With HSC exams set to begin on October 13, five Year 12 students from The Forest High School in Sydney have shared their ambitious and varied visions for life after school — from joining the navy band and restoring ancient artefacts to turning a thrift-shopping hobby into a thriving side hustle.
Despite mounting pressures on higher education — including soaring fees, a post-COVID hollowing out of campus life and growing anxiety about artificial intelligence — all five students still see university as a key stepping stone. Their stories reflect a generation navigating uncertainty with creativity and resolve.
Archaeology, design and the art of the thrift flip
Benjamin Attanasio has already secured early entry into a bachelor of history at Macquarie University, inspired by visits to his father's Italian homeland. His long-term goal is to work as an archaeologist and art restorer, with plans to follow his degree with a TAFE qualification in restoration.
Aishwarya Kalra is also heading into her post-school years with an early acceptance in hand — a place in the bachelor of design at the University of NSW. Alongside her studies, she hopes to launch a side hustle based on her passion for the "thrift flip": transforming second-hand garments into custom pieces. An exchange student stint is also firmly on her list.
"I would take eight gap years and five years discovering myself. But that's not really realistic," Kalra said, acknowledging the tension between ambition and practicality.
Her biggest concern is not losing her sense of self amid the demands of a structured degree. "I don't really want to be in a strict path of design — I would love to try other things," she said.
Music, movement and the march of AI
Jesse McMaster, 17, is keeping her options deliberately open. While sitting for the HSC and working toward an ATAR, she has deliberately avoided locking in university preferences, preferring to explore music production and dance before committing to a formal path.
Her immediate plan after the final exam is to pick up café work, save money and travel. "The freedom — you get to do anything. I'm excited to explore the world. I feel like that can really show who you are, who you want to become," she said.
David Gojak, also 17, has already mapped out a more structured route. The French horn player has been accepted into the Sydney Conservatorium of Music to study a bachelor of composition, with an eye on eventually joining the navy band — an aspiration fuelled by a work experience placement with the organisation.
Gojak acknowledged concerns about AI's influence on musical composition but remained confident about the future of live performance. "You need lungs, you need lips, you need hands to play. Music is done by humans — it's not perfect and it's beautiful, because if something is perfect, it loses its beauty. It's meaningless," he said.
Nursing's human edge over artificial intelligence
For Shirley Gu, a work experience placement at Northern Beaches Hospital confirmed her calling: nursing. She plans to study at the University of Technology, Sydney, drawn both by the school's strong reputation and the appeal of studying in the city.
Like Gojak, Gu is largely unconcerned about AI disrupting her chosen career. She pointed to the irreplaceable human elements of care work as a natural shield. "AI can't give out medicine, it can't prescribe. It doesn't know all that. So I don't think that would be an issue for me," she said.
The five students' stories come at a time when questions about Australian student outcomes are drawing increased public attention, making the ambitions of engaged, forward-thinking school leavers all the more striking.
From the concert hall to the hospital ward, and from the archaeology dig to the design studio, this cohort of Year 12 students appears determined to carve out futures on their own terms — with or without a perfectly mapped plan.
