September 20, 2025 • 41 mins
It's that time of the year when many high school kids are having to make choices when it comes to subject options, perhaps some of which will determine what choices they have in future careers.
So how can parents support their children through the choice process?
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Won't you win the party? I can do this all.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
We'll be down to do the morning on the Baby Boys.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Don't you win the party?
Speaker 4 (00:24):
I can do this?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
M yes.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Welcome back to the week In Collective or welcome in,
should I say, if you've just joined us? So we are.
Now it's time for the Parents Squad where we're going
to cover all things parenting, well at least one or
two things parenting, and we want you to join us
with your thoughts, comments and experiences on eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty in text nine two nine two. And look,
(00:46):
we've reached that time of the year we'll at least
have an our household. And it comes at a different
time for various schools. I imagine when many high school
kids are having to or they're able to make some
choice when it comes to subject options and choices and paps,
some of which those choices might actually have a bearing
(01:07):
on future careers, which sort of has me going ah
a little bit. And married parents, many parents maybe trying
or tempted to convince their kids to continue with what
they think are important subjects. You know, do you do
what's fun or do you do what you think is
going to help your child become a brain surgeon? What's
the most fun? Or your kids might be thinking what's
the easiest, And of course they'll also be stressed about
(01:30):
what subjects you know they should do, because hell what
they might only be thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years old. So, parents,
how have you supported your children through the process of
subject choices? And how much did you decide you needed
them to do what you wanted rather than maybe put
your own ambitions for their futures to one side and
(01:53):
let them choose for themselves. So, anyway, joining us to
discuss that we want your cause on eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty text nine two nine two to help
us navigate our way on the I'm joined by chief
psychologists at Umbrella well Being, Google Sutherland, Google, how are you?
And I love the background right now which I have
no idea where it is anyway, Google good? How are
(02:14):
you good?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Good? Mate?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Now are you?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
It's nice to nice to be back on back down
in Wellington? Now the backdrop behind me is vac uni.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
Oh okay, good.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I do a bit of teaching there and I must
be coming through my vicuniy zoom account, and it has
all these backgrounds that I can choose, I play the
university and all it's splendor.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I mean, I can't try and remember how old you
because actually, by the way, it's great to see you
in the studio the other day because I know just
down the line, so fun, Hey how how old? It
remind me how old your kids are?
Speaker 5 (02:44):
Again?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Nineteen and twenty four?
Speaker 4 (02:49):
Okay, so you have been through that whole thing of
helping them navigate. I'm going through it now. The school
that my girls go to, and I quite like this,
is that the portal for them to choose their subjects
is not accessible by us. So this is early subject choices.
(03:09):
So yeah, yeah, you know, there's not a huge array,
and most of the curriculum is set as core subjects,
and I think they've got three choices to make, right Yeah, yeah,
And so I quite like the fact that ultimately they
get to make their choices, and I quite I sort
of approve of the school given them that flexibility, but
(03:32):
it also does put a bit on their shoulders.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah yeah, yeah, Yeah, it's young, isn't it. So I
certainly think people fall into two camps here, either those
of us and I should say what I've done, those
of us who say to you, to the kids, you
know your life, you want to choose your subjects, you
go ahead, and we're here to help you if you
need some help. And then there are other I know
of other parents who are going, no, you are definitely
(03:56):
not taking that subject. You'll be taking this subject to
this subject and that one, and you can choose one
for yourself or something. So I think parents do tend
to fall into sort of two two camps on this.
And look, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen is pretty young to be
trying to make some decisions about the rest of te
R fourteen even, you.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Know, it's like what they he going on? Fifteen?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's really young. I mean because
some of it, some of those subjects can have quite
a bearing con'tany in later life. You know, if you
want to be a brain surgeon or whatever, but you
haven't done biology, it's like, oh, well I didn't do that.
Either I'm going to have to go back and either
(04:39):
do that again or I'm going to have to do
something else with my life. It just it does seem
very young manyways.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Well, actually science is one of the classics, isn't it,
Because I think one of the choices my daughter's facing.
I'm not going to give away too much her thoughts
about it, but she has to do They definitely have
to do science anyway. But at the school that my
girl's at, there's also a course called additional science, which
is right where I think they probably look at a
(05:04):
few more things with specific things in mind. Yeah, and
you know, she's a little bit torn on those sorts
of things. And I actually said to her just to
go and have a chat with her teachers. Yeah, And
I said, because you know they get said, well, here's
the decision you can make right now, make a resolution
(05:26):
that on Monday or Tuesday you're going to seek out
the teachers from those three subjects where you're seeking some
guidance and have a chat. And the teachers were great.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My daughter had a very similar
thing too. She was sort of tossing up and doing
various things. It's funny because she's doing training to be
a midwife, so that's very biology based. But you know,
she did lots of subjects at school, like photography and
art and design, and it was like I think they're
going to be all that helpful for her for midwork,
three maybe for designing. And she's wanted to be in
(05:58):
midwife since she was you know, old enough to speak basically.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Wow, but really.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Yeah, yeah, she's one of those kids you know that
they she has just always wanted to be a midwife
from a very very young age. I don't know why,
but but yeah she has. And our daughter and Laura
is weirdly enough, our daughter, and Laura's a midwife as well,
so we're going to have two good wives in the family.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
So yeah, but yeah, it's quite that's quite extraordinary, do
they And they knew what a midwife is sort of
because I know, midwife delivers babies, but there's a lot
more to that role. But that's quite at what age
are we talking about, they knew what they were.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh, she would have been I think she would have
been about eight or so when she decided that she
wanted to be a midwife and has just continued on.
You know how sometimes when I was eight, I think
I wanted to own a fruit orchard and Clyde that
didn't come out, but.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
You know, we're very specific.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Was very specific. Yeah, yeah, me and my best friend Nathan.
We were going to own a co owner a fruit
orger and Clyde might have even been in Apricot orgit
there we go, but I didn't continue on with that events.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Out of those dreams as kids. Some people do have
those childhood dreams with a friend and they go on
to becoming the next founder of company.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
A yeah, yeah, yeah, no, they do. They do. It's
but I mean, you know, it's interesting that that she,
my daughter, is stuck with what she wanted to do.
She did have to choose her courses, and she almost
got herself into a little situation when she started applying
to go to midwifery training courses at UNI and she
(07:39):
couldn't get into one particular one because she hadn't done
enough biology or enough something or you know, enough science.
But that wasn't the case for other universities. So look
at those decisions can have big bearings. But I think
it's never too late, right if you if you don't
do something at school, you can always go back and
pack it up. It's not the end of the world.
(08:00):
I think parents sometimes, and my view, parents sometimes put
way too much pressure on kids, forced them into subjects
they don't really want to do, which is a bit
of a nightmare.
Speaker 5 (08:09):
I think.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Yeah. Interestingly, one of the teachers, one of the subjects
my daughter spoke to it, said to her that it
wasn't necessary for her to do his course, that you know,
she could always pick it up later on, and said
it and because she wanted to do something, she's got
another subject in mind that where weird, to be honest,
weren't quite sure about yeah, and we thought, oh maybe,
(08:33):
and then he just sort of set off, that's really
what you want to do, then you should definitely.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Do it, should do it.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
And I actually thought, good honor him, because when I
chose my subjects, I'd never clue what I wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I remember I dropped maths very quickly because I didn't
like it. And then when I got to UNI and
started doing psychology, weird enough, psychology has quite a lot
of maths in it. All the research stuff has maths,
and it was like I had to do another sort
of maths course that you need to sort of get
enough get myself up up to speed on maths. But
(09:07):
I just do it a sex form, I think, because
I didn't really like it. So yeah, but you can
always pick it up. I reckon. That's my view anyway.
But I know some I definitely know some parents who
have said to their kids, no, you've got to No way,
you were taking photography. That's not a real course you've
got to take. I don't know whatever it is, accounting.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
No, No, I mean, but that that is what's I mean.
Look there, I think this is why. I mean, it
does tie into some of the political decisions that are
being made around core subjects, and I think it's good. Yeah,
I think it's important that children students have a grounding
in certain core subjects.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yes, which I'm.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Sort of relieved about, because if you just do a
whole bunch of electives from the age of twelve or thirteen,
but you can't count. I mean I'm exaggerating obviously. So
what did you do? What did you want? Choices?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah? I was very much down the art side of things.
I wasn't that into science. I did biology, so I
think he had when I was at high school. You
could pick in third form or whatever that is now
year nine, isn't it. Yeah, we had to do all
the options, so we did lot. You know, you did
all the languages and woodwork and metalwork and cooking. You
just had to do them all and then you got
(10:20):
to pick in the next year which two that you
wanted to do. I can't even remember what I did language,
I think I think I did Japanese and leaning something else.
