[Start transcript]
Mish Eastman:
Good afternoon, everyone. And welcome to today's RMIT talk. I'm Mish Eastman, the Pro Vice-Chancellor of Vocational Education here at RMIT. Before we start today's session, I'd like to acknowledge the people of the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung language groups of the Eastern Kulin Nations on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the university. RMIT respectfully acknowledges their ancestors and elders past, present and emerging. And while we conduct our work remotely, I want to pay my respect to the wider unceded lands of this nation.
Mish Eastman:
So, RMIT started its life as the Working Men's College, back in 1887. And back then it adopted the Latin motto, which I can't say, but which meant a skilled hand and a cultivated mind. A lot has changed in the last 133 years, but this motto continues to be used by the university today. And our vocational education sector has had a long and proud history of learning through doing. Hands-on learning that prepares our students for the real world of work.
Mish Eastman:
Our graduates are well equipped to become the next generation of capable employees, employers, entrepreneurs, and leaders. And today we're going to be talking to two RMIT graduates and one existing student who are all doing some amazing things. So, firstly, I'd like to welcome Jonathan [McCury 00:01:42], who is a graduate at the Diploma of Advertising, the Advanced Diploma of Marketing and Communications and the Bachelor of Advertising. Welcome, Jonathan.
Jonathan McCury:
Hi, thanks for having me.
Mish Eastman:
Next, I'd like to welcome Natalie [Strunak 00:01:58], who is an alumnus of the Diploma of Financial Planning as well as the Bachelor of Business Accountancy. Welcome, Natalie.
Natalie Strunak:
Thank you for having me.
Mish Eastman:
And certainly, by no means least I'd like to welcome Sebastian Mollison. Who's a graduate of the Advanced Diploma of Engineering Technology Electrical. And is now studying the Bachelor of Engineering Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Welcome, Sebastian.
Sebastian Mollison:
Thanks for having me.
Mish Eastman:
So, just some housekeeping before we get started, I wanted to iterate that we will have 15 to 20 minutes at the end of our panel discussion to go over any questions from the audience. So, we really look forward to receiving those questions from you. And if you could submit them in the Q&A tool on the right hand side of your screen at any time, we'll do our best to answer as many questions as we can.
Mish Eastman:
If we do run out of time, remember our LiveChat is currently open and can be joined as well. So we'll start off with you. Jonathan, you covered a lot of bases as well at RMIT studying advertising, marketing and communications. Could you tell us a little bit about what attracted you to your area of study and how did you land your current job, which is at roadshow films?
Jonathan McCury:
Sure. I always knew I wanted to do something creative. The idea of studying creative thinking for three years sounded too good to be true. And I knew that RMIT was one of the key universities when it came to creative thinking and just creative subjects in general. So, I decided to choose advertising because I liked the idea of studying big ideas and how to come up with those big ideas.
Jonathan McCury:
And in terms of how I came to be at Roadshow Films after I graduated the advanced diploma and then pathwayed into the degree, once I finished the degree, I quickly learned that finding the perfect job is harder than it looks. And I sat down and really just aligned what I learnt at RMIT and what I'm passionate about to define where I would be best suited and the opportunity at roadshow films came up and I reached out directly and then was able to land a job.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. And Natalie, you completed a Diploma of Financial Planning with us after you'd done your Bachelor of Business at [crosstalk 00:04:36]. Could you tell us a little bit about what drew you to this area and also how you've now secured work in the current industry that you're in?
Natalie Strunak:
I mean, I started off finishing high school thinking I was going to be an accountant. Which is laughable now. So, I went on to do my, my Bachelor in Accountancy. And I landed a job after doing that. I was an accounts officer and it was a very bland job. Which is suited to some people, but it wasn't so much for me. And I found that I've always loved talking to people. I've always loved helping people. So, I kind of sat back and thought, how can I combine, that love for numbers and data as well as helping people, which is why I kind of looked into financial planning.
Natalie Strunak:
And that's how my story is. I absolutely love what I do now. I did the Diploma of Financial Planning and I learnt so much and knew that it was for me pretty much from there. And then I met a few amazing people along the way I actually met, Liz [MedMwin 00:05:37], who is the recruitment officer for IMP, and we hit it off from the beginning and she pretty much said, "We want you, so that's all right."
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Thank you. And Sebastian, you finished studying the Advanced Diploma of Engineering and now you've pathwayed into the Bachelor of Electrical and Engineering. What was behind your choice of starting with the advanced diploma?
