Towards the end of Term 2 and into Term 3, Year 10 students will be making subject choices for years 11 and 12. It’s a key time for career decision making.
The key career advice for Year 10 students from educators and career counsellors is: choose relevant subjects for the course you are thinking of studying, choose the subjects you enjoy, and subjects you are good at. This is the simple formula for high school study success.
You have options
Each year, schools take Year 10 students through the study options and pathways for the next two years at school. Schools publish the full list of courses they plan to offer. This booklet will give you course outlines and assessment information. Students and parents should use this booklet to choose subjects. Each school has their own process so make sure you subscribe to school newsletters and emails.
Offerings vary from school to school however you’d generally see various options in Science, Maths, English, Social Sciences, Health Design, and Languages. In addition, students may be able to access distance education courses that open up other possibilities.
VET and TAFE courses
In addition to mainstream ATAR courses, many students choose a TAFE or TVET course. These can include: Business Services, Construction, Automotive, Entertainment Industry, Financial Services. Hospitality, Human Services, Information and Digital Technology, Primary Industries, Retail Services, Tourism, Travel and Events. Again, the offerings vary from school to school however students can also access these courses through TAFE or other private colleges. Arrangements and costs vary depending on the school sector.
More broadly, students can choose VET courses from a broad range of vocational areas. These include Music, Design, Childcare, Animal Care, Beauty, Hairdressing, Sports Studies and much much more.
Choosing the right subjects
Getting the right career advice in Year 10 is essential. In terms of university study, some courses require related areas of study – prerequisites, and assumed knowledge and recommended subjects. This particularly applies to Mathematics and Sciences. Making the right choices in Year 10 means better future study options. All this can sound worrying however, there’s a really useful resource that will help you work all of this out.
Course Seeker is a national website that lists courses at every university and tertiary college in Australia.
You’ll be able to filter your choices:
- by location
- level of qualification – diploma to degree options
- choose a study area
- type of institution i.e. university or college
- name of the institution
Look closely at the course information and you’ll see Essential Requirements and Prerequisite information. This will help you make the right choices.
Final point
Work this through. There’s lots of new things to learn here however there’s also a lot of support. This is core business for schools, universities and colleges, and tertiary admissions centres. Get advice and support.
Universities are really happy to talk to parents and students. Contact information for institutions is found on the UAC website and you’ll find the universities really helpful. Your school Careers Advisor should also be able to help.
Of course, I’d be happy to help guide your choices. Check out the ways I can help here:
Need some assistance?
Read next – Career counselling for high school students
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