Selecting work experienced area with children

[Garfish]

My son is in grade 10 and the work experience has come up, and he is struggling to fill it in as the only thing I want to do is game programming and the school probably won't have that as an option,

Trying to guide him to have an alternate choice in case the school doesn't have anything in that area.

He loves graphics and is reasonably good at it, and am trying to suggest areas that use CAD or similar for him to look into, but can't get very far, was thinking architecture, draftsman or similar but get stuck at around here, any suggestions,?

I do have to laugh I did my work experience as a marine biologist measuring, weighing and sexing prawns and if they were female identifying the stars of pregnancy.  Almost spent a day making scat bags, for scallop research, and I became an accountant.

[xcvator]

My son is in grade 10 and the work experience has come up, and he is struggling to fill it in as the only thing I want to do is game programming and the school probably won't have that as an option,

Trying to guide him to have an alternate choice in case the school doesn't have anything in that area.

He loves graphics and is reasonably good at it, and am trying to suggest areas that use CAD or similar for him to look into, but can't get very far, was thinking architecture, draftsman or similar but get stuck at around here, any suggestions,?

I do have to laugh I did my work experience as a marine biologist measuring, weighing and sexing prawns and if they were female identifying the stars of pregnancy.  Almost spent a day making scat bags, for scallop research, and I became an accountant.

This may sound silly but why not have a bit of  a look high end builders and or landscapers, that would give him an insight into the end product

[edz]

Any Engineering firms around, kitchen / cabinet makers stone masons / plastics sign makers etc most use some form of CAD work these days .. Any caravan manufacturers near you .. Vanglasss or Styromax etc .. Even surfboard shapers use CNC machines to cut blanks nowadays

[doc evil]

As a structural designer (draftie)......don't do it........
That industry is down the gurgler. I've been out of work for 6 months...........
There are more and more drafting roles being swallowed up by and incorporated into the engineers portfolio or it's going overseas to cheap labour including a lot of what's called shop detailing as well as cnc programming.
I'd suggest  (as I did with my boys) to look at architectural or engineering roles or if he's keen on drafting, civil (program based on cad called 12d) is still big.
Heavy structural and mining is caput in Australia. Residential and infrastructure is basically all thats left and who knows how long that's going to last!!!!!!

[Moggy]

Well considering he's in G10 then he'll get at least 3 goes at the work experience thing ( yr 10, 11.& 12) so my suggestion would be to try anything that piques his interest each year & try not to pigeonhole his career choices in yr10.

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[Goose]

I have always felt with work experience it should be about putting your kids into a company that gives them a good opportunity to see what the workforce will really be like. 

If you can, send him away to the city to live with cousins for the week. It helps to frame the mentality of leaving the nest in a few years and you'll have better luck with something geared towards games or design in the city.

If you can't send him away then I would look at local, privately owned company's that have a strong work ethic that will rub off on him and helps his studies. Think accountants, architects, law, engineering firms. The best places are the ones that still have plenty of simple monkey work that he can do, like photocopying, errands, sorting files out that will keep him busy and make him feel useful.

I work in corporate IT and we occasionally get work experience kids through. Its a hard field for work experience because there is nothing we can teach them in a week that we could leave them alone to do, and so much of the job is just meetings and reporting, so really they have to follow us around and they quickly get bored.

[Bird]

You think you have issues.. my idiot thinks he is going to play NBA.... He has no clue..
I've begged him time and time again to have a "backup plan" incase the NBA don't call him... he has no interest in anything on the earth that isn't a computer game or X-box game. He cant even hold a conversation that doesn't evolve around some ****ing game hes playing..

[Brisbane Puff]

As a structural designer (draftie)......don't do it........
That industry is down the gurgler. I've been out of work for 6 months...........
There are more and more drafting roles being swallowed up by and incorporated into the engineers portfolio or it's going overseas to cheap labour including a lot of what's called shop detailing as well as cnc programming.
I'd suggest  (as I did with my boys) to look at architectural or engineering roles or if he's keen on drafting, civil (program based on cad called 12d) is still big.
Heavy structural and mining is caput in Australia. Residential and infrastructure is basically all thats left and who knows how long that's going to last!!!!!!

Actually, a friends son just started a small business doing 3d design/show and tell for smaller residential builders. The short form is that He gets the basic plan from the builder/customer and constructs inside and out 3d walk through that the builder then shows the customer.. Apparently all calculations for materials are done, so the builder just has to cost the job..

[Beachman]

This is left field thinking, but find him a factory hand or a labouring job for him. I know he doesn’t want this type of work, but at least this way he knows the other side.