Sebastian Mollison:
So, it was two main reasons. So, back when I was in my last year of high school, I had definitely no idea where I want to go. I knew I really enjoyed engineering and particularly sort of working with technology and electrical. And I also didn't think I'd have the aid to get into higher ed, which I eventually wanted to get to higher ed. And so, my careers counselor just recommended me to the advanced diploma and it worked out perfectly because RMIT did both the higher ed courses, as well advanced diplomas.
Sebastian Mollison:
And it's it just sort of a good pathway and it fit my interests perfectly and it also was a good test bed to know, I could spend two years doing the advanced diploma and then I'd know if I'm in the right path I want to be in. And also cut. I'd get one year of that back if I went a bit, when I went to go into higher ed. So yeah, it turned out perfectly and just was exactly what I needed.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Sebastian, I might stick with you for a minute because I hear you've had some amazing success in a national skills competition. Could you tell us a bit about that and share what you think this experience has taught you?
Sebastian Mollison:
Sure. So, the competition I took part in was called, the WorldSkills National Competition. WorldSkills is a big sort of company that runs competitions all around the world, ranging from regionals to internationals for a wide variety of different skills, not just the skill I picked, which was mechatronics. So, in my first year of my advanced diploma, I was doing really well in a class I really liked called PLCs. And so, my teacher tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hey, got this competition coming up, do you wanna be involved?"
Sebastian Mollison:
And all I heard was, "There's this competition since you'll be stuck doing the class that I love for an entire day." So yeah, I'm definitely in. And so, I went along to that and I really enjoyed it. And this was the regional competition and I ended up coming second and I was like, "Oh, sweet, good [inaudible 00:08:00]." Then he tapped me on the shoulder again saying, "Hey, guess what? You're going to nationals." I was like, "Oh, okay." So, things got a bit serious there.
Sebastian Mollison:
I sort of, having to train and stuff and went to nationals and took out the gold medal. So, it went really well. And, I think it was just, I really enjoyed it. And it gave me some lots of experience working under sort of pressure. Because, you have to complete a task under a time pressure. So, competition working under that pressure. And then just the people that you meet well, as you're doing that, you're meeting some of the best skilled people in the country. It's incredible. So, that's the thing I really enjoyed and I did really well at.
Mish Eastman:
You certainly did. Congratulations, sir. That's a really magnificent story. And then subject to travel allowances post-COVID. There then will be World Competitions as well, yes?
Sebastian Mollison:
Yeah. So, after that, I sort of went on to a sort of semi-final area and we sort of realized, me and my trainers realized that once I went up against the top teams from both China and India who had about two years of experience and training on me. So, it's probably not the best pathway to go straight to Russia, which would have been that same year in a couple months. And so, I started working and apparently still doing training and preparing for another Nationals coming up next year and then hopefully Internationals in China.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Natalie, I might come back to you, and ask you, could you tell our audience what a day looks like for you as a trainee associate at IMP. And what kind of skills that you learn along the way of your study with us, do you use in your day-to-day work?
Natalie Strunak:
So, I guess a day is very busy in finance. As everyone would probably imagine, I normally start the day, and I'm very structured in the way I do things. So, I'll pretty much sit down at my desk, and write a big list. That's how I even do things outside of work as well. Write a big to-do list for my day. And that will just involve things like, going to client meetings, helping the advisors create [file 00:10:19] notes and all that fun stuff. But there were so many things that I learnt within my diploma, which do help me today.
Natalie Strunak:
Whether it be technical knowledge, there is a lot of things I know now, which I didn't know before doing the diploma, which have helped me every single day. As well as just the engagement with clients. That's something that was focused on a lot during the diploma and it's something that has helped me every single day, because I pretty much talk to people every day.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Thank you. And back to you, Jonathan, could you tell us a bit about, I think you told us a little bit before, how you got your job at road show films? And again, if you could take us through what a day in your work life looks like or maybe a week, because I think every day is different, and some of the experiences from your time with RMIT that you use in your day-to-day work.
Jonathan McCury:
Sure. You're very correct. Every day is extremely different. We work across so many different films and so many different genres that, a day could start with a screening for a film that is to be released later in the year, then we could go into a brainstorm session about a horror movie that's going to come up. Then we might be briefing in an events agency for a big action thriller movie. And then I could be dealing with media or film critics. So, there's a lot that we do and it's all very fast-paced. But it's lots of fun.
