The transition from high school to adulthood is one of the toughest periods of change we’ll ever have to go through. The long-standing structure of constant learning, study, and community is ripped away, and in its place is a whirlwind of uncertainty.
Some can find this almost limitless possibility from this transition refreshing. Most, however, have a real struggle with answering the barrage of big questions about themselves and their lives.
- “What do I want to do with myself?”
- “What should I be doing with myself?”
- “Is going through university worth it?”
- “What am I passionate about right now? Is it something I’d like to pursue professionally?”
- “What kind of adult do I want to be?”
These are just a few of life’s burning questions that stare you in the face when moving to this new stage in life. For people with disability, this phase can be even more difficult to navigate.
Having to wonder about if their ideal career is typically one with an accessible workplace or if they’re even capable of the work their industry of interest demands.
When venturing beyond your schooling life, it’s important to remember that no matter your situation – you deserve support and certainty with the future you choose for yourself.
We’ll outline some useful strategies with preparing yourself for life as a school-leaver and a brief overview of some of the potential career routes that you can take.
You are not alone
Perhaps the most important thing to remember about the entire situation is that just about everyone is going through the same degree of panic and uncertainty through this period. Rather than allowing the emotions and anxiety to overwhelm and isolate you (as tempting as it may be) reach out to family & friends who have gone or are going through the same daunting process.
More than likely, not all of the advice you get is stuff that you’ll take. Everyone is different, and they have their own strategies when navigating stressful situations. But it’s important for your brain to understand that there are several different ways to navigate this struggle.
Ideally, you’ll want to put to bed one of the most anxiety inducing thoughts that can stem from navigating your post school life. “I’m doing this wrong.”
To keep these thoughts at bay, it’s important to ensure that you’re regularly checking in with family & friends to remain grounded and get the most out of their advice, reassurance, and wisdom.
Fight back the doubt by getting ahead
If you’re aware of your graduation date closing in and dreading what comes with it, start your planning phase early to give yourself some much-needed certainty.
Sit down with either a parent, teacher, guidance counsellor, or support worker and write down your current skills. Make a note of both your strengths and areas where you honestly think you could require some development.
Once you’ve fleshed this list out, make a brief plan of attack for how you anticipate on developing your chosen skills that you’d like to work on. Perhaps this takes the form of enrolling in a university or TAFE course. Maybe you want to take some time to do some volunteer work instead. The choice is yours!
And with their guidance and support, it won’t be long before you’ve got a comprehensive plan of action for your post-school career options.
Short-term & long-term goals
Part of your plan of action should include some goals. Both short-term and long-term. Once again, a second opinion will do you wonders here as every good list of goals needs to be both fulfilling and achievable for you.
These goals can vary greatly, no two lists are the same in the same sense that no two people are the same – but here are some examples if you’re at a loss of where to start.
Short term:
- Research training or qualifications to upskill
- Improve productivity
- Improve time management
Long term:
- Gain a qualification
- Independent living
- Secure yourself a job in your career of choice
Thinking about going for a job? Find one that’s EPIC
An option that’s attractive for a lot of people coming out of school is jumping right into paid employment. Nothing means more to a hiring employer than experience, and the best way to build experience is to get to work!
Looking back at your plan of action and list of skills, you should find it simple enough to deduce what kind of industry you’re considering going into.
For example, did you feel like you’re interested in English? Maybe you’d like to eventually be an editor or copywriter. Or if you felt like you brain always clicked with maths – you could look into becoming a computer programmer or an architect. You’ll find that you have a few real viable career options ahead of you.If you’re at a loss for what sort of career you might gravitate towards, a great resource you can use is the MyFuture Career Interest test available here.
At EPIC Assist (EPIC), we can also support you with sourcing and completing an apprenticeship or traineeship that will help you break into your chosen field.
Better yet, if you’re looking to get a head start on your career you can also connect with us while you’re still in school so that we can support you while you complete a school-based traineeship or apprenticeship. It’s a great opportunity to get a head start on preparing for life outside of school and making some money while you do it!
Share the load with a member of our team
Once you’ve got a career option in mind along with your list of skills, plan of action, and goals all that’s left to do is get out there and work towards your future of choice.
Gotten to this stage and everything still feels daunting and uncertain? Once again, completely normal. Thankfully, this is where we can come in and provide our assistance.
At EPIC, we’ve been helping people with disability find and maintain meaningful employment for over 34 years now. We understand that every person (and career path) is unique, and provide services tailored to the individual’s preferences and choice of future.
Everyone has a right to meaningful employment, and we do whatever it takes to help our job seekers reach their employment goals.
So if you have a disability, injury, mental health condition, or health condition, get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you prepare for, find, and keep a job you love.
