CAREERS Getting the right advice and information
If anyone knows about the career aspirations of the boys at College, it is Careers Advisor Chris Sellars – and, in one- on-one sessions with all Year 11, 12 and 13 boys, he often knows before their parents. He is also pivotal in showing them the wealth of new careers available and, better still, the pathways for achieving them. It is not necessarily all about going to university, nor following the good old staples of accounting and law, says Chris. “Today the choices are innumerable, and the prospect of having three or four careers within a working life is increasingly seen as the norm.” The Careers office at College is a busy place, with Chris talking to every boy in the school at least once a year. Just as important is the loop – the system which sees Chris feeding back to parents by phone calls and texts. This ensures they are part of the process, opening up opportunities for further discussion at home. So, how do parents feel about College’s careers advice? For Ross Houston, father of Year 13 student Kyle, and Dion, who finished school in 2018, the advice his sons have received at College has been a valuable part of their College experience.
Dion, in particular, benefited. A keen sailor at primary school, and into sailing and hockey in his first year at College, he was “shoulder tapped” by Graeme Christey after a cross country race, and invited to consider harriers, says Ross. “Graeme obviously saw Dion’s potential and, as a result, over three years he ended up being a very good runner, going to Canterbury and New Zealand events, and to Paris with the New Zealand cross country team.
“Both artistic and academic as well, Dion’s subject choices were wide and Chris advised him to leave his options open, keeping on with the art, and keeping up with the science. Chris encouraged him to keep flexibility.” At that stage Dion was looking at doing a degree in Building Science at Victoria University. Then, with encouragement, he took a look at the Navy’s website, and found the role of helicopter pilot. The application process took five
Dion Houston in uniform
Christ’s College Canterbury
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