We've tracked down students from 40, 30, 20 and 10 years ago to find out where they ended up, and ask their advice for the class of 2019 | natassiazc
their dream career - Peter Robinson, who came first in the state, wanted to be a physicist. Wilkes aspired to be an arts academic, Myerscough had her heart set on science and Ross Baldick from Chatswood High hoped to be an electrical engineer. Each is still working as an academic in related fields.
He is now a senior lecturer at the University of Queensland, where he researches German literary criticism and has recently translated novels. "Don’t waste time looking for a magic wand or a magic technique," Wilkes says. "The best place to get advice is certainly from your teachers and the best strategy for doing well is almost certainly to work hard. If you’re disappointed, check back with yourself in three months time. You might be surprised.
When Wilkes attended his 40-year school reunion this year, he was struck by "how everyone had done very well in the field they’d gone into, whether it was the theatre or the public service or private enterprise". "The HSC is one step of the journey. While I got into the course that took me to the career that I wanted, I don’t think that anybody at the age of 17 knows what the reality is going to be of their working life. You have ideas [but] life takes you where it takes you. There are many ways and many paths that people can take to get to where they want to go.
"The general message that what you get in the HSC will not determine your life is a really important one. As you get older the really important things are your values and beliefs, and [whether] you can live according to those and share them with other people that you connect with."Kate Peterson was the first student at Baulkham Hills High to score the highest University Admission Index of 100.
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