And then after school sert as it was then into
in your final two years of high school, you could
put you could. There were some core subjects you had
to do, but you got a lot of choice, and
I tended. I chose things like history, geography, English, those
(10:45):
kinds of things. I dropped maths and I did a bit,
and I did biology. It was my only science. So
I look, and I'm a great believer and doing education
for the sake of education, for the sake of learning
because you really like it and want to, you know,
discover something and learn something about out at And I
(11:06):
think I'm a bit sad that our society and universities
have moved into much more of a training. You know,
we're training you for a particular you know, vacation focused. Yeah,
it's like I just just go to UNI and do
two or three years or did one? Not two or
three years? Do three years of unique, don't do two
(11:27):
because you're falling short, there do a few years of
UNI and see what you're like, and just do that,
and I think there's as much and who knows where
that will take you. I always remember, you know, you
know Bob Jones, the entrepreneur who died not too recently,
actually not too long ago. He apparently he always he
wouldn't take anybody that had done a finance degree or accounting.
He only took people that had done ba's and just
(11:50):
art subjects because he wanted he wanted people that could
think about the world, and that's what he chose.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I remember that specifically. In fact, this is going back
quite a long time when it came out, and he
was quite outspoken about he just wanted people who'd learned
how to think.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and yeah yeah, I think I think
there's some real benefit and being enthused and enjoying education
and not just having to do it because you kind
of have to do it. That was my view anyway,
and that's certainly the view that we took with our kids, saying,
you choose what's going to work for you. Yes, you
have to do the basics, English, maths, and science, but
(12:26):
everybody has to do those, and then choose stuff that
you really enjoy doing because otherwise because for some kids,
school sucks, right, School is really hard and if every
subject you hate, it's like, oh, you can you understand
why kids drop out of school?
Speaker 4 (12:39):
Actually, this is it's funny when you when you when
you talk about it with someone else about it, it
sort of solidifies to me what maybe the doubts i'd
had in my mind about how much of us say
I have with with our kids about what they want
to do. Because I think you're right that if they
are excited by learning and they are enjoying what they're doing,
(13:01):
then that is a when no matter which direction they go.
But if you give them, if you give them a
bunch of subjects, if you push them into an area
which they are no longer stimulated, they fall out of
love or if they were ever in love with learning,
and it's just it's just a negative slope for there.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
For me, yeah, I think, yeah, it is back in
the day. This was before my generation. But I know
my parents in law, my wife's parents, I can't remember
about mine that when they got to high school, they
sort of had this weird choice. You could either go
to high school, you could go to a technical college
and be trained in a trade. I think that's the case.
Somebody might bring in incorrect me on that, but that
(13:38):
was a very sort of very early on, like fourteen
or so. Yeah, you were sort of filtered off into
people that were going to go to a school when
university and then those people that were going to do trades.
Would you know, Yeah, it seemed to me very early
on to be making that distinction and quite you know that. Yeah,
I have some big problems for that. So I things
have changed a lot, I guess, but we're certainly more
(14:00):
in that state I think, where people are training to
be a vocation. What are you doing at university accounting
or law or psychology.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
I remember the choices I made were basically based on
sort of following modern brothers might have done. Yeah, and
I mean I took physics and chemistry, and I was
never interested in physics or chemistry. I mean, I don't
know why I did them. I have no idea how
I passed, which was something of them. I mean seriously,
I actually have no idea how I passed. Because Yeah,
(14:32):
one of life's mysteras, isn't.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
It peer pressure? Too? Right? You know? You often kids
end up doing things because they're mates. Are you doing that, Yeah,
you're doing tech drawing eye. I'm going to do that too.
It's like people just do stuff for the ride sometimes
because and look, I'm sure some parents will be going
that's the exact argument for why we should be choosing
their courses at least with them, or if not for them,
(14:54):
because fourteen fifteen year olds aren't great at making those decisions.
But yeah, I still come back to the idea about
education for the sake of education and joy get into it.
That's going to give you a great expect varience and
who knows what doors will open up for you. You
don't know where your life's going when you're fourteen or fifteen.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Well, actually that sort of ties and it's a nice
little segue from a conversation we had a week or
maybe it was two weeks ago, I think last week
maybe with John Cowen about people who were you know,
there's been a headline about the number of kids who
are dropping out early. They have to get parental permission
to drop out. But we had a lot of calls
from people who it was sort of supporting what you're
(15:32):
saying in a different way that you've just got to
be true to what your passions are. And these people
who called up said they hated school and they got
out as soon as they could. But their parents were like,
only if you do something, you're not sitting on the
couch and playing place dash, And they went and they
signed up on They signed up as an apprenticeship and
became a builder. They bought their first house in their
(15:54):
mid twenties. And I guess maybe that's that's the sort
of essences. Just keep your kids moving and engaged, and
of education the thing. Let them do what they want.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yeah. Yeah, and school's not going to work. Doesn't work
for everybody, we know that, but but we do want
them to have a good level or they go out.
But yeah, if you can keep people engaged in learning.
One thing I'm really pleased about, just going on that
conversation you said, is how like in my day, trades
we're not seen as a as you know, they've seen
as sort of the.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Plan or wasn't there a class war. It's like you're
just doing the trade.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Yeah, And I think it's great how how those have
become much more value now and much more valuable in society.
I think that's I think that's awesome because it gets
rid of that sort of you know, inherited class distinction
about oh, will the best people go to university and
everybody else does a trade. It's like, no, you can
do it if you're passionate about and trades are there's
(16:53):
lots of work and you know, and trades and and
lots of training, and sure it's on the job, but
there's still lots of education that goes on with with trades.
So I think I like the fact that that's happening.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Actually, just before we go to the break the other story,
I promise I've said to the girl as a friend
of my daughters who go climbing together, and I said
I might mention this one day because we're chatting and
I was driving. We're driving along and I was chatting
to the you know, do you know what you want
to do? And I mean we're talking about a fourteen
year old. You know how you said your daughter wanted
(17:26):
to be a midwife when she was what was it
eight or something or this, And this girl's response was,
I want to be an I want to be a
pediatric anesthesiologist. And she knew exactly how she was going
to get there. She knew that it was going to
be tough to get into New Zealand med schools because
(17:47):
of the different pathways to offer to different people depending
on their background. And she'd singled out, I'm going to
get citizenship via my dad to Australia and I'm going
to go to this university and that university. And I thought, wow,
that's quite something.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
That that's great. I mean, and let's fingers cross. She
that's a lot of training for a pediatric what is it.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Ye, pediatric and enthesiologist ian. That's very specific.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
That's going to be That is very specific, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I hope she hopes, she hopes she gets there. Well,
I'm going to say, I went to university to be
a lawyer. Yeah, I know, and I kept I was
doing okay at law, but I was doing even better
at psychology and eventually I ditched. But I had gone
to UNI and that was my sort of goal. Actually,
I think from about seventeen sixteen or seventeen I was
(18:43):
going to be a lawyer. And I got there and
I was doing law and I did psychology on the
side because it was kind of interesting. And the more
I got through law, the more I went, I don't
really think this is going to be for me, and
I ditched it in the end and obviously went down
to the psychology.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Well, it's funny because I studied law and I enjoyed
the study of it. I just hated the practice of it. Yeah, yeah,
that's what killed it for me almost instantly. Yeah, but again,
I mean lousy careers advice at school. Yeah, and I
just sort of thought, I thought, this is what I thought,
and we'll take your course. We'll take a break in
(19:19):
a second. I thought, I like history. I like words
and events and things, So I guess if I want
to make any money, I should be a lawyer. That's
how it was.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Mine was even more shallow. I used to really love
l a Law, the TV show, and that was it.
It was like, I'm going to be like them. When
I got to Laura, it was no, that's not what
the law is at all. It's like, do something else.
Speaker 4 (19:45):
Sophisticated life and hot girlfriends was it.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
I definitely got the hot girlfriends and of course married
one as well. Of course.
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Yeah, okay, you dug yourself ole there. We want how
do you encourage your kids to make their sub choices?
How do you guide them through it. You might be
someone who's said, look, this is what I think my
kids to doing. I told them exactly what to do.
I wait one hundred and eighty two and eighty and also,
how did you navigate your own choices? Because I think
(20:16):
you know by looking at your own experiences in life,
sometimes we can help our kids or our children learn
from our mistakes. We'll be back in just a moment.
It's twenty seven past five News Talks. The'd be News Talks,
z'd be. This is the Parent Squad and we're with
Google Sutherland. By the way, we get to enjoy Google
for a bit longer because we're not doing sports raight
today because there's not so much exciting sport to look
forward to right now. There's a hot take for you.
(20:37):
Let's take some calls on how you navigate helping your
children make their subject choices. Maybe that ties into a career,
but there's subject choices. Should you just let them follow
their passions? Which I think probably is the right answer.
The only cab that I would have on that, maybe
subject to what our callers and Google things, is if
you think they're just taking an easy subjects, you think
(20:58):
they're going to cruise. You might want to challenge them
on that would be my thoughts. Possibly as to how
you do that. I don't know, because they're quite good
at concerning what they really want sometimes. Right, let's carry on, Peter, Hello, Hi, I.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Can remember this particular father was worried about their son
in mathematics, and he hired a personal tutor for his son.
And I said to him, your son likes telling stories.