Jonathan McCury:
And some of the key things that I learned at RMIT was really all about time management is a big part about what we do. We work with a lot of the international studios like Warner Brothers. So, having a good grasp on time is really important, because they're obviously in the US. So, having a good idea of how the different time zones work and prioritizing what needs to be done first, and then obviously creative thinking, which I've touched on a bit. We need to be able to create really unique ideas to stand out.
Jonathan McCury:
And yeah, I think attention to detail too, because a lot of my job involves booking things like a talent to us, so accommodation and flight. So, if I were to get, international superstar actors flights wrong, that could be a pretty big deal. So, attention to detail is really important as well.
Mish Eastman:
Excellent. Thank you. So, you've touched on some of those Jonathan, because my next question is a little bit about some of the underpinning skills for success in your industry. And I'll circle back to you in a moment, Jonathan, to see if there's some extras you'd like to add on to that. So, Natalie, I might come to you first. What are some of those, really practical and important skills for success in your industry that you've picked up that have helped you in your career so far?
Natalie Strunak:
Well, there's a few different areas, I guess you can go to. To being technical knowledge. So, you need to know what you're talking about. It's definitely important. You don't want to go to an advisor who doesn't know much about money. So, you do need to have that technical knowledge. And that's something that I did get a lot of in the diploma that I did. And as well as that you need to be able to communicate very well. Because what's the point of advice if you can't communicate it with your clients.
Natalie Strunak:
So, communication is a very big part of what I do. And just being able to make things understandable. There's no point getting too technical with clients as well, because at the end of the day, they need to understand what you're talking about. But that communication is absolutely huge and was a massive part of the diploma that I did.
Mish Eastman:
So, the diploma gave you that opportunity to explore both those technical skills and also those really critical human and employability skills?
Natalie Strunak:
Correct. Yes.
Mish Eastman:
So, in practical day-to-day student experience, what were some of the ways you'd built on those human skills would you say?
Natalie Strunak:
Well, our assignments were kind of done in various ways. So, of course, you would do your paper-based assignments where you would just, type it up and submit it. But on top of that, we also did, role-playing, which was a big part of what we did. And you'd be confident before doing a role play, but then you sit there in front of someone and that's how you really know, what you need to work on and then looking back at yourself, because it's all being recorded, you can actually see, how I need to work on that. I need to stop saying, "Um." Which I still need to work on, but just looking at yourself back. And then of course, now that I'm in the workforce and I really am talking to real people every day, I'm definitely using a lot of those skills.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Thanks, Natalie. Now, Sebastian, you're in an interesting position because you're continuing study, but also I think working on those skills around technical capability, which you've been able to really harness in with that world skills approach as well as then, what would you see as some of the other core important skills for success in the industries that you're going into?
Sebastian Mollison:
Well it's quite a few. So, WorldSkills has taught because it's [inaudible 00:15:57] you're given a task and you're given a really tight time constraint to do it. You sort of got to be really quick. So, you got to have to think on your feet. So, given a problem, you may not have time to sit down for hours or get advice from other people. Well, you can't do that in the competition, and you've got to find solutions quickly. And you've also got to be careful because sometimes you might hit a brick wall, so to speak, something you might seem impossible to you.
Sebastian Mollison:
Your client might give you a task in class or you got given an assignment in higher ed. It just seems impossible to either because of time or just, you can't do it or a bit of both often. And so, it's important to sort of not stop moving when you hit that point I found, and sort of maybe break down those tasks into smaller bits and just keep going one after another, until either you finish it and you get in my case, a working program, a working piece of code or a sign that doesn't work.
Sebastian Mollison:
And when it doesn't work, you've got to then use that sort of thinking on your feet. That even when you fail, you got to make sure you don't stop. I had a project in one of my classes where, I was testing it and about a day before I had to demonstrate it and write a report in it. It stopped working. It just broke. It didn't work. And so, I had to then go into that demonstration, knowing I had a broken piece of work, I have to write a report and saying that didn't work.
Sebastian Mollison:
And so, that's what I did. I said, "This didn't work. This is how it didn't work. And I had to sort of figure out a way to then make a report of saying that it didn't work." And it actually worked out pretty well. And I got my marks. And so, it was important. I didn't just stop and just give up. And it's like, "Oh, it's broken. I'm just going to lose my marks. I'm done." Anyway, it's the same thing. I encountered at WorldSkills. So, in the Global Skills challenge which was a semi-finals after the national competition, it's a three-day competition.
