During Week 10 of Term 3, the Year 10 girls participated in Careers Week. For the first three days, the girls completed work experience. This included a wide range of professions and industries from AustCyber to the respiratory unit at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

To end the week, the girls visited Flinders University and UniSA and then heard from some fantastic guest speakers including old scholars and Wilderness parents.

Please enjoy the following reflections from two of the girls about their work experience placements.

AnglicareSA

For my Year 10 Work Experience placement, I decided to go to AnglicareSA on Gilbert Street. AnglicareSA is a large charity that focuses on helping the underprivileged and vulnerable people of South Australia.

During my three days of placement, I worked with the Emergency Assistance team, who support those in crisis. I immediately noticed there was a strong sense of community and that everyone was so welcoming.

What I enjoyed most about working at AnglicareSA was that I started working immediately after I understood my schedule for the week. I began in the food room where clients would give us a list of food items, clothing and hygiene items that they needed. With this list, we would pack their order. What I found extremely interesting was the fact that we would choose the sizing and packaging based on the selections they made about where they live, how they travel and what kitchen appliances they have access to. For example, if they walked and did not have access to a car, we would choose lighter containers and softer packages.

I also was taught how to enter data on the computer. This was one of my favourite parts because I was allowed to read all the different stories and backgrounds and learn more about the world and different people.

During my time, I bonded with so many amazing people who had remarkable backgrounds and treated me with utter respect. I was exposed to a very different reality where I could understand how hard peoples lives can be, and how much of a difference charities like AnglicareSA make.

On my last day, I returned to the food room and although it wasn't as busy as Monday, I still felt a rush of adrenaline as I was packing the order, trying to make it as easy to carry as possible. I stayed a bit later to try to make it easier for the workers and reduce their workload. I also wanted to collectively express how grateful and honoured I was to be accepted so quickly to their environment.

Reflecting on my experience, I realised how beneficial the experience was and how much I gained from three days. Over my time, I was able to develop my patience and my organisation skills when working with clients or simply trying to understand how to do a task. When entering data, I was able to work on my time management and efficiency skills.

Sarojini McGrath

AustCyber

Over the duration of my three-day work experience at AustCyber, I managed to discover a lot about cyber security and the career options it provides.

Cyber security is becoming increasingly relevant in our rapidly modernised society. It's also one of the fastest growing sectors worldwide. Personally, I find myself interested in penetration testing and vulnerability assessment analysis. I'm fascinated by the world of hacking and crime.

Increased diversity in the workforce is beneficial, as it allows for open-mindedness and a wider range of ideas. To encourage a more diverse range of people (especially women), it is important to eliminate stereotypes surrounding occupations whilst exposing younger students to STEM and Cyber. Creating opportunities for work experiences is also important, so students can discover jobs they enjoy.

Schools can, and should, further both student and staff's understanding of careers in Cyber by spreading awareness on the career options and its relevance to our lives. It would be beneficial to educate people about recent events concerning cyber security (such as data breaches) and show how it can impact all people. The consequences of something as mundane as borrowing a charger or connecting to free Wi-Fi can have severe consequences.

Annie Deng