What about law? So I ended up doing a double
degree in law and accounting.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
Oh so he could he could create financial fictions and
legal ones.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Yeah. And then I saw a thing on TV in
the UK somewhere some very wealthy family had a three
had a I think it was a three week old child,
and they sent a tutor around and the parents were
arguing about what school or how they going to be
educating the and the babies only three weeks old. I
(21:59):
thought they needed them.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
What did you study? It's you went on the big
I we've spoken before, Peter. I know you've been you
were a pilot. So what did you always want to
be a pilot or did you study anything in particular
that leads you down that path?
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Well?
Speaker 3 (22:16):
I liked architecture, and I believed I couldn't draw sufficiently,
so I thought, I thought, I can fly aeroplanes. It's
a lot easier than drawing pictures.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Yeah, that's sounds much easier, I think.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
Actually, that'sn't that funny. These days? You probably don't have
to be a good artist to be an architect, do you,
because nothing's it's all done by a computer, is it?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Yeah? It probably is good, nephew, that's that's the architecture
at UNI has just finished it, and a lot of
it as computer. But it's not all though. They still
have to do like they still he was they actually
had to make little models, like physical models of the
buildings that they're going to do. So there's lots of
still lots of technical aspects. It's not all computers from
what I can see.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Yeah, they've got a text here. I wanted to. There's
another one. I wanted to be a pediatric. In high school,
I was struggling through biology and absolutely hated it. I
told someone I was working with that I hate biology,
but just had to get through it to study medicine.
And he told he told me, if I hate the
required subjects, I likely hate the career. It changed everything
(23:20):
for me. Hmmm, that's interesting because I imagine you'd you'd
have to enjoy biology to be a doctor.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Would should have thought that you'd certainly wants and on
biology and some familiarity with the human body, if you
were going to be a pediatrician, I would have thought.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
But I guess biology. That's interesting maybe because biology is
living things. I mean it's plants.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Yeah, that's true, that's true. Where is that true?
Speaker 4 (23:47):
There was a subject called anatomy.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah. Well, and Kim, there's
probably more chemistry. To be fair, we need a doctor
to be texting in and telling us actually what you
do need to study because we're just making it up
as we go along. But you need chem you just
need You're definitely chemistry, right, you definitely need keep Street. Yeah, presumably.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Actually that's why I did science. Actually, this is the
funny one. That's why I did science because I thought
I should at least do chemistry and physics. But I
didn't do biology because I thought I could pick that
up in my first year. What was I thinking? Oh yeah,
that's anyway. Oh well, doctor Beverage won't be with you now.
We've got quite a few texts on here. By the way,
(24:28):
if you want to give us a call, we'd love
to hear your stories as to how you chose your
subjects or help your children. And actually here's a simple one.
How much should parents dictate their children's subject choices? Because
the more I think about it, the more I think
is if they ask for your advice, you can. Even
if they don't, you can give them your thoughts, but
don't ram it down their throat. Actually, how is that
(24:48):
a good way of putting it? Google? Do you think
or look?
Speaker 2 (24:51):
I think particularly that if you think developmentally about that
age group, probably the best thing to do to turn
a child off a subject is for a parent to
really push it, because you know, fourteen and fifteen and
thirteen or fourteen fifteen year olds, whatever you say, they'll
probably if you say black girls say white. If you
say you should definitely do biology, there's no way I'm
doing biology. That sucks because my parents said I should.
(25:13):
So yeah, I particularly at that age, if I ask
you definitely, but yeah, i'd hold off pushing too strong
in the otherwise you get the the inverse effect.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
Okay, so I've got a text from Dawn here he says,
please speak about children who don't know what direction they
want to go. Your children had guidance, many don't.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Yeah, that's a that's a that's a good question. I
think that's a great That would be a great discussion
to have with the school and actually for teachers and say, hey,
look what is what is my kid? What? What are
they showing you know, success? And what are they doing? Well?
What what? What are they interested in? I think? Uh
and and maybe if they're not, if there's nothing specifically,
(25:54):
then maybe just giving them a really nice broad base.
Try a few sciences, try some arts, try a little
bit of this, see what you like, uh and and
and who knows what will come out of it. But
I think if you can't, if you're not really quite
sure or don't have a strong direction in one area,
just do a bunch of different things and see what
comes out and see what grabs your fancy. That would
(26:18):
be education for the sake of education and the joy
of doing its. Ah. Maybe I just discover some stuff
that I like. That would be amazing.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Yeah, yeah, Okay, I got another text here saying thirty
three year old accountant here, I'm assuming that's thirty three
years on the planet rather than practicing accountancy. But high
school I took classics, Spanish, geography, art history, and year
nine and ten Japanese and in years twelve and thirteen
(26:47):
with approval. I don't know what that means. With approval, well,
I guess everyone was okay with it. My UNI majors
were accounting, finance, and Spanish. I struggled hugely in mathematics,
but loved following and reading business news. Also loved Spanish too.
My math major friends tutored me to a scratch of
(27:07):
B minus in the maths papers. It can be done
despite dropping maths early. Yeah, interesting, I think what's missing
from the texts? Do you enjoy accounting?
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, that's that's a great question. Yes, yeah, let's assume
that they do. Let's assume that they enjoy accounting, because
somebody's got to. But yeah, that's great to hear. That's
great to hear that they you know that they've they've
gone on to it and found a career without having
that sort of because I would have thought you'd really
(27:39):
need maths, but maybe not.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Yeah, we're going to take a quick moment. We'd love
to take your calls on this eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty How do you help your kids choose subjects
for school? Actually, I mean the other thing is doesn't
really matter. Do you just think you know what? Just
let them do what they want and the rest follows.
I don't know how many parents would be totally happy
with having the hands off approach, but we'd love to
know your thoughts as well. Where with Doogle Sutherland he's
(28:03):
chief psychologist at Umbrella Well Being, will be back in
just a moment, News Talk said b It's twenty two
and a half minutes to six. News Talk said be
talking about helping choose a Korea for well helping you
to your kids choose subjects? Actually, by the way, to
sort of read this text out. Where with Google Sutherland
he's a chief psychologist and Umbrella Wellbeing, And it says
(28:23):
tim for your edification. Yes, actually I was actually aware
about what this person's about to say. But it's a
semantic discussion, which is always good fun. It says, I
heard you mentioned pediatric anesthesiologist. The word anesthesiologist is an
americanization in New Zealand and the vast numbers of countries
following the UK medical system, the name for an anesthetic
(28:45):
consultant or specialist is an eathesetist. Hence what you were
aiming to say was pediatric anethesetists, says Kittriyama. Actually, I
was deliberately saying anesthesiologist because I was quoting the friend
of my daughters who used that specific word, and we
had such a such fun watching me try to navigate that. So,
but thank you. Always love a bit of semantics.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Yeah, yeah, it's good, isn't it?
Speaker 4 (29:10):
Can I google? I would just want to get back
to that point you made and which I agree with about,
and then there'll be people who want to push back
against this about education for education's sake, and the government
does seem to be sign posting that they don't have
much patience for supporting courses which don't have a vocational
(29:32):
goal at the end of it. And I can't remember
exactly the proclamations that I remember, but I remember thinking, well,
hang on a minute, if it's okay to encourage kids
just to leave school without a qualification and go hard
on the workfront, there are different paths to success and
exploring having intellectual curiosity about the arts and classics and
(29:53):
all that sort of stuff that can still lead places
as well.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Can't it No, I would have thought so. Yeah, I
mean I think it just to be honest, I just
think it makes for kind of a better society if
people are educated and eligible about a whole bunch of things.
I know that, I know the current government policy is
to well, I don't know that it is towards doing
less of that at UNI. But regardless as the current government,
(30:18):
I mean that I think that's been a shift in
society for decades really, that as they push towards much
more vocationally vocational training rather than just doing it for
the for the love and starting up with you know,
if you've got to pay, like you know, I would.
My brother's two years older than me, He had three
did three or four years of UNI and only had
(30:39):
one year of having to pay fees. But now of
course that you have to pay fees. So he did
what he wanted to. He did art history, I think
because of it. But now that of course you have
to pay fees. He it's it's it's a different hitdler
fish and and and maybe there's not quite so many
opportunities to do just what you love because it's going
to hit you in the back pocket. And that's I
(31:00):
don't think that's a great thing. But but I that's
that's not a new thing. It's been around for thirty
years now.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
I think that the opportunity to explore is at least
in that first year though. With you know, you're doing
an intermediate year for whatever you're doing, and it's usually
maybe there's a subject, for instance, for law, you do
legal system. Then you do what you want and then
after that you obviously have got push on with specializing.
I think that's probably my regret, is it my first
year I did, I did other things I thought I
(31:29):
should do. I actually think that's probably one of the
bits of advice I'd give my kids is that don't
do what you think of what you think you should do.