Sebastian Mollison:
And the first few days where we, me and my team, because it's a team-based competition, had lost. And on the third day we just said, we're going to work our asses off. We really just want to get this just a bit of lime. We just really want to show off a bit and know that we belong here. And so, we did that and it worked out really well. And the day went perfectly, we got everything we need to get done. And then, came to the demonstration and one of the other teams, their machine failed, it's like going great now.
Sebastian Mollison:
And then they came to our machine and they're about to hit stop button and get it running. And the axle broke and on the motors. And so, we lost all the marks. There's nothing you can do about that. And so, it was that point it's like, "Okay, I'll keep going. I won't go to Internationals this time, but I'll keep on working. I'll do another two years of training. I'll get better and I'll go next time." And it's just those things you don't stop. You got to keep on moving and think on your feet when you hit those problems.
Mish Eastman:
Great examples. Thanks Sebastian. So, really about that persistence, breaking things down, working your way through it and not being disheartened. Because things do go wrong in the world of work all the time it's then about how you navigate through. Really strong examples. Thank you so much. Now, Jonathan, I'm going to circle back to you now that you've heard your colleagues talk, but I'm really interested from your perspective about what are some of those underpinning skills for success that are so important in your industry? I think you told us some about the technical skills, but tell us a little bit about some of those human skills as well and how important they are in the industry that you work within.
Jonathan McCury:
Sure. A lot of what I do is obviously communications, whether it be with key media outlets or film critics, and often we might have to introduce a film at a media screening. So, being able to present, being confident in front of people is really important. And RMIT gave me so many opportunities to do that during the calls with many real life client presentations that we had to do. So, I think that in addition to the other ones, that was a key one, for sure.
Mish Eastman:
So, that concept of case studies and being able to work on real-world tasks, I think I've heard that theme come through from all of you as being really important to building that kind of confidence repertoire as you go through that application of your knowledge to what you're doing.
Jonathan McCury:
And it also gives you an authentic example to bring into a job interview. Here's a real company and here's a real project that I worked on for that company.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Thank you. I've got another question for three of you and then we'll probably go do some free questions from our audience, which is always fun. So, you all seem to go straight from high school into vocational studies. Well, Natalie, you had a slightly different approach. You had a reverse. So, I'm really intrigued in that. I might start with you, Natalie. And think about for you, what were some of the challenges or the advantages that you saw having transitioned from doing a higher education model that set you up for initial employment and then coming into a vocational education model?
Natalie Strunak:
Well, I guess in my bachelor degree, there's definitely a massive difference in the way you are taught things. Bachelor degree is not so practical, you'll find, although it was great and I learned some amazing knowledge, which I do still use today. So, I did get the technical knowledge from doing that, but then moving into, vocational ed and doing my diploma, that's where it really all solidified and bringing it all together, all that knowledge and being able to use it for something. So, that's a massive part of what I did.
Mish Eastman:
Sebastian, for you doing this pathway through the vocational studies first and then moving into your bachelor degree, tell us about what some of the benefits have been that you've seen along the way and how that probably given you and the age that some of your other colleagues in a strike degree might not have.
Sebastian Mollison:
Well, I think first thing, probably, in my personal case, the transition between Year 12 to the advanced diploma was exceptionally smooth. It was easy and then going say from year 10 to year 11 or year 11 to Year 12. And I think that's mainly because the difficulty doesn't spike up as that much, but it slowly increases to sort of gradually get you to the level you need to be at for the bachelor.
Sebastian Mollison:
Although I will say that there is a bit of a jump between the advanced diploma to the bachelor. In regards to sort of how I would prepare for that, in some areas I found that, say, for example, programming, or, as Natalie said, there's not much hands-on experience, you get in the bachelor. So, I had that experience from the advanced diploma going in. And so, in those areas that did pretty well, but there was a couple of theory areas I struggled in and you gotta work at it.
Sebastian Mollison:
And the lecturers are pretty forgiving they've understand and they've seen it before. Because I'm not the first one to do this. Many people take that pathway. So, there are some things I found I was being prepared for and it gave me a bit of a good advantage for, in some areas. It wasn't. But I think, in the end I was very happy of the pathway that I took.
