Take action on your career decision

Tommy Nee (Niuean/New Zealander/Samoan musician): I was always encouraged to either be a doctor or a lawyer, and being totally honest, I hated that.

I love music – music was my escape and so I left high school and I worked for a bit and then I decided that I don't want to be a doctor, I don't want to be a lawyer, I don't want to do one of these high academic roles – which there is nothing wrong with – but I personally wanted to do music.

Siuea Cocker (Tongan, 24, Powerlifter): Being a female in a male-orientated sport is really challenging. Sometimes it's just me in the gym amongst other males. It can be intimidating at times but I just remind myself, you're here to do your own training – focus on yourself. So having that bigger picture of, I guess, why I'm here and why I train, helps me get through those sessions.

Déjealous Palota-Kopa (Samoan, 21, fourth-year law student): Throughout my high school years it was expected of me to pursue a career in medicine, but I was really set on sports – a sports career. I was really, really focused in on netball and I realised that, hey there's actually a bigger world out there and I can actually discover myself within a different realm of study.

But I actually discovered a little flame within myself that was passionate about advocating for a cause and so that's when I thought, “Oohh I'll pursue a career in law and see where that takes me.”

Siuea Cocker: Best advice I have for Year 10 students is to stay in school, finish school, think about what you want to do when you leave. Set a goal, stick to it, don't let external factors get in the way of, you know, what you want to do later in life, and think about your family.

Déjealous Palota-Kopa: Once you leave school, opportunities that are handed to you are very rare, and it's actually up to you to seek those opportunities, because there are so many other individuals who are fighting for that same opportunity, fighting for that same job, that same internship or that same position.

Tommy Nee: At the moment I'm living off chips and that's all good because I know that it's going to get me somewhere, and I know that what I do helps people, and that's what I love to do.

Siuea Cocker: I think that it's really important for people to try new things and [be] gaining those experiences and finding out other things that you could be capable of doing. So, yeah, it is really good and important to step outside your comfort zone and try those new things.

Tommy Nee: Find out what you really want to do. Surround yourself with people that help you find it, because you are who you surround yourself with. If you surround yourself with eggs then you're going to turn into an egg yourself.

Déjealous Palota-Kopa: No matter what you do, once you finish school, having a goal or goals is significant because once you've got a goal – I guess it really sparks motivation within oneself to actually strive towards that goal and achieve that goal.

Tommy Nee: Just believe in yourself – believe in yourself so much that people want to believe in you.