Do what you want. And I think that you know
because you can. That's the other lesson is you can
know become mistakes as well, can't you think?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Yeah? I think so definitely, definitely you can. And a
lot of people go to union. There's massive dropout rates
after first year of UNI. Lots of people drop out
after that first year. They find it's not for them,
and maybe they'd be less if they were doing things
they wanted to do. I'd be interested to hear if
there was anybody out there that does choose the topics
for their kids and is very strict about it, because
(32:07):
I'd be interested to hear that kind of position, really,
because we're both coming at it from them. No, no,
just let them do what they what they choose to do,
and that's only one viewpoint. Would be great to hear
from somebody that says, no, no, we've picked the kids
the courses for our kids, and that worked for them, hopefully.
That's what.
Speaker 4 (32:24):
There's a cultural thing too, I guess, and some families
which sometimes can lead kids to rebel totally because they
don't want to be part of it. But then you
know the other Yeah, I don't know. It's a funny one,
isn't it, because there'd be a point where children being
brought up to listen to mom and dad, and they
(32:45):
might not ever push back on that until I don't know,
they're forty years old.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Yeah, yeah, definitely. I've heard two of people that have said, Okay,
we're getting you together and you're going to be the lawyer,
you're going to be the doctor, you're going to be
the teacher. Off you go, and that's what you're going
to do, and they that's what they go and do,
and everybody's completely fine with that. Yeah, interesting stuff.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
Another one here says I loved maths, graphic design, and
art history through school. At a career's talk at school,
I expressed an interest in architecture. The teacher told me
I'd never get into architecture because I hadn't taken physics.
I wish I'd never listened to her, because I'm sure
I could have taken an extra paper at university. This
is twenty five years ago, and sometimes I still regret it.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Well, hey, never too late, never too late to go back.
You could go back to union. Retrain as an architect
takes all, but you can do that.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
I had made of mine who studied law. I think
he studied law fifteen years maybe after he left university.
He became a judge in the end.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
So there's quite a few. There's quite a few mature
students come back and do clinical psychology. They've had a
career as a teacher or a lawyer or something or
and come back and do clinical psychology in their forties,
which is great because you bring with you a lot
of wisdom and that so don't don't, don't, don't. Don't
take things off the table just because you in your
(34:06):
mid forties. You can always go back and retrain, right John, Hello.
Speaker 5 (34:11):
Yes, could a mild memmo of me to be a surgeon.
So so now you think that's it. You get like
you say, a biologies, get all the rest of number
and how often went to university? And the man that
makes it? Yes, you're not looking very much forward to this,
(34:33):
are Yeah? I said, No, you don't want to be
a sugi. He said, what do you want to be?
I said, I like to be an electrical engineer. Oh,
we can do That'll be all right. It's just not
a problem. Yeah, some of the old MENA got butcher'sook.
But he doesn't need to know about it, he says,
you know, tell them to see me.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Was this before you actually went to university? Or was
when you had the sort of pre interview for something?
Speaker 5 (34:56):
No? No, before I went through the Virgin I had
it all mapped out. I had no say in the
matter whatsoever?
Speaker 4 (35:03):
And what did you end up doing? Did you end
doing electrical engineering?
Speaker 5 (35:07):
Yep?
Speaker 4 (35:08):
And did you when did your dad find out?
Speaker 2 (35:11):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (35:11):
But it was mean last year he could do sweet
elves about it, because well that was it. But he
wouldn't talk to me for six months.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
Oh wow, Oh no.
Speaker 5 (35:21):
They didn't even came to graduation.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
That's quite funny. That's quite a sacred to keep John.
Did you think what did you feel at the time?
Did he quite relaxed about it?
Speaker 5 (35:30):
Yeah, it was quite rex about it. I said to
me said, oh mate, I know, you know, cut people up,
and I'm happy what I'm going to do. Well, if
you can't take it, and that's it. But when you're
talking about people Fithers doing this, I think you must remember.
Do you remember that ad off the blog and the
girl went assessed. They had gone to university and was
(35:53):
looking for a job or he wanted to become an
apprentice in the Old Maid and he finished and this
old man was somehow flute, somebody like Collin okay, and
then he was chasing him with the hamber and all
sorts of stuff. And then the foreman start talking to him,
and then he had to agree that he was right, because,
(36:14):
as the boy said, by the time she finally gets
the job and pays for all dead, I have fifty
of her house paid off. But it was always I
think when I was younger and I'm eighty three now,
but younger it was everybody should go to university. Well,
if everybody had gone to the UN's got a degree,
(36:35):
I don't know whether we've got a probber from you
know what I mean. And then it's so stupid. You know,
I can't understand now because Mike Bolter says, I wanted
to do what you called. She was at Lens Surveygas
not good go for it, but she finished up at
the Lender Survey department and finished and then let her survey.
The apartment was cut out by Wilson Peters, so that
(36:59):
then she was moved to the Forest Street. There she
followed the two. The other I was this, and so
she trained at Bell Block for an international hotel scene.
She did that. I now she's a hard flutant verson
in one of the government departments doing something totally different.
So you can't tell you guess what I do. Look
(37:21):
at it. Let them find their own way.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Well, good on you for We're good at you for
keeping your secret to there. John. I think that was
pretty good. But also that's that's quite amazing. Going off
to university. Uh, there, kin'd have been a lot of
detailed conversations about how progress at university can there.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
But how's the how's the the surgery going. Oh, it's great,
We're really doing fantastic.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
Actually, somebody texted here about shouldn't you be saying do
what AI can't? I mean when it comes out?
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Yeah, that's that's that's a great That's a really great comment,
isn't it. Because I've definitely heard lots of people saying,
you know, there'll be jobs our kids do in ten
years time that haven't even been invented yet, because AI
is changing the shape of things. And I think that's
that's probably quite a wise thing at least to consider.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Well, what's it going to rule out as their career
heading to. I don't know, that's difficult to predict that
sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
It is difficult to predict, but I think it is
another sort of part of the equation for many people
at the moments, like, no, we may not be doing
that because you know, in the future, because AI will
do that. But it's pretty speculative. But yeah, interesting thing
to consider.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
Right, We'll be back in just a moment. It is
nine minutes to sex on news Talk there b it's
just a couple of minutes to go before we wrap
up the show, and we're with Google Sutherland. He is
a psychologist and umbrella wile being talking about how you
help your kids navigate their subject choices. And actually there's
a bleeding obvious thing that's come through in a text
here that is always worth following up on for a
parent Google, and that is I'll paraphrase it, but basically
(39:04):
it's about it's to do with getting your child to
see a careers advisor maybe and just get them to
have a chat, because I'll be honest, the careers advisor
at my school was it was not pretty good.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
At all.
Speaker 4 (39:16):
There's nothing that inspired me to think about anything at all.
And yet I look at some of the careers advice
choice that kids have access to now, if they're led
that way, it's actually not bad, is it.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
Yeah? Yeah? And I'd sort of forgotten about that too,
I think because I had been so intent on being
a lawyer. I never went to see our careers advisor
because it was like, I know what I'm going to do.
I don't need careers advice. Could have been could have
taken me down a completely different path. But but that's
it's a really good point. I mean, schools are schools
(39:47):
have lots of experience and experted. The other great thing
is too is go to you know, universities and training
establishments have open days. Go and see, you know, there's
heaps of things and and just go to the open days.
Go and have a look around whatever you're interested, even
if you're only vaguely interested in it, go and explore
and ask and and see what's out there. But there's
(40:09):
a whole other stuff that you won't have even thought
of when you're at school that you can do. That
you could train and so you know, go to politechs
and to universities and do anything else and do the
open days. See what you see, what grabs your ticklish,
your fancy good stuff.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
Hey Doogle, it so nice to see you again, mate,
Thanks for joining us around squad. We'll look forward to
next time.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
A yeah, thanks mate, Nice to be on Excellent.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
And you can check out the Umbrella organized that what's
your address again, Doogle? The website I think we might
have well what, yeah, there you are.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
I'm still here. I'm still here. Yeah, Umbrella dot org
dot ins.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
In Excellent, Umbrella dot org dot in Zen And we'll
look forward to your company again, same time tomorrow. A
specialist for Healthhup, We've got doctor Michelle Neape. He's an
E and T specialist specializing in hearing. We're going to
have a chat about whether we are too casual about
looking after hearing and hay much. Pepper joins us for
smart Money, talking about that GDP drop and actually what's
what it means for things in the ICI. Thanks for
(41:06):
my Producer to award for Man Travis. Next, enjoy the
rest of your evening.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News
Talks be weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks EDB.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Won't you win the party? I can do this all.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
We'll be down to do the morning on the Baby Boys.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Don't you win the party?
Speaker 4 (00:24):
I can do this?
Speaker 2 (00:25):
M yes.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Welcome back to the week In Collective or welcome in,
should I say, if you've just joined us? So we are.