Mish Eastman:
Excellent. Thanks, Sebastian. And Jonathan, round to you, tell us about the two methods of learning and you've had a really broad experience as well. So, tell us about the differences that you've experienced in the how, probably both of those have complimented you being able to be really successful in the career that you've moved into.
Jonathan McCury:
Like the other sort of said, I think vocational education is very much how base versus higher ed being a why. Vocational education was much more practical, I found, whereas when it came to higher ed, we were forced to go to the academic resources and backing up our assessments with academic resources versus just having a real life project. I think that was one of the main differences that I found during my time at RMIT.
Mish Eastman:
Excellent. So, we're going to go to some questions from the audience and, Jonathan, I'll come straight back to you. So, someone in the audience was wondering, what subjects did you undertake in Year 12 and probably were they connected with where you've headed up now?
Jonathan McCury:
Sure, I did English. I graduated 2015. So, it's been a while. And to think about... I did English, I did [viscom 00:25:05] to get that creative design sort of, element in there. I did theater studies, so that links to the entertainment industry that I'm still in. IT, I can't really remember all of them, but they were the main electives that I did.
Mish Eastman:
That's an interesting question. Because sometimes, here you are a few years down the track now and [inaudible 00:25:32] seems such a long time ago and I think that's really important for many of our audience to know is that while they're really deep in it at the moment, actually all the other experiences you get along the way really surpass that as you go through [crosstalk 00:25:45]. Natalie, a question from the audience, you need to be good at maths to get into finance.
Natalie Strunak:
You'd think, right? Well, it's always good to have that basic math. But I think at the end of the day, what's more important than I guess, being able to add up big numbers and multiply numbers. It's more important to be able to analyze and to be able to make projections. Those are key, rather than just... Because we do have Excel at the end of the day. But being able to look at numbers and draw a painting that is key.
Mish Eastman:
And I think I heard you say that people skills were almost as important as well in your [crosstalk 00:26:31].
Natalie Strunak:
Very much. Yes. No point knowing the answer and not being able to communicate it.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Sebastian, I think you touched on this a little bit. So, did you feel like you needed to catch up when you pathwayed into the bachelor degree? Or was it a bit of a... I think you sort of described some areas you might have been in front, whereas others, you needed to understand the methodology of learning a bit more.
Sebastian Mollison:
So, some areas, I want to say for example, there some cases where a teacher said use this equation to solve this problem and it's an equation I've never seen before because it was covered in a class that I got a credit for. And so, there's some areas where someone's just like, "Okay, build this thing." It's like, "Oh, I've done that before. I know how to do that." It's really good. But, I think the biggest thing I encountered when going between the advanced diploma and the bachelor is that you skip most of your first year classes, which are group-based where you get to learn the people in your course.
Sebastian Mollison:
So, it's often really good to make sure if you have a group of you going from the advanced diploma to the bachelor, stick with that group because it's just handy to know people and it'll take you longer to get to know people in your course. Because you've missed those first few classes.
Mish Eastman:
So, keeping that network community, it's important for the study as well as for work. I've got to say. Jonathan, a question for you [crosstalk 00:27:58].
Jonathan McCury:
Could I just touch on that for a second?
Mish Eastman:
Of course.
Jonathan McCury:
I don't know if it was the same for you guys, but I know for when I did the vocational education course, our class remained the same through all the different subjects. We were with the same people for every subject. And I feel like that really helps build those connections as you were saying. And I still talk to my friends from that course to this day and a lot of us pathwayed together. So, we went on that big journey. And I think it's much more impactful than just having a higher education class where every subject is different. You have different people in every subject, you can't really build as good and as authentic relationships than you do in the educational space.
Mish Eastman:
[crosstalk 00:28:50]. Natalie, was that your experience as well?
Natalie Strunak:
Yeah. Very much so. That's a really good point. You are with the same people every day. So, you really do get to know people a little bit better than when you're in a bachelor and you're kind of separated in one class and you see the same person, every now and again, but you do build those relationships which is really important down the track.
Sebastian Mollison:
It's one of the biggest things I miss from the advanced diploma, now in the bachelor. That always seeing the same person, getting those good connections.
Mish Eastman:
Having that sense of community and kind of understanding each other's strengths across that a bit more. Excellent. Now, Jonathan, there's a question for you about the fact that your job would be the envy of a lot of people who've studied advertising and communications, how did you land the position and was there anything special that attracted Roadshow to you?
