Licensed to Drive

So are you??? Licensed I mean. Do you have your Driver's License? I'm not asking if you can drive - any fool can do that! I'm asking if you can drive legally? And if you're over 15, why not? Young people in New Zealand may apply for their Driver's License at any time after their 15th birthday. There are very few countries in the world where you may drive at such a young age. This is not likely to last in New Zealand either though, and many of our politicians and journalists are talking about raising the driving age. So don't wait. Get it done. There are costs involved and they will be very similar whether you take your test at the AA or whether you do it through school. As the shoe says, "Just Do It!" Among other things, your Driver's Licence is a qualification. It shows that you have had the self motivation to get off your backside and gain a recognised qualification for yourself. It also shows that you have some degree of independence. Throw the fact that you have your Driver's License on your CV and your chances of gaining an interview improve. Self motivation and Independence! Employers love this stuff! Besides, how are you going to get to work? Take a bus? In AUCKLAND???? Yeah, right! Check out the NZ Transport Agency website for details on Drivers Licences. For comprehensive information about driving, licensing and all sorts of motoring details check the Automobile Association website. For online quizzes on the New Zealand Rode Code, go here or here. A Driving School I recommend can be found online here. These are sites and services that I have found useful. I do not necessarily endorse them and I'm certainly not receiving any form of payment or reward for recommending them.

Vacations and the Internet

Personally, I had a great two week break in New Zealand's South Island, but I'm not about to bore anyone with the details :) There is so much that I want to add to this page and I'm aware that the whole thing could become a little disjointed. Hopefully some form of order will appear as the entries continue. We have introduced a webmail resource for our students. Being in a lower socio-economic area of New Zealand many of our students do not have internet access from home and we are well aware of the dangers that free use of public internet sites can pose to security sytems such as exist in any school. But email is a reality in the 21st Century and our students now have the option of creating a personal email address with Gmail . If you are a student at SCC, by registering your email address you can subscribe to sites such as Career Services or nzdriving.com where you can practise your road code skills. The internet is a wonderful resource, but many young people in particular are very lax about protecting their privacy online. Are you aware that any time you create a Facebook, Myspace, Bebo, Hi5 page or make use of any social networking website, you are putting your life on the internet for the entire world to see. This is fine as long as you have nothing to hide but real dangers do exist. Many emplyers and employment agencies now hire people to search for public profiles of job applicants. What this means is that any potential employer may know a lot more about you that you would like him or her to know, even before you get to a job interview. If you have a profile on any social networking site, make sure that your details can only be accessed by your friends. NEVER reveal your address or phone number in your profile and certainly don't allow anyone whom you don't know to find out any personal details about you. If you enjoy telling the world about the things you do, take care that you don't reveal anything too questionable. It nay be boring to say this, but if you keep everything that you place on a webiste tame enough that your granmother would find it interesting, but not "shocking", you should be ok. The world is quite a small place. Your Facebook or Bebo page can be viewed by any of your friends in Auckland, but it can also be viewed by those who might not even want to be your friends - and they could live in Auckland, or Siberia, or Korea, or Canada... you get the idea. And it can also be viewed by potential employers will be quite happy to use the post that you made about how drunk you got at your mate's party last week (whether it's true or not) as an excuse not to offer you an interview for that job you so badly want. Take care out there :)

Universities in New Zealand

As I write I'm currently preparing for our school's relationship manager with AUT University to arrive and have a chat with interested students. We've already had visits from University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, Unitec, and Manukau Institute of Technology. A representative from Waikato University will be visiting next week and the University of Otago will be along in week two of the second term. (First term is almost over - can you believe it?)

Anyway, I'm frequently asked which University is the best one to go to. My response is always the same... whichever Uni works best for you.

They're basically all very similar but they do have different approaches. Some can boast smaller classes, some have more "traditional" teaching methods, some are more difficult to gain entry to than others and, of course, some Universities "specialise" in particular areas. (If you want to become a qualified dentist you'll have to go to Otago.)

Aside from that, be aware that a degree from University of "A" has the same status as the same degree from University of "B." A BA from AUT is worth exactly the same as a BA from Canterbury or Massey. For this reason you really should apply for university study at at least two or three (or more) institutions that look good to you. When you have letters of acceptance from all of them, then you can decide which one you actually want to attend. They all have their own strengths - talk to the Careers people at school to find out what they are. Or you could do your own research and make up your own mind.

Stand by for more information about Polytechnics, Trades, Apprenticeships and other generally good stuff.

One final point for today. If you are reading this blog from within Southern Cross Campus click here to go to the "Courses and Careers" file on the Student Shared Drive. You can find heaps of information about various careers, courses, career stories etc. Check it out. Unfortunately, if you are not logged on from inside the school the link won't work.

NEWBY - Small Beginnings

Here I go - my first ever blog post. I'm using this site to spread career information and discussion (I guess) primarily among the students I work with at Southern Cross Campus (a multicultural high school in Mangere, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand) but also for anyone else who may find the ramblings posted here of interest. I don't know what I'm doing - never tried blogging before - and will have to work this thing out as I go along. The network that my school uses is somewhat tired and blogging seems to be an appropriate way to 'spread the word' about new and existing careers as well as some of the services I can offer here at SCC. The only thing of any great value that I'm going to post today is a plug for the NZ Career Services website. This is internationally highly regarded and well worth a look for anyone - NOT JUST STUDENTS - who may be researching ideas, looking for pathways or trying to figure out what their interests might be. The homepage includes links to a great career assessment tool (Pathfinder) and also a wonderful template where you can build, save and store a stunning CV - complete with tips, hints and examples. Check it out here