stupid question. There absolutely are, and I think we’ve all heard at least a couple over the years, but it isn’t the case when it comes to being inquisitive about life and what your career could look like. Never be afraid to ask a question that could help shape your future.
During the opening of the expo, secondary principal Kelly Dorries told students to be curious, think big and “take it with you”, reminding them that “one conversation today could change your future tomorrow”. Sage advice for sure, but I think it’s also vital to remind students that it’s okay to fail. Just ask Thomas Edison, who once said “I have not failed; I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”. That sentiment can be parallelled into employment paths, especially in 2025, where the average person will now have five to seven career changes while attempting to adult.
Congratulations to Fiona Marshall, her team and all the companies that took the time to participate in the expo as stallholders. Your combined expertise, patience and candour helped put the minds of hundreds of students at ease, while also opening those minds up to the value of curiosity, opportunity and developing strong networks in the world of employment.
If I can offer any advice as someone who’s had multiple career changes, some of which were exponentially more successful than others, it’s this: never let concerns about the paycheque or potentially falling flat on your face stop you from taking a monstrous leap into the unknown towards something you’re passionate about.
