I don't know what to study
If you do not know what to study, then start thinking about what kind of career you want in the future. There are so many different types of careers! Below are some examples:
| Teacher | Engineer |
| Lawyer | Scientist |
| Banker | Nurse |
| Artist | Personal Trainer |
| Business Owner | Baker |
| Hairdresser | Truck Driver |
| Audiologist | Architect |
| Vet | IT Specialist |
| Social/Youth Worker | Accountant |
A good way to start would be the internet (aka. Google, Yahoo, Safari, Firefox, etc, etc, etc)! There are many quizzes and websites that lists different types of jobs and what the job usually involves. Below are a few websites where you can have a look different jobs and take quizzes to see the type of jobs you might enjoy doing:
Job Outlook - Quiz and List of Jobs
My Future - List of Careers, Stories and Courses
Don't like the above? You can search online for many more career quizzes.
Tip: Still don't know what you want to do? Don't panic if you don't know yet! Many people don't know what type of career they want until they are older. It is also estimated that an average person has 6 different careers in their lives!
| Frequently Asked Question: What is the difference between career and job? Career is a long term employment goal. Job is a short term employment goal.For example: You want to become the School Principal later in the future. You start studying a teaching course. You graduate as a teacher and found a job teaching Year 7-9 students. You work in this job for 2 years before moving to another school to teach Year 8-9 students. You work in five different teaching jobs over 15 years before you were able to find a job as a School Principal. Your journey from a teaching student to teacher to School Principal is your career (long term goal). The past five teaching jobs were your short term goals. |
Tips!
This can be exciting and scary at same time! See some comments from high school students on their thoughts on studying after school.
“I am nervous about studying on my own after being supported by teachers of deaf in high school”
“I know I must ask for help, rather than wait for someone to help me”
“I am really excited about TAFE because I finally get to study something that really interest me (mechanic) and it’s what I really want to do in future”
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do after school, so I thought about my favourite hobbies and realised how much I loved taking photos, so I decided to study photography.”
“I always loved children. Family and friends often ask me to babysit their children, so it made sense to study child care.”
If you are not sure what you want to do, you could….
- Go to Career & Study Expos (e.g. The VCE and Careers Expo)
- See a Career Counsellor at your school
- Search courses on www.vtac.edu.au
- Talk to people and ask them why they chose to study their course
- Think about your favourite subjects and hobbies – Do you want to study any subject/ hobbies further?
FAQ
What is a DLO?
What support could you ask for?
Support checklist for students when enrolling or meeting with a DLO
What Can deafConnectEd Do?
Are you leaving school? – don’t use
Workshops, Mentoring and Coaching for Students?
Resources
Do you want to know more about your rights?
FAQs
Question: Why study?
Many jobs today require a qualification after finishing school.
For example: you want to become a Teacher, then you need a teaching degree and then a teaching license.
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Question: Thinking about studying?
A short guide to advocacy for students who are deaf or hard of hearing
This video was produced by Deaf Victoria with the assistance of deafConnectEd.
There is more information about your rights on the following website:
Disability Discrimination Act - Education Standards Website
(www.ddaedustandards.info)![banner_main[1]](https://i2.wp.com/deafconnected.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/banner_main1.gif "DDA education standards")
This website is for people with a disability, an associate of a person with a disability, or a person involved in the delivery of education. It does not cover the full detail of the DDA Education Standards, just the more important parts of the Standards. Information is in English with Auslan.
Disability Standards for Education
A practical guide for individuals, families and communities
http://resource.dse.theeducationinstitute.edu.au/
This resource aims to increase awareness and understanding of the Disability Standards for Education among individuals, families and communities throughout Australia. It was developed by the University of Canberra in collaboration with funding partners.
Studying can put extra pressure on your budget. There are fees to pay, books to buy. Here are some links to information about how to manage your money.
http://deafsocietynsw.org.au/auslan_resources/page/money_minded -
Auslan Video with Subtitles
If you are moving out of home, here is some useful information about finding flatmates, renting and options if you find yourself without a home:
If you are studying, training or doing an apprenticeship, have a look at the following link to see if you can apply for any financial support:
www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/themes/students-and-trainees?from=theme-bar
www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/subjects/payments-for-students-and-trainees
Talk to your DLO about any technology that could help you in your study. It is best if you already have a clear idea about what you need and how it could help you. Here are some link to technology that could be useful:
Hearservice at Vicdeaf:
http://www.hearservice.com.au/products.asp?id=10&t=Assistive+Listening+Devices
Word of Mouth Technology:
http://www.wom.com.au/
Subsided Smoke Alarms (Government-funded program):
http://www.vicdeaf.com.au/content.asp?id=31&t=smoke-alarm-subsidy&cid=81
Conexu:
http://www.conexu.com.au/
Here are some videos with deaf people talking about their experiences in TAFE & University:
And this is a new resource made by young deaf people exploring deaf identity, language, study, work and much, much more: