Somerset Wight, Year 12, shares a little about Careers Day at MGC this term.

Careers Day this term was an amazing opportunity for many Marlborough students, giving them the chance to explore different career options and gain valuable knowledge about the working world. We were given the unique opportunity to interact with professionals from diverse backgrounds such as medicine, engineering, law, arts, politics, business, military, viticulture and the marine industry.

Somerset Wight and Ella Sowman were given a hands-on challenge with the Marlborough Lines professional arborist team. They were challenged to cut a log with a two-person saw, manually.

“We decided to have a go after watching other students from MBC and QCC try the sawing. So, naturally, we had to represent MGC and show them all how it was done! We got off to a tricky start because we were hopelessly overcome with laughter at failing our first couple of rookie attempts, but once we got that saw moving, we powered through for 5 exhausting minutes… 5 very long minutes. With the support of our encouraging Whānau teacher Mrs Anderson and vocal friends, we completed this new hands-on experience successfully. However, then Marlborough Lines showed us how it’s actually done professionally and safely, by performing the cutting with a motorised saw taking only 3 seconds to cut the log. We were humbled. Now the piece of wood Ella and I laboriously cut is hanging proudly in our whanau class”

Overall, Careers Day was amazing because it gave all students food for thought and the motivation to start exploring different career options we hadn’t necessarily considered before. 

Ella and Somerset are unlikely to become arborists but they are currently considering professions with Judith Collins in politics. Or maybe becoming brain surgeons. Who knows! The world is their professional oyster, because they know they have options.