What’s Next: When you need to take some twists and turns in life
Hey– I’m Jay, I’m 16, and I’m in my last year of high school. Thinking about my future can be stressful, but I have so many opportunities to be excited about. In the midst of exams and lockdowns, I’ve enjoyed thinking about what’s next for me in life.
That’s why in this series, I’ve been talking to people who have been down this road before. In this episode I talked to Corey Tutt. When he was a teenager, he felt totally lost– his best friend killed himself and as a result, he’d lost his passion for Australian wildlife.
Since then, Corey has won the Young Australian of the Year award, and started Deadly Science, a charity which gives STEM mentoring and resources to indigenous kids around the country.
One of the things he taught me is that there’s nothing wrong with taking a few twists and turns in life. As someone who’s looking into a career in the creative arts, it reminded me of something important: even though there are so many different paths you can take in your career, you can still end up where you want to be eventually.
A few things we’ve learned:
Life is unpredictable, and big events can change how we live our lives. If things don't go how you planned, that’s okay.
If you feel like you’re in a rut, sometimes the best thing you can do is try something new.
Everyone’s path is different. Some people go to university and some people don’t. If you experience a few zigs and zags as you follow your passions, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Some tips for finding your passion
In the video, Corey says that one of the best things you can do to find your passion in life is to immerse yourself in a broad range of topics and activities. Here are a few ways you can do that:
Watch documentaries! You can browse through documentaries on sites like ABC iView, SBS On Demand, and Netflix.
Take a trip down to your local public library.
TAFE isn’t just for people who want to learn a trade. They offer all kinds of short courses in areas like animation, Aboriginal languages, and photography. Depending on the course, you might be able to take it while you’re working or in high school.
And now I've realized that, again, that passion and that purpose and that belonging is so essential to a young person. And I got that from alpaca shearing, believe it or not.