Now it's time for the Parents Squad where we're going
to cover all things parenting, well at least one or
two things parenting, and we want you to join us
with your thoughts, comments and experiences on eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty in text nine two nine two. And look,
(00:46):
we've reached that time of the year we'll at least
have an our household. And it comes at a different
time for various schools. I imagine when many high school
kids are having to or they're able to make some
choice when it comes to subject options and choices and paps,
some of which those choices might actually have a bearing
(01:07):
on future careers, which sort of has me going ah
a little bit. And married parents, many parents maybe trying
or tempted to convince their kids to continue with what
they think are important subjects. You know, do you do
what's fun or do you do what you think is
going to help your child become a brain surgeon? What's
the most fun? Or your kids might be thinking what's
the easiest, And of course they'll also be stressed about
(01:30):
what subjects you know they should do, because hell what
they might only be thirteen, fourteen, fifteen years old. So, parents,
how have you supported your children through the process of
subject choices? And how much did you decide you needed
them to do what you wanted rather than maybe put
your own ambitions for their futures to one side and
(01:53):
let them choose for themselves. So, anyway, joining us to
discuss that we want your cause on eight hundred and
eighty ten eighty text nine two nine two to help
us navigate our way on the I'm joined by chief
psychologists at Umbrella well Being, Google Sutherland, Google, how are you?
And I love the background right now which I have
no idea where it is anyway, Google good? How are
(02:14):
you good?
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Good? Mate?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Now are you?
Speaker 2 (02:15):
It's nice to nice to be back on back down
in Wellington? Now the backdrop behind me is vac uni.
Speaker 4 (02:22):
Oh okay, good.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
I do a bit of teaching there and I must
be coming through my vicuniy zoom account, and it has
all these backgrounds that I can choose, I play the
university and all it's splendor.
Speaker 4 (02:33):
I mean, I can't try and remember how old you
because actually, by the way, it's great to see you
in the studio the other day because I know just
down the line, so fun, Hey how how old? It
remind me how old your kids are?
Speaker 5 (02:44):
Again?
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Nineteen and twenty four?
Speaker 4 (02:49):
Okay, so you have been through that whole thing of
helping them navigate. I'm going through it now. The school
that my girls go to, and I quite like this,
is that the portal for them to choose their subjects
is not accessible by us. So this is early subject choices.
(03:09):
So yeah, yeah, you know, there's not a huge array,
and most of the curriculum is set as core subjects,
and I think they've got three choices to make, right Yeah, yeah,
And so I quite like the fact that ultimately they
get to make their choices, and I quite I sort
of approve of the school given them that flexibility, but
(03:32):
it also does put a bit on their shoulders.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Yeah yeah, yeah, Yeah, it's young, isn't it. So I
certainly think people fall into two camps here, either those
of us and I should say what I've done, those
of us who say to you, to the kids, you
know your life, you want to choose your subjects, you
go ahead, and we're here to help you if you
need some help. And then there are other I know
of other parents who are going, no, you are definitely
(03:56):
not taking that subject. You'll be taking this subject to
this subject and that one, and you can choose one
for yourself or something. So I think parents do tend
to fall into sort of two two camps on this.
And look, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen is pretty young to be
trying to make some decisions about the rest of te
R fourteen even, you.
Speaker 4 (04:16):
Know, it's like what they he going on? Fifteen?
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that's really young. I mean because
some of it, some of those subjects can have quite
a bearing con'tany in later life. You know, if you
want to be a brain surgeon or whatever, but you
haven't done biology, it's like, oh, well I didn't do that.
Either I'm going to have to go back and either
(04:39):
do that again or I'm going to have to do
something else with my life. It just it does seem
very young manyways.
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Well, actually science is one of the classics, isn't it,
Because I think one of the choices my daughter's facing.
I'm not going to give away too much her thoughts
about it, but she has to do They definitely have
to do science anyway. But at the school that my
girl's at, there's also a course called additional science, which
is right where I think they probably look at a
(05:04):
few more things with specific things in mind. Yeah, and
you know, she's a little bit torn on those sorts
of things. And I actually said to her just to
go and have a chat with her teachers. Yeah, And
I said, because you know they get said, well, here's
the decision you can make right now, make a resolution
(05:26):
that on Monday or Tuesday you're going to seek out
the teachers from those three subjects where you're seeking some
guidance and have a chat. And the teachers were great.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. My daughter had a very similar
thing too. She was sort of tossing up and doing
various things. It's funny because she's doing training to be
a midwife, so that's very biology based. But you know,
she did lots of subjects at school, like photography and
art and design, and it was like I think they're
going to be all that helpful for her for midwork,
three maybe for designing. And she's wanted to be in
(05:58):
midwife since she was you know, old enough to speak basically.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Wow, but really.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Yeah, yeah, she's one of those kids you know that
they she has just always wanted to be a midwife
from a very very young age. I don't know why,
but but yeah she has. And our daughter and Laura
is weirdly enough, our daughter, and Laura's a midwife as well,
so we're going to have two good wives in the family.
Speaker 4 (06:21):
So yeah, but yeah, it's quite that's quite extraordinary, do
they And they knew what a midwife is sort of
because I know, midwife delivers babies, but there's a lot
more to that role. But that's quite at what age
are we talking about, they knew what they were.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Oh, she would have been I think she would have
been about eight or so when she decided that she
wanted to be a midwife and has just continued on.
You know how sometimes when I was eight, I think
I wanted to own a fruit orchard and Clyde that
didn't come out, but.
Speaker 4 (06:55):
You know, we're very specific.
Speaker 2 (06:58):
Was very specific. Yeah, yeah, me and my best friend Nathan.
We were going to own a co owner a fruit
orger and Clyde might have even been in Apricot orgit
there we go, but I didn't continue on with that events.
Speaker 4 (07:11):
Out of those dreams as kids. Some people do have
those childhood dreams with a friend and they go on
to becoming the next founder of company.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
A yeah, yeah, yeah, no, they do. They do. It's
but I mean, you know, it's interesting that that she,
my daughter, is stuck with what she wanted to do.
She did have to choose her courses, and she almost
got herself into a little situation when she started applying
to go to midwifery training courses at UNI and she
(07:39):
couldn't get into one particular one because she hadn't done
enough biology or enough something or you know, enough science.
But that wasn't the case for other universities. So look
at those decisions can have big bearings. But I think
it's never too late, right if you if you don't
do something at school, you can always go back and
pack it up. It's not the end of the world.
(08:00):
I think parents sometimes, and my view, parents sometimes put
way too much pressure on kids, forced them into subjects
they don't really want to do, which is a bit
of a nightmare.
Speaker 5 (08:09):
I think.
Speaker 4 (08:09):
Yeah. Interestingly, one of the teachers, one of the subjects
my daughter spoke to it, said to her that it
wasn't necessary for her to do his course, that you know,
she could always pick it up later on, and said
it and because she wanted to do something, she's got
another subject in mind that where weird, to be honest,
weren't quite sure about yeah, and we thought, oh maybe,
(08:33):
and then he just sort of set off, that's really
what you want to do, then you should definitely.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Do it, should do it.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
And I actually thought, good honor him, because when I
chose my subjects, I'd never clue what I wanted to do.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
I remember I dropped maths very quickly because I didn't
like it. And then when I got to UNI and
started doing psychology, weird enough, psychology has quite a lot
of maths in it. All the research stuff has maths,
and it was like I had to do another sort
of maths course that you need to sort of get
enough get myself up up to speed on maths. But
(09:07):
I just do it a sex form, I think, because
I didn't really like it. So yeah, but you can
always pick it up. I reckon. That's my view anyway.
But I know some I definitely know some parents who
have said to their kids, no, you've got to No way,
you were taking photography. That's not a real course you've
got to take. I don't know whatever it is, accounting.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
No, No, I mean, but that that is what's I mean.
Look there, I think this is why. I mean, it
does tie into some of the political decisions that are
being made around core subjects, and I think it's good. Yeah,
I think it's important that children students have a grounding
in certain core subjects.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yes, which I'm.
Speaker 4 (09:43):
Sort of relieved about, because if you just do a
whole bunch of electives from the age of twelve or thirteen,
but you can't count. I mean I'm exaggerating obviously. So
what did you do? What did you want? Choices?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
Yeah? I was very much down the art side of things.
I wasn't that into science. I did biology, so I
think he had when I was at high school. You
could pick in third form or whatever that is now
year nine, isn't it. Yeah, we had to do all
the options, so we did lot. You know, you did
all the languages and woodwork and metalwork and cooking. You
just had to do them all and then you got
(10:20):
to pick in the next year which two that you
wanted to do. I can't even remember what I did language,
I think I think I did Japanese and leaning something else.
And then after school sert as it was then into
in your final two years of high school, you could
put you could. There were some core subjects you had
to do, but you got a lot of choice, and
I tended. I chose things like history, geography, English, those
(10:45):
kinds of things. I dropped maths and I did a bit,
and I did biology. It was my only science. So
I look, and I'm a great believer and doing education
for the sake of education, for the sake of learning
because you really like it and want to, you know,
discover something and learn something about out at And I
(11:06):
think I'm a bit sad that our society and universities
have moved into much more of a training. You know,
we're training you for a particular you know, vacation focused. Yeah,
it's like I just just go to UNI and do
two or three years or did one? Not two or
three years? Do three years of unique, don't do two
(11:27):
because you're falling short, there do a few years of
UNI and see what you're like, and just do that,
and I think there's as much and who knows where
that will take you. I always remember, you know, you
know Bob Jones, the entrepreneur who died not too recently,
actually not too long ago. He apparently he always he
wouldn't take anybody that had done a finance degree or accounting.
