There has been no rest in the holidays for the region’s year 12 students who have been holed up inside studying for HSC exams which get underway next week.
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Nerves, butterflies and feelings of anxiousness are all part and parcel as students prepare to farewell school and enter the big world in their chosen paths.
But what happens in one exam, or the result that comes from their HSC is not the pivotal moment that defines their life.
It might be hard for kids to believe that now as they try and cram in the last few days, but it’s true.
They only have to look around them to know that what happens in the next few weeks will not define their future.
Take The Armidale School’s old boy, Nick Perry. A successful businessman who co-founded online retail giants, The Iconic and Bailey Nelson. His HSC didn’t determine his destiny.
In fact, on a visit back to the school he attended for five years, he told the students how he studied biomedical engineering and mathematics – a far cry from being the online entrepreneur that he is now.
He had highs and lows, and tough days, but it was a learning experience.
“Work is going to play a huge part in your life, so you must find something that you really love. Don’t settle until you do,” he told students.
“None of you will probably use your trigonometry again, or the fundamentals of organic chemistry … what I hope you take from TAS, from all the classes, the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic and Round Square trips is the skill of learning and the confidence to step into new things. “
And his advice is spot on.
Pythagoras' theorem doesn’t get you a job in business. Knowing the elements table in science off by heart doesn’t guarantee you a spot in a government job, or even being able to recount a Shakespearian novel.
These are necessary lessons in school, but full marks or failures in those won’t determine the career path in life.
Things aren’t like they used to be. Clocking up four decades in a job or working at one company for life isn’t the norm anymore in our rapidly changing environment, where everything is at the click of a button.
It’s the lessons from everyday life that will help to shape their future. And that’s the best advice kids can have. They should live everyday like it’s their last, because life is too short not too.
