We don’t usually look to graduates for tips and advice on how to get ahead in our careers, possibly because we consider ourselves one step ahead – out there experiencing the ‘real world’ for what it is.
But usually excited at the prospect of a new career, the level of optimism graduates can offer on how they intend to use their new qualifications can benefit us all.
Tomorrow we publish our list of top female graduates to watch in 2014, showcasing some of the best talent coming out of our universities this year. They’re remarkable women who’ve already achieved significant things academically and will be leading the next generation of female talent as scientists, doctors, social workers, psychologists, journalists, bankers, engineers, and designers.
We’ll tell you why they chose the fields they have, what they’re looking to achieve from their careers, the challenges they anticipate they’ll face and where they hope to be in 10 years’ time. These graduates – varying in age from 21 to 32 – will also remind us that it’s never too early for women to know some career fundamentals: that need to continually back yourself, to never let a setback set you off track and to make the most of opportunities as they emerge.
They know this, because they’ve already received some excellent advice from mothers, fathers, friends, supervisors, teachers and mentors. That’s the great thing about entering a new career and life stage; there are plenty of people willing to share what they already know, little tidbits they believe can help you along the way.
So we asked these graduates about the best advice they’ve received, and came up with a range of responses.
Willo Grosse received some excellent advice following a setback. Soon to complete her PhD in Nanobionics at the University of Wollongong, she recalls being advised by a teacher once that she should avoid pursuing a science career because she wasn’t strong enough in maths and science. Walking away from the meeting, her mother told her to never let anyone tell her she wasn’t good enough. “That day I learned to respect and back myself and it was the best advice I ever received,” she says.
Erin Nugent tells Women’s Agenda she admires those who never quit, saying it’s too easy to give in due to low confidence levels or a setback. Preparing to graduate with a Bachelor of Physiotherapy from the University of Newcastle in October 2013 and having achieved some remarkable feats in the field already, she says she’s been encouraged to personally appreciate her strengths (a passion for learning new things) and weaknesses (indecisiveness) and is continually working at ways to combine the two.
Meanwhile PhD candidate and marine biologist Asha de Vos – who has featured in documentaries about her work to help protect blue whales – says she’s faced plenty of challenges during her career already, often due to being young and female. She’s come to realise she can’t make everyone happy and to instead just let her work speak for itself. As a child, her father offered some excellent advice: to learn something new from everyone. “It has taught me to remain curious and open-minded, no matter whom I am talking to, no matter what their background,” she says.
Nimesha Fernando, who’ll complete her PhD on the effects of elevated atmosphere Co2 concentration on grain quality at the University of Melbourne in September, has experienced her own challenges balancing study with motherhood and the fact English is a second language. It’s no surprise then that the best advice she’s received is that “where there is a will, there is a way, so try your best”.
Lauren Nisbet, who’ll soon finish her Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of surgery/PhD at Monash University, learnt from a good senior scientist early on that one makes rather than waits for opportunity. “The active pursuit of opportunity, that is the creation of a set of circumstances which make an achievement possible, is paramount to success,” she says.
Madelaine Willcock’s best advice is straight to the point: “just do it” as her PhD supervisor would say. Expecting to finish her PhD on volcanic studies later this year, she also notes a strong family influence of motivation, including her father who reminded her there’s “no such thing as can’t, only how” and a Scout leader who noted that “where there’s a will, there’s a Willcock”.
Engineering student Jacqueline Savage, who’ll finish at Swinburne University of Technology in November, has already designed an interactive knee model for Johnson & Johnson Medical which was showcased at the Australian Orthopaedic Association exhibition last year. She lives by the mantra that the only thing stopping you from achieving your goals is yourself and says that like most design engineers, she’s rarely satisfied with her work but uses this attribute to continually do better. She shares four key sayings she’s taken into her studies and now to her work: “Go big or go home”, “If you are ahead, get more ahead”, “If you do something you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life”, and “To create a memorable design you need to start with a thought that’s worth remembering”.
And for those of us who don’t mind a bit of procrastinating, Honours Philosophy graduate Ashleigh Wright has received some excellent advice from a supervisor: “You’ve read enough, just start writing!” She knows that while there’s always time for more research, nothing useful will become of it if you can’t find that balance between research and getting your message out there.
What’s the best advice you received as a graduate?
Check back tomorrow for our full list of female graduates to watch and the first of our graduate Q&As.