Bablake Careers Newsletter - Issue 2 (17-18)

Bablake Careers Newsletter Issue 2 (2017-­‐ 18) Welcome to the second edition of the new fortnightly newsletter compiled by Bablake’s Careers Department. This is now being emailed to parents and students, while form tutors will also receive a paper copy to display in their classrooms!

New Facilities Update! You may have seen some carefully composed photographs of the new Careers Centre on Twitter (@bablakecareers)! Our high gloss white and orange theme is no longer a secret, while 19 years of artefacts gathered in the name of delivering careers advice at Bablake eagerly await the spoils of an IKEA delivery next week. Our ‘grand opening’ will be on Tues. 17th October, the night of Bablake’s ‘Entry to Sixth Form’ evening. The Right Attitude – Preparing for Tomorrow, Today! ‘Be yourself and never apologise for it’ (Caroline Lucas, co-­‐leader of the Green party and MP for Brighton Pavilion) https://www.theguardian.com/careers/2017/mar/08/international-­‐womens-­‐day-­‐career-­‐advice-­‐successful-­‐women

The inspiring advice of Caroline Lucas and other leading women from politics, science, the arts and business in the article above is so relevant for all our pupils. Writer Jeanette Winterson says: ‘Find your interest. Attach it to your energy. Be ruthless with time.’ Eminent medic, Prof Nazneen Rahman CBE, suggests: ‘Find something you have both a talent for and a passion for. There will be something! Talents and passions change. Change with them.’ So what would advice would Bablake’s Careers department offer to all students? • Get involved – every experience of work or a new challenge helps shape future decisions. • Be curious about everything & seek/ take opportunities – expand your intellectual curiosity and extend your network of contacts or knowledge. • Work hard – inspiration, allied with preparation and perspiration, is potent! • Don’t expect to succeed every time! Tripping up now and then actually makes you better. Think of the hockey player who misses a tackle or fails to collect a pass – the better players never give up; they ensure their next move is a match-­‐saving or match-­‐winning move. • Challenge yourself – stepping beyond your comfort zone makes you better in every way. • Stay ahead of your competitors – it’s better to be a stage ahead than catching up. • Play to your strengths -­‐ don’t be afraid of making careers choices that link to activities you love. From Issue 3, we will add a regular ‘What advice would you give your 16 year old self’ feature – a question we are asking our former pupils. If you would like to contribute to this, please email us!