What careers will still be around in five years?
Rebecca Brocklebank and her friends Ella Welford, Charlotte Hale, Poala Velasco Bazaldua (front), Caleb Clint and Mia Guzzwell were at Thursday’s expo investigating career options.
That was one of the questions on Alicia Smart’s mind as she visited a free Community Careers Expo at the Cambridge Town Hall last Thursday with daughter Chelsea (14) and son Zavier (13).
She wondered if AI might end up taking over jobs her children could potentially have trained for.
“People change and careers change, life evolves and changes, so have a look, be really broad is something we’re looking at,” she said.
Cambridge High School student Rebecca Brocklebank checks out university courses at last Thursday’s Community Careers Expo. Photo: Steph Bell-Jenkins
Year 13 Cambridge High School student Rebecca Brocklebank, 17, went along because her friends were going.
“And because I don’t know what to do with my life,” she said.
She had been planning to study software engineering, but took a university paper in the subject through a school extension programme this year and realised it wasn’t her cup of tea.
“I figured out I really, really don’t want to do that, so now I don’t know what,” she said. “I’m feeling very, very nervous and confused about it, because everyone has different opinions about it.”
Rebecca spent more than an hour browsing information at exhibitor stands and had “got good stuff out of it”.
“I heard about a forestry degree that could be quite interesting to look into,” she said.
“I didn’t even know that that could be something I’d be interested in, which I guess is the good things about days like this.”
Attendance at the expo, organised by Cambridge High School, St Peter’s School and Te Awamutu College, was up 50 per cent on last year – 1500 visitors were recorded.
Cambridge High School’s careers faculty head Karina Judson said she was “absolutely stoked” with the turnout.
She said students from schools around the Waikato, including Te Awamutu College, Cambridge High School, St Peter’s School, Hamilton Girls High, Hamilton Boys High, Hillcrest High, St John’s College and Putaruru College attended.
Te Awamutu police sergeant Felicity Cook-Jones with her counterpart Hayden Martin (Ngaruawahia) at the Careers Expo in the Town Hall. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Waipa Networks from Te Awamutu were at the Careers Expo in the Town Hall. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Careers Expo at the Town Hall. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