He only took people that had done ba's and just
(11:50):
art subjects because he wanted he wanted people that could
think about the world, and that's what he chose.
Speaker 4 (11:55):
I remember that specifically. In fact, this is going back
quite a long time when it came out, and he
was quite outspoken about he just wanted people who'd learned
how to think.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and yeah yeah, I think I think
there's some real benefit and being enthused and enjoying education
and not just having to do it because you kind
of have to do it. That was my view anyway,
and that's certainly the view that we took with our kids, saying,
you choose what's going to work for you. Yes, you
have to do the basics, English, maths, and science, but
(12:26):
everybody has to do those, and then choose stuff that
you really enjoy doing because otherwise because for some kids,
school sucks, right, School is really hard and if every
subject you hate, it's like, oh, you can you understand
why kids drop out of school?
Speaker 4 (12:39):
Actually, this is it's funny when you when you when
you talk about it with someone else about it, it
sort of solidifies to me what maybe the doubts i'd
had in my mind about how much of us say
I have with with our kids about what they want
to do. Because I think you're right that if they
are excited by learning and they are enjoying what they're doing,
(13:01):
then that is a when no matter which direction they go.
But if you give them, if you give them a
bunch of subjects, if you push them into an area
which they are no longer stimulated, they fall out of
love or if they were ever in love with learning,
and it's just it's just a negative slope for there.
Speaker 2 (13:16):
For me, yeah, I think, yeah, it is back in
the day. This was before my generation. But I know
my parents in law, my wife's parents, I can't remember
about mine that when they got to high school, they
sort of had this weird choice. You could either go
to high school, you could go to a technical college
and be trained in a trade. I think that's the case.
Somebody might bring in incorrect me on that, but that
(13:38):
was a very sort of very early on, like fourteen
or so. Yeah, you were sort of filtered off into
people that were going to go to a school when
university and then those people that were going to do trades.
Would you know, Yeah, it seemed to me very early
on to be making that distinction and quite you know that. Yeah,
I have some big problems for that. So I things
have changed a lot, I guess, but we're certainly more
(14:00):
in that state I think, where people are training to
be a vocation. What are you doing at university accounting
or law or psychology.
Speaker 4 (14:09):
I remember the choices I made were basically based on
sort of following modern brothers might have done. Yeah, and
I mean I took physics and chemistry, and I was
never interested in physics or chemistry. I mean, I don't
know why I did them. I have no idea how
I passed, which was something of them. I mean seriously,
I actually have no idea how I passed. Because Yeah,
(14:32):
one of life's mysteras, isn't.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
It peer pressure? Too? Right? You know? You often kids
end up doing things because they're mates. Are you doing that, Yeah,
you're doing tech drawing eye. I'm going to do that too.
It's like people just do stuff for the ride sometimes
because and look, I'm sure some parents will be going
that's the exact argument for why we should be choosing
their courses at least with them, or if not for them,
(14:54):
because fourteen fifteen year olds aren't great at making those decisions.
But yeah, I still come back to the idea about
education for the sake of education and joy get into it.
That's going to give you a great expect varience and
who knows what doors will open up for you. You
don't know where your life's going when you're fourteen or fifteen.
Speaker 4 (15:10):
Well, actually that sort of ties and it's a nice
little segue from a conversation we had a week or
maybe it was two weeks ago, I think last week
maybe with John Cowen about people who were you know,
there's been a headline about the number of kids who
are dropping out early. They have to get parental permission
to drop out. But we had a lot of calls
from people who it was sort of supporting what you're
(15:32):
saying in a different way that you've just got to
be true to what your passions are. And these people
who called up said they hated school and they got
out as soon as they could. But their parents were like,
only if you do something, you're not sitting on the
couch and playing place dash, And they went and they
signed up on They signed up as an apprenticeship and
became a builder. They bought their first house in their
(15:54):
mid twenties. And I guess maybe that's that's the sort
of essences. Just keep your kids moving and engaged, and
of education the thing. Let them do what they want.
Speaker 2 (16:07):
Yeah. Yeah, and school's not going to work. Doesn't work
for everybody, we know that, but but we do want
them to have a good level or they go out.
But yeah, if you can keep people engaged in learning.
One thing I'm really pleased about, just going on that
conversation you said, is how like in my day, trades
we're not seen as a as you know, they've seen
as sort of the.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Plan or wasn't there a class war. It's like you're
just doing the trade.
Speaker 2 (16:32):
Yeah, And I think it's great how how those have
become much more value now and much more valuable in society.
I think that's I think that's awesome because it gets
rid of that sort of you know, inherited class distinction
about oh, will the best people go to university and
everybody else does a trade. It's like, no, you can
do it if you're passionate about and trades are there's
(16:53):
lots of work and you know, and trades and and
lots of training, and sure it's on the job, but
there's still lots of education that goes on with with trades.
So I think I like the fact that that's happening.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Actually, just before we go to the break the other story,
I promise I've said to the girl as a friend
of my daughters who go climbing together, and I said
I might mention this one day because we're chatting and
I was driving. We're driving along and I was chatting
to the you know, do you know what you want
to do? And I mean we're talking about a fourteen
year old. You know how you said your daughter wanted
(17:26):
to be a midwife when she was what was it
eight or something or this, And this girl's response was,
I want to be an I want to be a
pediatric anesthesiologist. And she knew exactly how she was going
to get there. She knew that it was going to
be tough to get into New Zealand med schools because
(17:47):
of the different pathways to offer to different people depending
on their background. And she'd singled out, I'm going to
get citizenship via my dad to Australia and I'm going
to go to this university and that university. And I thought, wow,
that's quite something.
Speaker 2 (18:04):
That that's great. I mean, and let's fingers cross. She
that's a lot of training for a pediatric what is it.
Speaker 4 (18:12):
Ye, pediatric and enthesiologist ian. That's very specific.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
That's going to be That is very specific, isn't it.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I hope she hopes, she hopes she gets there. Well,
I'm going to say, I went to university to be
a lawyer. Yeah, I know, and I kept I was
doing okay at law, but I was doing even better
at psychology and eventually I ditched. But I had gone
to UNI and that was my sort of goal. Actually,
I think from about seventeen sixteen or seventeen I was
(18:43):
going to be a lawyer. And I got there and
I was doing law and I did psychology on the
side because it was kind of interesting. And the more
I got through law, the more I went, I don't
really think this is going to be for me, and
I ditched it in the end and obviously went down
to the psychology.
Speaker 4 (18:59):
Well, it's funny because I studied law and I enjoyed
the study of it. I just hated the practice of it. Yeah, yeah,
that's what killed it for me almost instantly. Yeah, but again,
I mean lousy careers advice at school. Yeah, and I
just sort of thought, I thought, this is what I thought,
and we'll take your course. We'll take a break in
(19:19):
a second. I thought, I like history. I like words
and events and things, So I guess if I want
to make any money, I should be a lawyer. That's
how it was.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
Mine was even more shallow. I used to really love
l a Law, the TV show, and that was it.
It was like, I'm going to be like them. When
I got to Laura, it was no, that's not what
the law is at all. It's like, do something else.
Speaker 4 (19:45):
Sophisticated life and hot girlfriends was it.
Speaker 2 (19:50):
I definitely got the hot girlfriends and of course married
one as well. Of course.
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Yeah, okay, you dug yourself ole there. We want how
do you encourage your kids to make their sub choices?
How do you guide them through it. You might be
someone who's said, look, this is what I think my
kids to doing. I told them exactly what to do.
I wait one hundred and eighty two and eighty and also,
how did you navigate your own choices? Because I think
(20:16):
you know by looking at your own experiences in life,
sometimes we can help our kids or our children learn
from our mistakes. We'll be back in just a moment.
It's twenty seven past five News Talks. The'd be News Talks,
z'd be. This is the Parent Squad and we're with
Google Sutherland. By the way, we get to enjoy Google
for a bit longer because we're not doing sports raight
today because there's not so much exciting sport to look
forward to right now. There's a hot take for you.
(20:37):
Let's take some calls on how you navigate helping your
children make their subject choices. Maybe that ties into a career,
but there's subject choices. Should you just let them follow
their passions? Which I think probably is the right answer.
The only cab that I would have on that, maybe
subject to what our callers and Google things, is if
you think they're just taking an easy subjects, you think
(20:58):
they're going to cruise. You might want to challenge them
on that would be my thoughts. Possibly as to how
you do that. I don't know, because they're quite good
at concerning what they really want sometimes. Right, let's carry on, Peter, Hello, Hi, I.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
Can remember this particular father was worried about their son
in mathematics, and he hired a personal tutor for his son.
And I said to him, your son likes telling stories.
What about law? So I ended up doing a double
degree in law and accounting.
Speaker 4 (21:30):
Oh so he could he could create financial fictions and
legal ones.