Jonathan McCury:
Well, as I mentioned briefly earlier, I thought I knew what I wanted to do when I was job searching. But then quickly found out that it's actually a bit harder than you'd think. So, in terms of landing my position, instead of just applying for the role by the Roadshow website, I saw that the role was available and then I reached out directly to the HR team. So, I got in front of all the other applicants by reaching out and saying, "Hi, I'm interested. This is what I'm good at. This is what I studied." And I think that really helped to skip past all the applicant tracking systems that they have in place. And I got in front of the line. I think that really helped.
Mish Eastman:
That's really great advice. Thank you. Now, a question for you, Natalie, from the audience. So, someone in the audience feels like they have similar interests to you. They're attracted to data analysis and investing but have found accounting to be a bit dry. What have you found the key skills you've learned through your time at RMIT to be, because they would want to start their own business one day, would finance help them reach that goal? A bit of a multilayered question.
Natalie Strunak:
No, it's a really good one though. Because it's definitely something I relate to. So, I definitely did find accounting a bit dry not to say that it's not for everyone. Some of my closest friends are now working in accounting. [crosstalk 00:31:13], I'm not myself, but it can be a bit dry. Which is why I feel someone like me then applied learning maybe a little bit more interesting. And it's definitely more stimulating. So, I mean, applying that knowledge to a real life scenario is much more interesting than just doing maths.
Natalie Strunak:
So, that's why the diploma of financial planning was so interesting for me because you really do get practical examples. So, for example, there's a 50 year old client comes to you saying that they want to retire in 10 years time. How can you make that happen? It's really interesting. And it's something that I still do today. So, I think you'd find that definitely interesting. And the diploma would probably be more appropriate for you if you are that kind of learner who does that stimulation and applied learning.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Thank you, Sebastian, a question for you. Are you interested in research after you complete your studies or are you really looking forward to joining the workforce or both?
Sebastian Mollison:
I'm not a hundred percent sure where I am going to be going after this, obviously sticking with engineering and programming and stuff, but I do know that I really dislike writing research papers. So, probably the workforce is where I'll end up. So, I think I'm aiming for the workforce rather than the research.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. And I might come back to you and then go around the entire panel with this question. What's one of your favorite assignments or tasks or case studies that you've used through your experience with RMIT?
Sebastian Mollison:
Oh, I think, I'm a bit of a glutton for punishment. So, I think the hardest assignments that really made me think I've enjoyed the most. So, I recently had an assignment where I had to program an HDMI port, and then put video through, which is significantly more complicated than anybody gives it credit for. And it ended up taking me something ridiculous, over a hundred hours of programming to figure this out. And it didn't work in the end, but I can't understand why I loved it so much, but I really did enjoy doing it. But sort of that stuff, a lot of the time it's great because it's just problem-solving and I'm addicted to problem solving.
Mish Eastman:
I'm pushing you to the boundaries by the sound of it? [crosstalk 00:33:48] really stretching you beyond where you thought you could, Natalie, I might circle over to you. What was one of the assignments or tasks or case studies that was one of your favorites during your time?
Natalie Strunak:
I remember one which is jumping to mind. It was actually a task that we all had, my class, where we actually sat down with a real life client. And we did, if anyone knows financial planning, we did a fact find meeting, which is where you sit down with a client and you kind of gather, what their goals are, what they want to achieve, and their current situation. So, you learn about their assets and liabilities and whatnot. And this is a real life person that was sitting in front of me and we were sitting there taking notes.
Natalie Strunak:
And then as you would, as a financial planner, we then took those notes away, and worked with those numbers to try and meet the client's goals. And then we got to have a second meeting with that client and sit down and deliver all that we gathered and all our advice. And that was the most practical, that was the most useful task that I've ever done because that's what I do everyday now. [crosstalk 00:34:56].
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic, I love it. And Jonathan, what about for you?
Jonathan McCury:
I think the standout assessment would probably have to be when I did the Global Wheel class or I did the Global Wheel class meant that we worked with the RMIT Vietnam University as well as university in the US. So, from Australia, Vietnam and US, we were all divided into different teams to work on a global brief for a Vietnamese luxury handbag brand. And that so much fun because we got to go to the Vietnam Campus at RMIT and just being able to engage with people of different cultures or working together on the same thing and having the opportunity to present in front of the client in Vietnam was something I'll never forget. It was so much fun.
