We love Dr Suess - there is simple but powerful wisdom and guidance in his poems and stories. Our favourite though, is “The Places You’ll Go”,which is about our life’s journey, the ups and downs we will face and the need for resilience. It is especially inspiring because it tells us that if we have the courage and determination, we can succeed, despite barriers, becoming stuck, being scared out of our pants and experiencing all kinds of emotions, both good and bad.

The poem resonates the High Five Messages of Career Development created by Canadian career specialists to provide young people with some very clear and understandable information on how to manage their own career journey.

Change is constant - embrace it! 

"And when things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew. 
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too."
- Recognise that the world around you is constantly changing. Be open to change and remain alert to new opportunities.

Learning is ongoing

"Oh, the places you'll go!
There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored.
There are games to be won.
And the magical things you
can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all."



- Strive for continuous personal improvement.
- Stay motivated by learning new skills and developing new talents.

Focus on the journey

"You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes 
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose."

- Don't focus on one destination only.
- Recognise that your career journey will be throughout your lifetime.
- Appreciate and value each experience along the way.

Know yourself, believe in yourself and follow your heart

"With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high! 
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!"

 - Pursue your passion to find fulfilment.
- Discover ways to combine your interests with career opportunities.

Access your allies

"You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go."

- Rely on the support of your family, friends, mentors, colleagues and peers. Career success can be a team effort.
 
So remember you are not alone, it is an adventure, be passionate, enjoy and be open to new experiences, learn from your successes and failures because everything counts. Every day is an important day.
 
And a final word from Dr Suess:
 
"So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and  remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be
dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left."
And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

Today I find myself sitting at my desk on my very second last day spent working for an organisation I have been with in a variety of roles for the past 12 years. I am fortunate to have had many opportunities to grow and learn, be fulfilled, feel valued and be able to participate in the community both socially and economically.

In my reflective mood this morning I began to consider what a diverse and inclusive workplace means. I am certain that governments, businesses and organisations if asked will all say “Yes, yes this is what we have in Australia because we have legislation, policy and procedure to ensure that this is the way we operate”. Looking around in the office I find myself thinking how true this really is.

If you Google the meaning of these two words, you will find the Merriam -Webster dictionary:

Inclusive – “Covering or including everything, open to everyone, all embracing”

Diverse-  “Having many different forms, types, ideas, the state of having people who are different races or who have different cultures in a group or organisation”

Looking around from my desk at my workmates, what I see are people seemingly from the same culture, roughly the same age and most with similar qualifications and experience. Basically, it is not very diverse at all and hardly “inclusive” so I wonder how many other workplaces are like this and what does that mean for Australian society.

In fact Australian work places are not very diverse or inclusive places. People with a disability have extremely high rates of non-participation with Australia ranking 21 out of 29 OECD countries. There are higher than average unemployment rates among our youth and mature age citizens and, whilst Australia has long welcomed skilled immigrants, many who arrive for humanitarian reasons or as refugees (significantly those arriving from countries with high Muslim populations) experience significant barriers to participation.

So what does this mean for Australia?

Firstly it is a very costly exercise for our country not to have large sections of our community engaged economically and socially. Work is fundamental to social inclusion and integration and our overall health and wellbeing. Those excluded may experience isolation, poverty, increased health related issues and may not be considered valued members of our society.

I wonder what can be done to improve our situation. Today’s workplaces are rapidly changing with the focus on high productivity/low cost and jobs are more highly skilled and require higher levels of education. The labour market appears to be getting narrower as more and more factory jobs disappear overseas. 

It is all very well for our Government to place more responsibility on the unemployed to find and maintain work however without the necessary investment in education (especially skills based), guidance, workplace support/modifications and incentives the situation is unlikely to change.

Diane Ryan