The value of making important career decisions at an early stage

Emily Fernley, Tim Mountford, and Skye Dalton attended the Magic Moments Youth Leadership & Business Summit to water the seed already planted in their heads.

Emily can picture herself running a not-for-profit organisation straight after she graduates, Tim wants to run a business in the electrical department, and Skye has her sights set on being a physiotherapist or chiropractor.

Their minds might change along the way, but to have an idea at an age as young as 14 has to be commended.

Not all of us have that seed planted in our minds, in some cases not until we reach our thirties.

Tara McLean, Donnybrook Community Bank Branch of Bendigo Bank customer relationship officer, said there were some basic life duties not taught at school.

"We hear: 'We wish we were told that back at school' so often,” Tara said.

"Just even tax wise, superannuation; we doing get told any of that."

Sixteen-year-old me was not as wise as our entrepreneurial-minded triplets.

"Eventually, I want to be a pilot," I thought to myself, as I aimlessly picked three subject courses while enrolling for Sixth Form back in East London.

I decided that psychology, sociology, and theology were to be my electives for the next two years of my adolescent life.

Very rarely have I needed to call upon anything that I learnt from those topics.

I enrolled after high school because it was the done thing to do at the age of 16.

I had no idea what I wanted to study at university after Sixth Form, or if I should enter the workforce under an apprenticeship.

I wish a wise head had sat me down as a teenager and explored my options with me sooner.

Instead, after Sixth Form I trudged along picking up more hours at the shoe store I worked part-time at.

It was a decent source of pocket money but by no means a prospective career choice for me.

Once I realised I no longer wanted to be a pilot, a string of other career options popped into my mind over those years of uncertainty.

A police officer, a pilot, a firefighter, eventually I found I had a knack for cooking so went with that instead.

I spent my early-20s as a chef with the goal of becoming a big-shot restaurateur.

I obviously changed my mind again and as I entered the intriguing world of journalism.

The other day, I watched a video clip of American TV show host Steve Harvey give a profound message telling three of his sons that we all need to "jump" at least once in our life.

And that after we jump, our parachute is not going to open right away – but eventually it does if you keep tugging away at it and not give up.

My mum used to tell me: "Just do what makes you happy".

Sometimes, however, we can do with a little push from time to time.

Best of luck to the Donnybrook young trio.

– Matthew Lau