My Father was a Bricklayer and on weekends and school holidays I use to do the labouring for him and his mates. Dad never wanted me to follow him into a Bricklaying career,  but when I left school in grade 12 he gave me 3 months to find a job otherwise I would be starting a bricklaying apprenticeship.

Seeing I knew how hard that job was and saw through his eyes how it’s gets harder as you get older, I found a good admin job and now got myself in a pretty good position. 

[edz]

Pretty smart idea there BP, As a hell of a lot of people just cant visualize what some thing will look like when its shown in 2D plan form ... Even when shown in 3D some still  cant work it out .

[tk421]

I work in corporate IT and we occasionally get work experience kids through. Its a hard field for work experience because there is nothing we can teach them in a week that we could leave them alone to do, and so much of the job is just meetings and reporting, so really they have to follow us around and they quickly get bored.

Same - I feel sorry for them. Somebody high up in firm gets kid a weeks experience in 'IT'...they sit there for a week getting bored.

[two up]

My son is in grade 10 and the work experience has come up, and he is struggling to fill it in as the only thing I want to do is game programming and the school probably won't have that as an option,

Trying to guide him to have an alternate choice in case the school doesn't have anything in that area.

He loves graphics and is reasonably good at it, and am trying to suggest areas that use CAD or similar for him to look into, but can't get very far, was thinking architecture, draftsman or similar but get stuck at around here, any suggestions,?

I do have to laugh I did my work experience as a marine biologist measuring, weighing and sexing prawns and if they were female identifying the stars of pregnancy.  Almost spent a day making scat bags, for scallop research, and I became an accountant.

A friend of my son has a degree in game programming ( who would have thought there was such a thing ). He has tried for the past 2 yrs to get a job here, he has has little short term contracts and from all accounts is good at what he does, but he has been told if he wants a job in that field he will have to head OS. He now makes pizzas for a living.

My son is in grade 10 and the work experience has come up, and he is struggling to fill it in as the only thing I want to do is game programming and the school probably won't have that as an option,

Trying to guide him to have an alternate choice in case the school doesn't have anything in that area.

He loves graphics and is reasonably good at it, and am trying to suggest areas that use CAD or similar for him to look into, but can't get very far, was thinking architecture, draftsman or similar but get stuck at around here, any suggestions,?

I do have to laugh I did my work experience as a marine biologist measuring, weighing and sexing prawns and if they were female identifying the stars of pregnancy.  Almost spent a day making scat bags, for scallop research, and I became an accountant.

[Bird]

A friend of my son has a degree in game programming ( who would have thought there was such a thing ). He has tried for the past 2 yrs to get a job here, he has has little short term contracts and from all accounts is good at what he does, but he has been told if he wants a job in that field he will have to head OS. He now makes pizzas for a living.

IT isn't what it once was.. as you say, the good work is o/s

this was kind of interesting
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-21043693
"He reportedly paid just a fifth of his six-figure salary to a company based in Shenyang to do his job"

[Redcherokee]

I work in corporate IT and we occasionally get work experience kids through. Its a hard field for work experience because there is nothing we can teach them in a week that we could leave them alone to do, and so much of the job is just meetings and reporting, so really they have to follow us around and they quickly get bored.

X3 
It is so difficult to find something kids can do in IT.  They either end up following a service desk person around and find out that is mostly about interpersonal skills, or get stuck with some really hack job if there is a project on (like unpack 100 phones, plug them in and do a mindless run up process).  Sad thing is they don't understand that is exactly what they would be doing on their first week in the job.

I like the idea of something totally left field.  He is probably smart and detail oriented. How about an engineering/fabrication company? Maybe learning to do some fine metalwork would inspire him a bit?

[glenm64]

My 2 bobs worth.
Forget about find work experience doing what you think may be his ideally suited job.
Very few people know what they want to do at that age.
Instead work experience is just that, learning what its like to have responsibilities and expectations placed upon them.
Unless you find a small company run by a mate/family etc., who will make the effort to try to expose them to an industry in a few weeks (highly unlikely) they wont learn anything in a few weeks, except they feel like sheep being led around all day.
But what they may discover is they like working with their hands, or they hate customer service, or maybe being in an office all day(not playing on a computer) really sucks.
 Each school holidays let him do a different field of work.
My young fella done some with a plumber mate mainly digging trenches and prep work, some with a tiler mixing cement and prep work, he knew he didn't want to work in an office, and now he is in his 3rd year of a cabinet making apprenticeship and he really enjoys it, but he's not sure what he wants to do when he finishes his time.

