Howdy. 👋 It's about this time of year that I start to wonder what everybody has planned - if anything - for after their Year 12 exams. I recently started a discussion about what people are looking forward to after exams, but I thought I'd bring across content from a previous forum post with ideas for things to do once time is up on your final exam.

I'd love to hear what you have planned, or ideas from anybody else about things to do after exams! 😄

Work:

The perfect opportunity to enter or consolidate your position in the workforce! A lot of organisations look for Christmas casuals over the summer in particular. It can be difficult finding a job initially, but you can search websites such as Seek or Indeed to improve your chances. I also like the idea of setting up a LinkedIn profile if that's something that interests you.

Alternatively, you might like to think about tutoring. You can make a really big difference, particularly given you've just been through the ups and downs of Year 12 yourself. I don't think tutoring is for everybody, of course, but there are some tips for starting up if you're interested here.

Volunteer:

Don't really feel like entering the workforce yet? That's cool - why not volunteer? Aside from being ridiculously valuable CV boosters, volunteering positions are great for experience and personal development.

You most certainly don't need to go overseas or "change the world" on a huge scale or whatever when it comes to volunteering. Why not volunteer at a local op-shop? Why not volunteer with a not-for-profit education? I'm sure a lot of people on ATAR Notes would have great ideas for viable volunteering positions.

Travel:

Personally, this is what I would do (and did). If your circumstances allow, go and see the world! Explore!

Circumstances - both personal and global, what with the lingering effects of COVID and the like - might make this tricky, but exploration doesn't mean you need to go overseas or interstate. Go for a nice walk or two each day to places you haven't been, or check out your surrounding areas a bit more with your friends. There's lots to see!

Organise yourself:

If you're anything like I was, you'll probably have the equivalent of about 900 forests in paper form across your room. Past exams, notes, worksheets, books, random stuff you'll find somehow from Year 7 - it just all adds up year on year. In my experience, clean spaces result in cleaner thoughts, so I see this as a great opportunity to get organised (at least temporarily!).

It can be quite therapeutic, too, just to get rid of stuff that you no longer need or want. Be selective with what you throw out (or recycle, if possible), though - I'll elaborate on this later on. You never know when things might come in handy.

Aside from your physical space, you can use this time to write your CV, reply to messages you've ignored, get on top of chores, go to the gym again - or whatever else you feel is important!

Pursue neglected hobbies:

I wrote an absolute heap of poetry when I finished, because that's something I enjoy and something I felt I didn't have the time to do during Year 12 - particularly the back end. Now you have the time to catch up on TV shows, play sport, practise your music. Isn't that exciting?

You might also like to start a new hobby! How about picking up Duolingo again?

Have fun!

Despite everything I've written above, there's really no reason you need to do anything. You can just use the time to recuperate and relax, and that's totally okay. Take advantage of the time to yourself - you well and truly deserve the break.

Contribute to ATAR Notes!

Lastly, stick around!

If you found any value from AN whatsoever throughout your schooling, why not try to give back to those students who are following you? Without people like you - people who have the recent experience of Year 12 - this place wouldn't quite be the same.

These discussions sections are always looking for new guides, tips, and reflections. And you can upload your notes, too - click here to do that. 😀