Speaker 2 (21:36):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Yeah. And then I saw a thing on TV in
the UK somewhere some very wealthy family had a three
had a I think it was a three week old child,
and they sent a tutor around and the parents were
arguing about what school or how they going to be
educating the and the babies only three weeks old. I
(21:59):
thought they needed them.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
What did you study? It's you went on the big
I we've spoken before, Peter. I know you've been you
were a pilot. So what did you always want to
be a pilot or did you study anything in particular
that leads you down that path?
Speaker 2 (22:16):
Well?
Speaker 3 (22:16):
I liked architecture, and I believed I couldn't draw sufficiently,
so I thought, I thought, I can fly aeroplanes. It's
a lot easier than drawing pictures.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
Yeah, that's sounds much easier, I think.
Speaker 4 (22:30):
Actually, that'sn't that funny. These days? You probably don't have
to be a good artist to be an architect, do you,
because nothing's it's all done by a computer, is it?
Speaker 2 (22:39):
Yeah? It probably is good, nephew, that's that's the architecture
at UNI has just finished it, and a lot of
it as computer. But it's not all though. They still
have to do like they still he was they actually
had to make little models, like physical models of the
buildings that they're going to do. So there's lots of
still lots of technical aspects. It's not all computers from
what I can see.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
Yeah, they've got a text here. I wanted to. There's
another one. I wanted to be a pediatric. In high school,
I was struggling through biology and absolutely hated it. I
told someone I was working with that I hate biology,
but just had to get through it to study medicine.
And he told he told me, if I hate the
required subjects, I likely hate the career. It changed everything
(23:20):
for me. Hmmm, that's interesting because I imagine you'd you'd
have to enjoy biology to be a doctor.
Speaker 2 (23:27):
Would should have thought that you'd certainly wants and on
biology and some familiarity with the human body, if you
were going to be a pediatrician, I would have thought.
Speaker 4 (23:37):
But I guess biology. That's interesting maybe because biology is
living things. I mean it's plants.
Speaker 2 (23:44):
Yeah, that's true, that's true. Where is that true?
Speaker 4 (23:47):
There was a subject called anatomy.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah. Well, and Kim, there's
probably more chemistry. To be fair, we need a doctor
to be texting in and telling us actually what you
do need to study because we're just making it up
as we go along. But you need chem you just
need You're definitely chemistry, right, you definitely need keep Street. Yeah, presumably.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
Actually that's why I did science. Actually, this is the
funny one. That's why I did science because I thought
I should at least do chemistry and physics. But I
didn't do biology because I thought I could pick that
up in my first year. What was I thinking? Oh yeah,
that's anyway. Oh well, doctor Beverage won't be with you now.
We've got quite a few texts on here. By the way,
(24:28):
if you want to give us a call, we'd love
to hear your stories as to how you chose your
subjects or help your children. And actually here's a simple one.
How much should parents dictate their children's subject choices? Because
the more I think about it, the more I think
is if they ask for your advice, you can. Even
if they don't, you can give them your thoughts, but
don't ram it down their throat. Actually, how is that
(24:48):
a good way of putting it? Google? Do you think
or look?
Speaker 2 (24:51):
I think particularly that if you think developmentally about that
age group, probably the best thing to do to turn
a child off a subject is for a parent to
really push it, because you know, fourteen and fifteen and
thirteen or fourteen fifteen year olds, whatever you say, they'll
probably if you say black girls say white. If you
say you should definitely do biology, there's no way I'm
doing biology. That sucks because my parents said I should.
(25:13):
So yeah, I particularly at that age, if I ask
you definitely, but yeah, i'd hold off pushing too strong
in the otherwise you get the the inverse effect.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
Okay, so I've got a text from Dawn here he says,
please speak about children who don't know what direction they
want to go. Your children had guidance, many don't.
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Yeah, that's a that's a that's a good question. I
think that's a great That would be a great discussion
to have with the school and actually for teachers and say, hey,
look what is what is my kid? What? What are
they showing you know, success? And what are they doing? Well?
What what? What are they interested in? I think? Uh
and and maybe if they're not, if there's nothing specifically,
(25:54):
then maybe just giving them a really nice broad base.
Try a few sciences, try some arts, try a little
bit of this, see what you like, uh and and
and who knows what will come out of it. But
I think if you can't, if you're not really quite
sure or don't have a strong direction in one area,
just do a bunch of different things and see what
comes out and see what grabs your fancy. That would
(26:18):
be education for the sake of education and the joy
of doing its. Ah. Maybe I just discover some stuff
that I like. That would be amazing.
Speaker 4 (26:25):
Yeah, yeah, Okay, I got another text here saying thirty
three year old accountant here, I'm assuming that's thirty three
years on the planet rather than practicing accountancy. But high
school I took classics, Spanish, geography, art history, and year
nine and ten Japanese and in years twelve and thirteen
(26:47):
with approval. I don't know what that means. With approval, well,
I guess everyone was okay with it. My UNI majors
were accounting, finance, and Spanish. I struggled hugely in mathematics,
but loved following and reading business news. Also loved Spanish too.
My math major friends tutored me to a scratch of
(27:07):
B minus in the maths papers. It can be done
despite dropping maths early. Yeah, interesting, I think what's missing
from the texts? Do you enjoy accounting?
Speaker 2 (27:18):
Yeah, that's that's a great question. Yes, yeah, let's assume
that they do. Let's assume that they enjoy accounting, because
somebody's got to. But yeah, that's great to hear. That's
great to hear that they you know that they've they've
gone on to it and found a career without having
that sort of because I would have thought you'd really
(27:39):
need maths, but maybe not.
Speaker 4 (27:41):
Yeah, we're going to take a quick moment. We'd love
to take your calls on this eight hundred and eighty
ten eighty How do you help your kids choose subjects
for school? Actually, I mean the other thing is doesn't
really matter. Do you just think you know what? Just
let them do what they want and the rest follows.
I don't know how many parents would be totally happy
with having the hands off approach, but we'd love to
know your thoughts as well. Where with Doogle Sutherland he's
(28:03):
chief psychologist at Umbrella Well Being, will be back in
just a moment, News Talk said b It's twenty two
and a half minutes to six. News Talk said be
talking about helping choose a Korea for well helping you
to your kids choose subjects? Actually, by the way, to
sort of read this text out. Where with Google Sutherland
he's a chief psychologist and Umbrella Wellbeing, And it says
(28:23):
tim for your edification. Yes, actually I was actually aware
about what this person's about to say. But it's a
semantic discussion, which is always good fun. It says, I
heard you mentioned pediatric anesthesiologist. The word anesthesiologist is an
americanization in New Zealand and the vast numbers of countries
following the UK medical system, the name for an anesthetic
(28:45):
consultant or specialist is an eathesetist. Hence what you were
aiming to say was pediatric anethesetists, says Kittriyama. Actually, I
was deliberately saying anesthesiologist because I was quoting the friend
of my daughters who used that specific word, and we
had such a such fun watching me try to navigate that. So,
but thank you. Always love a bit of semantics.
Speaker 2 (29:08):
Yeah, yeah, it's good, isn't it?
Speaker 4 (29:10):
Can I google? I would just want to get back
to that point you made and which I agree with about,
and then there'll be people who want to push back
against this about education for education's sake, and the government
does seem to be sign posting that they don't have
much patience for supporting courses which don't have a vocational
(29:32):
goal at the end of it. And I can't remember
exactly the proclamations that I remember, but I remember thinking, well,
hang on a minute, if it's okay to encourage kids
just to leave school without a qualification and go hard
on the workfront, there are different paths to success and
exploring having intellectual curiosity about the arts and classics and
(29:53):
all that sort of stuff that can still lead places
as well.
Speaker 2 (29:56):
Can't it No, I would have thought so. Yeah, I
mean I think it just to be honest, I just
think it makes for kind of a better society if
people are educated and eligible about a whole bunch of things.
I know that, I know the current government policy is
to well, I don't know that it is towards doing
less of that at UNI. But regardless as the current government,
(30:18):
I mean that I think that's been a shift in
society for decades really, that as they push towards much
more vocationally vocational training rather than just doing it for
the for the love and starting up with you know,
if you've got to pay, like you know, I would.
My brother's two years older than me, He had three
did three or four years of UNI and only had
(30:39):
one year of having to pay fees. But now of
course that you have to pay fees. So he did
what he wanted to. He did art history, I think
because of it. But now that of course you have
to pay fees. He it's it's it's a different hitdler
fish and and and maybe there's not quite so many
opportunities to do just what you love because it's going
to hit you in the back pocket. And that's I
(31:00):
don't think that's a great thing. But but I that's
that's not a new thing. It's been around for thirty
years now.
Speaker 4 (31:06):
I think that the opportunity to explore is at least
in that first year though. With you know, you're doing
an intermediate year for whatever you're doing, and it's usually
maybe there's a subject, for instance, for law, you do
legal system. Then you do what you want and then
after that you obviously have got push on with specializing.
I think that's probably my regret, is it my first
year I did, I did other things I thought I
(31:29):
should do. I actually think that's probably one of the
bits of advice I'd give my kids is that don't
do what you think of what you think you should do.
Do what you want. And I think that you know
because you can. That's the other lesson is you can
know become mistakes as well, can't you think?