[Tim - Stratford]

Our young bloke had no idea (still doesn't) on what he wants to do. He got some advice and it was suggested a work experience position where you might snag a part timer. He went to a café and was offered a part time job before the week was up - he's been there ever since (4.5yrs) part time and now it's money (5 days a week) until he decides what he wants to have a crack at.

[koshari]

get him to be a house restumper or a farrier, both backbreaking jobs however they will never be short of work and all the cashies he likes.

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[Airport-Andy]

Howdy
A surveyor is another option. Involves both outside work and office CAD work. I transfered from surveying to the office 8 years ago but generally loved my time in the field when young, now I enjoy the aircon and a comfy chair and still get out every few months.
I also now work at Melb Airport and walk around A380s when i get bored of looking at a computer screen.
Most small firms will find room for a young feller carrying the pegs etc. For a week.
Cheers Andrew

[Rumpig]

My 2 bobs worth.
Forget about find work experience doing what you think may be his ideally suited job.
Very few people know what they want to do at that age.

I must be the odd one out, as i did Cabinet Making in year 10 and Carpentry in year 11 as work my experience. I knew i didn't want an office job and liked doing Carpentry so choose that and something similar for my work experience....I've now been a chippie for about 25 years.

[Fathom]

I must be the odd one out, as i did Cabinet Making in year 10 and Carpentry in year 11 as work my experience. I knew i didn't want an office job and liked doing Carpentry so choose that and something similar for my work experience....I've now been a chippie for about 25 years.

You must be...
I wanted to be that bloke on the Gold Coast that use to do spray tanning on the beach....
Or an international spy... Or be independently wealthy by finding Aztec gold in my parents back yard...
Reality is.. I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.

I would suggest if a job in the field that the young bloke wants to do for a living isn't available for yr10 work experience, anything that's highlights good work ethics, and a good work attitude will be beneficial.
Wouldn't matter if it was washing cars in a car yard or hanging with the CEO of a multinational.

[Garfish]

Thanks all,

Work experience is a fun time on both sides, I've had a few through where I've had to look after them for the week, and what do you get them to do for that week.

A lot of good ideas to discuss with him, so he can think about what to do,

I was one of those strange people who wanted to be one of two things since I was around 11. 

[D4D]

My 2 cents, find something he is passionate about and let him learn some life skills there. I'd also suggest a smaller company where he can learn from the owner or similar. In yr10 I was into music, both playing and production. I completed my work experience at a rock and roll hire co. (audio/pa and lighting stuff). I didn't end up going into it as a career, however I made some life long friends and learnt some valuable life lessons that I still use today.

[JohnT]

Have you considered letting him find his own work experience in the Game Development industry? It might give him a quick taste of 1) how difficult it is 2) the market is very limited in Aust.

[Bookleaf]

I agree with JohnT, get him to find his own work experience placement.
I look at work experience as the total picture - from search, to apply to interview (maybe no more than arriving at the premises with a form to fill out ) to the actual week on the job.
I had my own business for 13 years (retail) and always had work experience kids.  Also looked after work experience kids as an employee (in the electronics repair industry) for many years prior to that.  I always requested the applicant bring the form to us before committing to taking them on. This effectively created a 2 minute interview. The standard of presentation, dress, attitude and interest portrayed by the kids often was appalling and earned then a "sorry, already have a work experience person that week (we only could take one at a time), even if this were not true.  Working in retail, and in a busy large retail center, first approach by customers to staff (even if on work experience) was very important to the overall presentation of the shop.
The ones that seem to get the most out of it are those who generally wanted to experience working in the area.  Those "mothered" by their parents making the approach and dragging them along (or bringing them under their wing - literally) to get their application form filled out  never seemed to be as keen or interested as those who did the groundwork themselves.
Those who applied for "anything" because they HAD to find SOMETHING to start "next week" (because they just could not be bothered to get off their bums and search for their likes in a timely manner) were always a mixed bunch. - Well at least I suppose they did search, apply, attend and do the groundwork eventually, so they must have got some insight into the job hunting phase of work experience.
I always held the view that it was work "experience", so went out of my way to "put them to work" (menial tasks often - but what can you teach a teenager in a week!?), but most appreciated the experience.  We never got them to do something we would not do ourselves ( and told them this would be the case before they started), and I insisted on staff doing the same tasks at the some time (between serving)
Best kids were those who already had - or did have in the past, a part time position, usually at a fast food outlet.  These kids brought with them the ethos of working and understood what commitment, dedication to task and just general "working" was all about.  Highly recommended if you can get your son to take up a part-time job.