Mish Eastman:
Awesome. What an amazing experience. And I think that that answers another question that was there was whether any of you had any experiences studying overseas. So, that was really practical-based example, Jonathan, that you were able to bring to life for us. Sebastian and Natalie, did you guys have anything to add to that one?
Natalie Strunak:
Just being domestic, so far.
Sebastian Mollison:
Domestic, so far.
Natalie Strunak:
Unfortunately. I think it'll stay that way for now.
Mish Eastman:
That's another question from the audience for you, Jonathan, is, how is your industry going, navigating the effect of COVID? How has it adapted so far?
Jonathan McCury:
Well, obviously it's been quite a big thing as it is across so many industries. A lot of our theatrical releases have been postponed obviously as the cinemas aren't open here in Melbourne anyway. But that just means that the content that we've got banked up for those releases that would have happened in May and June and July, they're going to just release later in the year.
Jonathan McCury:
So, in terms of having content to release, we're fine on that stretch. I think the company identified that this was an opportunity to, fast-track some content to our consumers, particularly in the PVOD, Premium Video on Demand space. So, we were able to fast-track, big titles, like Birds of Prey and The Gentleman to consumers to be able to rent digitally during this time while they are all in lock down.
Mish Eastman:
Excellent. Thank you. And for each of you, could you tell us about what might be the biggest misconception that people have about studying vocational studies here?
Sebastian Mollison:
I think one of the biggest things is that people sort of see TAFE and vocational education is a lesser option for people who aren't as intellectually capable and it's completely not true. By a large margin, particularly in what I've experienced in my case with WorldSkills is, WorldSkills is primarily a TAFE-based competition. There are people who did WorldSkills with me who are far smarter than anybody I've met. They are incredible people. And even some people in my course, I know for a fact are better than me at stuff than other people I meet in higher ed. Also a lot of people you'll find in higher ed have come from advanced diplomas. So, I think it's just another option. It's the best way to see it. And it's a pathway option as well.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic, Sebastian. Thank you. Natalie or Jonathan, have you got anything to add to that?
Natalie Strunak:
I completely agree with that. I know that, especially coming out of Year 12, if you were to talk to any of your teachers, they would always say go straight into a bachelor's, but knowing what I know now having done both, that is definitely, not always the way to go depending on what kind of person you are and what kind of learning suits you. There's so much value when doing vocational ed that I can't stress that enough. And like you said, Sebastian, some of the smartest people I've known in that class that I had with me for a year and yeah, I value it more than anything.
Mish Eastman:
Jonathan, anything else to add?
Jonathan McCury:
Yeah. I'd echo exactly what they said. I think there's a stigma when it comes to TAFE that doesn't have any merit whatsoever. And I think that people should really consider doing vocational education, especially if they're really more of a hands-on learner. It's so much more practical and a lot of the times it's a lot shorter as well. So you can get into industry, way quicker than you than you would if you went straight into higher ed. So, it's definitely something that you guys should consider. And I wouldn't have traded it for anything.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. Thanks Jonathan. A couple of short, sharp ones. Natalie, for you. Did the classes you chose in Year 12 really matter when you got into your course?
Natalie Strunak:
Well, I guess they definitely helped, three classes that I did that I think even helped me today. I did Economics, I did Accounting and I did Business Management. And they kind of give you a foundation in terms of business. If you don't do them, there's definitely a chance to catch up, especially because when you do the bachelor degree or if you do a diploma, they do start from scratch again. So, don't be stressed and think that you have to have all the knowledge in the world before you go into it, you will learn the basics again, but you're going into it with that background knowledge doing those subjects definitely helped me. [crosstalk 00:41:03].
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. And, Sebastian, one for you [crosstalk 00:41:06].
Sebastian Mollison:
I just want to add on to that. I would agree with that completely because I didn't do anything engineering related in Year 12. The closest thing I did was further mathematics. Which I was told if I want to do engineering, you can't do further mathematics. You need to do the higher level mathematics. It didn't really make much of a difference at all and when I went to the university master, they'll have to catch me up from further mathematics level anyway, they based it on the fact that some people have done further mathematics. So, it wasn't a big deal for me what my [inaudible 00:41:37].
Natalie Strunak:
And I'm in finance too, and I didn't do methods so, I'm getting by.