Speaker 2 (31:46):
Yeah? I think so definitely, definitely you can. And a
lot of people go to union. There's massive dropout rates
after first year of UNI. Lots of people drop out
after that first year. They find it's not for them,
and maybe they'd be less if they were doing things
they wanted to do. I'd be interested to hear if
there was anybody out there that does choose the topics
for their kids and is very strict about it, because
(32:07):
I'd be interested to hear that kind of position, really,
because we're both coming at it from them. No, no,
just let them do what they what they choose to do,
and that's only one viewpoint. Would be great to hear
from somebody that says, no, no, we've picked the kids
the courses for our kids, and that worked for them, hopefully.
That's what.
Speaker 4 (32:24):
There's a cultural thing too, I guess, and some families
which sometimes can lead kids to rebel totally because they
don't want to be part of it. But then you
know the other Yeah, I don't know. It's a funny one,
isn't it, because there'd be a point where children being
brought up to listen to mom and dad, and they
(32:45):
might not ever push back on that until I don't know,
they're forty years old.
Speaker 2 (32:50):
Yeah, yeah, definitely. I've heard two of people that have said, Okay,
we're getting you together and you're going to be the lawyer,
you're going to be the doctor, you're going to be
the teacher. Off you go, and that's what you're going
to do, and they that's what they go and do,
and everybody's completely fine with that. Yeah, interesting stuff.
Speaker 4 (33:06):
Another one here says I loved maths, graphic design, and
art history through school. At a career's talk at school,
I expressed an interest in architecture. The teacher told me
I'd never get into architecture because I hadn't taken physics.
I wish I'd never listened to her, because I'm sure
I could have taken an extra paper at university. This
is twenty five years ago, and sometimes I still regret it.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Well, hey, never too late, never too late to go back.
You could go back to union. Retrain as an architect
takes all, but you can do that.
Speaker 4 (33:35):
I had made of mine who studied law. I think
he studied law fifteen years maybe after he left university.
He became a judge in the end.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
So there's quite a few. There's quite a few mature
students come back and do clinical psychology. They've had a
career as a teacher or a lawyer or something or
and come back and do clinical psychology in their forties,
which is great because you bring with you a lot
of wisdom and that so don't don't, don't, don't. Don't
take things off the table just because you in your
(34:06):
mid forties. You can always go back and retrain, right John, Hello.
Speaker 5 (34:11):
Yes, could a mild memmo of me to be a surgeon.
So so now you think that's it. You get like
you say, a biologies, get all the rest of number
and how often went to university? And the man that
makes it? Yes, you're not looking very much forward to this,
(34:33):
are Yeah? I said, No, you don't want to be
a sugi. He said, what do you want to be?
I said, I like to be an electrical engineer. Oh,
we can do That'll be all right. It's just not
a problem. Yeah, some of the old MENA got butcher'sook.
But he doesn't need to know about it, he says,
you know, tell them to see me.
Speaker 4 (34:51):
Was this before you actually went to university? Or was
when you had the sort of pre interview for something?
Speaker 5 (34:56):
No? No, before I went through the Virgin I had
it all mapped out. I had no say in the
matter whatsoever?
Speaker 4 (35:03):
And what did you end up doing? Did you end
doing electrical engineering?
Speaker 5 (35:07):
Yep?
Speaker 4 (35:08):
And did you when did your dad find out?
Speaker 2 (35:11):
Oh?
Speaker 5 (35:11):
But it was mean last year he could do sweet
elves about it, because well that was it. But he
wouldn't talk to me for six months.
Speaker 4 (35:19):
Oh wow, Oh no.
Speaker 5 (35:21):
They didn't even came to graduation.
Speaker 4 (35:23):
That's quite funny. That's quite a sacred to keep John.
Did you think what did you feel at the time?
Did he quite relaxed about it?
Speaker 5 (35:30):
Yeah, it was quite rex about it. I said to
me said, oh mate, I know, you know, cut people up,
and I'm happy what I'm going to do. Well, if
you can't take it, and that's it. But when you're
talking about people Fithers doing this, I think you must remember.
Do you remember that ad off the blog and the
girl went assessed. They had gone to university and was
(35:53):
looking for a job or he wanted to become an
apprentice in the Old Maid and he finished and this
old man was somehow flute, somebody like Collin okay, and
then he was chasing him with the hamber and all
sorts of stuff. And then the foreman start talking to him,
and then he had to agree that he was right, because,
(36:14):
as the boy said, by the time she finally gets
the job and pays for all dead, I have fifty
of her house paid off. But it was always I
think when I was younger and I'm eighty three now,
but younger it was everybody should go to university. Well,
if everybody had gone to the UN's got a degree,
(36:35):
I don't know whether we've got a probber from you
know what I mean. And then it's so stupid. You know,
I can't understand now because Mike Bolter says, I wanted
to do what you called. She was at Lens Surveygas
not good go for it, but she finished up at
the Lender Survey department and finished and then let her survey.
The apartment was cut out by Wilson Peters, so that
(36:59):
then she was moved to the Forest Street. There she
followed the two. The other I was this, and so
she trained at Bell Block for an international hotel scene.
She did that. I now she's a hard flutant verson
in one of the government departments doing something totally different.
So you can't tell you guess what I do. Look
(37:21):
at it. Let them find their own way.
Speaker 4 (37:23):
Well, good on you for We're good at you for
keeping your secret to there. John. I think that was
pretty good. But also that's that's quite amazing. Going off
to university. Uh, there, kin'd have been a lot of
detailed conversations about how progress at university can there.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
But how's the how's the the surgery going. Oh, it's great,
We're really doing fantastic.
Speaker 4 (37:49):
Actually, somebody texted here about shouldn't you be saying do
what AI can't? I mean when it comes out?
Speaker 2 (37:56):
Yeah, that's that's that's a great That's a really great comment,
isn't it. Because I've definitely heard lots of people saying,
you know, there'll be jobs our kids do in ten
years time that haven't even been invented yet, because AI
is changing the shape of things. And I think that's
that's probably quite a wise thing at least to consider.
Speaker 4 (38:17):
Well, what's it going to rule out as their career
heading to. I don't know, that's difficult to predict that
sort of stuff.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
It is difficult to predict, but I think it is
another sort of part of the equation for many people
at the moments, like, no, we may not be doing
that because you know, in the future, because AI will
do that. But it's pretty speculative. But yeah, interesting thing
to consider.
Speaker 4 (38:37):
Right, We'll be back in just a moment. It is
nine minutes to sex on news Talk there b it's
just a couple of minutes to go before we wrap
up the show, and we're with Google Sutherland. He is
a psychologist and umbrella wile being talking about how you
help your kids navigate their subject choices. And actually there's
a bleeding obvious thing that's come through in a text
here that is always worth following up on for a
parent Google, and that is I'll paraphrase it, but basically
(39:04):
it's about it's to do with getting your child to
see a careers advisor maybe and just get them to
have a chat, because I'll be honest, the careers advisor
at my school was it was not pretty good.
Speaker 2 (39:15):
At all.
Speaker 4 (39:16):
There's nothing that inspired me to think about anything at all.
And yet I look at some of the careers advice
choice that kids have access to now, if they're led
that way, it's actually not bad, is it.
Speaker 2 (39:26):
Yeah? Yeah? And I'd sort of forgotten about that too,
I think because I had been so intent on being
a lawyer. I never went to see our careers advisor
because it was like, I know what I'm going to do.
I don't need careers advice. Could have been could have
taken me down a completely different path. But but that's
it's a really good point. I mean, schools are schools
(39:47):
have lots of experience and experted. The other great thing
is too is go to you know, universities and training
establishments have open days. Go and see, you know, there's
heaps of things and and just go to the open days.
Go and have a look around whatever you're interested, even
if you're only vaguely interested in it, go and explore
and ask and and see what's out there. But there's
(40:09):
a whole other stuff that you won't have even thought
of when you're at school that you can do. That
you could train and so you know, go to politechs
and to universities and do anything else and do the
open days. See what you see, what grabs your ticklish,
your fancy good stuff.
Speaker 4 (40:23):
Hey Doogle, it so nice to see you again, mate,
Thanks for joining us around squad. We'll look forward to
next time.
Speaker 2 (40:29):
A yeah, thanks mate, Nice to be on Excellent.
Speaker 4 (40:32):
And you can check out the Umbrella organized that what's
your address again, Doogle? The website I think we might
have well what, yeah, there you are.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
I'm still here. I'm still here. Yeah, Umbrella dot org
dot ins.
Speaker 4 (40:44):
In Excellent, Umbrella dot org dot in Zen And we'll
look forward to your company again, same time tomorrow. A
specialist for Healthhup, We've got doctor Michelle Neape. He's an
E and T specialist specializing in hearing. We're going to
have a chat about whether we are too casual about
looking after hearing and hay much. Pepper joins us for
smart Money, talking about that GDP drop and actually what's
what it means for things in the ICI. Thanks for
(41:06):
my Producer to award for Man Travis. Next, enjoy the
rest of your evening.
Speaker 1 (41:14):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to News
Talks be weekends from three pm, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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