Mish Eastman:
Excellent, great answers from all of you. Now, there's a question for each of you, from someone in the audience who wanted to know what is your dream job? So, if you could look maybe five, let's say 10 years ahead, what would your dream job be? So, Natalie, I might start with you and then I'll go Jonathan and Sebastian.
Natalie Strunak:
Well a senior financial advisor, of course. But I guess the end goal would be to work for myself. So, obviously now I'm working within a practice, but I'm doing my own thing eventually. It would be incredible.
Mish Eastman:
So, we need to look out for Strunak Finance [crosstalk 00:42:30]?
Natalie Strunak:
Please do. I'll make the business cards very soon. Yes.
Mish Eastman:
Excellent. I love it. Fantastic. And Jonathan, in a future state, what would be your dream job?
Jonathan McCury:
I find this question really hard to answer, but I guess it comes down to what I'm doing in the job, as long as I'm having fun, as long as I get to be creative. And as long as I'm working with people that are fun and make me happy. That's what matters to me. So, as long as I hit that criteria, I'm good. And right now where I am, I've got all three of those. So, I'm really happy with it.
Mish Eastman:
That's magnificent. I love it. And, Sebastian?
Sebastian Mollison:
I'm sort of in the same boat as that. I don't have a specific goal in mind, you'd probably be sending down the embedded system sort of side of engineering. Because that's what I've done really well in. But as long as it's something I'm enjoying, I love the problem-solving aspect of stuff. So, as long as I'm constantly facing these problems and working stuff out and just building things up, I'd love it. So, that's really what matters to me.
Mish Eastman:
So, about finding that match of a job that makes you personally satisfied and stretched, but also knowing that you are happy and surrounded by people that push you to be happy and content and creative and all of those important things. Before I wrap up... Oh, we've got a one for all. It says, "Help. I'm in, Year 12 and I still don't know what to do." Did you guys know exactly what you wanted to do when you were in high school or has it actually [inaudible 00:44:06], or it doesn't always fall into place, but you make some purposeful decisions that help you along that way. Jonathan, I might start with you because I think your expectation versus where you are now that's a really great example for that individual to think through.
Jonathan McCury:
Sure. I didn't even know the job I have now existed when I was in Year 12. So, you're fine. Don't worry. I think what you'll find when you go into university is that this is your opportunity to try things. Enroll in a course. And if you find that it doesn't work, you can change course. RMIT are so good at that. I know so many people who enrolled in something figured out that's not for them. And then that RMIT guided them into where to go next and what to do. So, don't be afraid. Try things, have fun.
Mish Eastman:
Excellent. Sebastian?
Sebastian Mollison:
I had absolutely no clue. I just said, "These are the three things that I like." To my careers counselor and she just pointed me towards the advanced diploma and even when I got to the bachelor, I knew I wanted to do engineering, I wanted to do some programming, so I just tried a bunch of different courses. Obviously a lot of them, of course, I had to try them and I was like, "Signal systems? Definitely don't want to do that. Embedded systems? Oh, I love that." And now I've just gone down every embedded system class I can. And I'm really enjoying it. I guess I'd say I fell into it. I didn't actively decide. It was just, "I love this. I'm going to pick more courses like this and it's just turned into that."
Mish Eastman:
And Natalie, your experience from Year 12 through?
Natalie Strunak:
I completely agree. I didn't really know what I wanted to do. I wanted to be an accountant so that goes to show. I mean, do what you love, that would be the key point. Do what you love. Don't be attracted to, the highest salary that you can find on SEEK because if you do what you love and even if you don't pick the right subjects that first year or you don't pick the right course, things will fall into place. If you just follow what you want to do.
Mish Eastman:
Fantastic. We're out of time. That's flown by and I'd really like to thank all the panel members for just being so open and sharing about your experiences. And hopefully that answered quite a few questions that people might have percolating who've been in our audience. So, thank you everyone for participating. If you do have any more questions, please send them through to LiveChat. The LiveChat link, which is the small red tab to the right of your screen when you're on their Open Day live website. And thank you everybody for joining us for RMIT Talks as part of our virtual Open Days. And we do hope to see so many of you on our campuses soon, but particularly, thank you, Natalie. Thank you, Sebastian. Thank you Jonathan, for having this conversation with me today, it's been really excellent. Thank you.
Natalie Strunak:
It was a pleasure. Thank you.
Sebastian Mollison:
It was a pleasure. Thank you.
[End transcript]