The Aporia · Nursing, the navy band and a thrift flip side-hustle: The post-school dreams for these students

Nursing, the navy band and a thrift flip side-hustle: The post-school dreams for these students

Read the original at The Sydney Morning Herald ↗

Cite

APA MLA Chicago

Rawsthorne, S. (2026, September 27). Nursing, the navy band and a thrift flip side-hustle: The post-school dreams for these students. The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nursing-the-navy-band-and-a-thrift-flip-side-hustle-the-post-school-dreams-for-these-students-20260927-p60tdi.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Five Year 12 students from The Forest High in Sydney discuss their post-school plans as HSC exams approach on October 13. Benjamin Attanasio aims to study history and become an archaeologist, while Aishwarya Kalra is headed for a design degree at UNSW with aspirations of becoming an exchange student and starting a thrift clothing side-hustle. Jesse McMaster plans to explore creative pursuits like music production and dance after working in a coffee shop post-HSC. David Gojak, a French horn player, has been accepted into Sydney Conservatorium of Music and hopes to join the navy band despite concerns about AI's impact on jobs. Shirley Gu wants to study nursing due to her desire to help people and the field’s resilience against automation.

Written by AI on 2026-09-27, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Sydney Morning Herald recently highlighted the diverse post-school plans of five Year 12 students from The Forest High in Sydney, ahead of HSC exams beginning on October 13. Among them is Benjamin Attanasio, who aims to study history at Macquarie University, inspired by visits to his father’s homeland in Italy, with aspirations to become an archaeologist specializing in art restoration. Aishwarya Kalra has secured a place at the University of NSW for a bachelor's degree in design and plans to participate in exchange programs while starting a side-hustle transforming second-hand clothing into custom garments. Despite concerns over high fees and the impact of AI, all students remain committed to pursuing higher education as a key pathway to achieving their career goals.

Written for “Post School Career Options” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

Nothing to compare against. No article is close enough to this one for the pipeline to have linked or judged the pair.

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 31 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

61/100

The Sydney Morning Herald's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Education

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-27 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Sydney Morning Herald · 5892 article(s) · 15 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 15 correction(s)

2026-10-30

Notorious paedophile charged with additional 200 offences against 23 children

2026-10-29

‘Just try me’: The text messages that sparked News24’s on-air clash

2026-10-28

Opposition’s Long Bay idea not the negative gear portrayed by Labor

2026-10-24

Will I still have to pay the 30% tax if only sell a few shares?

2026-10-18

How a beanie exposed a man who burnt his ex’s home and killed her cats

2026-10-12

Prisons boss won’t say who asked for human rights law carve-out

2026-10-09

Sam Wood held in high-security prison after failed bid for freedom

2026-10-09

Sam Wood moved to correctional centre following failed bail application

2026-10-09

P-plater accused of horror Newcastle car crash bailed to family home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs

2026-10-08

Snowtown murderer seen leaving correctional facility

2026-10-08

Oliver Curtis’ transformation from jailbird to corporate kingpin has gone awry

2026-10-03

Tennessee’s prisons chief to resign after failed execution of Christa Pike

2026-09-28

Inside the prison left abandoned for years – now set to reopen as DV offenders weigh on system

2026-09-19

What will happen to your most cherished possessions when you die? You don’t want to know

2026-09-18

What will happen to your most cherished possessions when you die? You don’t want to know

Who wrote this

Sally Rawsthorne

8 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction

🔮 The draft policy said artificial intelligence would be used for facial recognition, with a human also required to verify the match for “action is taken”.

2026-10-28 · assertive framing · ‘Like 1984’: University of Sydney’s plans for campus surveillance under fire

🔮 More than 130,000 degree-qualified jobs could be wiped out by AI within a decade, a sobering government report by the agency tasked with assessing the nation’s future skills has warned.

2026-10-25 · assertive framing · An arts degree or a trade: How to futureproof your career

🔮 “This is where AI can come on board to prioritise that and look into combinations that could be efficacious before we go into the lab experiments.

2026-10-11 · assertive framing · ‘Every single patient matters’: The Sydney researcher weaponising AI to fight cancer

🔮 “I would take eight gap years and five years discovering myself.

2026-09-27 · assertive framing · Nursing, the navy band and a thrift flip side-hustle: The post-school dreams for these students

🔮 The class of litigants is expected to include staff from campuses in Sydney and the Blue Mountains, and elsewhere across the country.

2026-09-17 · assertive framing · ‘Can’t pay the rent’: 1000 academics take on employer in first class action of its kind

🔮 On Thursday, family WhatsApp chats exploded as overseas relatives weighed up sweeping reforms that will bar family members coming to Australia on conditions attached to student visas.

2026-09-17 · assertive framing · ‘You’re going to choose your family’: International students mull options after migration crackdown proposal

🔮 Tomorrow’s leaders will also need to understand AI’s ethical, social and environmental impacts, and possess the ability to work with this technology critically and responsibly.

2026-09-15 · assertive framing · ‘Despicable garbage’: Students alarmed as Sydney universities roll out ChatGPT Edu

Also by Sally Rawsthorne

‘Like 1984’: University of Sydney’s plans for campus surveillance under fire

2026-10-28 · The Sydney Morning Herald

An arts degree or a trade: How to futureproof your career

2026-10-25 · The Sydney Morning Herald

‘Every single patient matters’: The Sydney researcher weaponising AI to fight cancer

2026-10-11 · The Sydney Morning Herald

Cranbrook gardener charged over alleged child abuse material

2026-10-10 · The Sydney Morning Herald

Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 8 articles by Sally Rawsthorne →

Topics

Herald Italian Navy Sydney The Forest High

Subjects

Attanasio PERSON · 2× Navy ORG · 2× Aishwarya Kalra PERSON · 1× Benjamin Attanasio PERSON · 1× Herald ORG · 1× Italian NORP · 1× Macquarie University ORG · 1× Sydney GPE · 1× TAFE ORG · 1× The Forest High ORG · 1×

Narrative

Inspired by trips to his father’s Italian homeland, Benjamin Attanasio is on his way to Macquarie University for a bachelor of history, having already been accepted into the course through an early entry scheme. “I want to be an archaeologist.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-27

🔮 “I would take eight gap years and five years discovering myself.

2026-09-27 · The Sydney Morning Herald

Nursing, the navy band and a thrift flip side-hustle: The post-school dreams for these students · assertive framing

Claims (31 extracted, 0 hedged)

One dreams of becoming a nurse. asserted

One → dream → ?

Another has his eye on joining the Navy band. asserted

Another → have → band

Yet another hopes to turn her second-hand clothing hobby into a side hustle. asserted

another → hop → hustle

With HSC exams beginning October 13, the Herald spoke to five year 12 students from Sydney’s The Forest High about their post-school plans. asserted

Herald → begin → plans

These ranged from travel to studying nursing to becoming an archaeologist. asserted

These → range → nursing

But on one point the students were clear – despite huge fees, a hollowed-out post-COVID experience and threat posed by AI – university remains a winner. asserted

university → hollow → AI

I → inspire → scheme

I want to do restoration of art,” Attanasio said. asserted

Attanasio → want → art

After completing his degree, Attanasio plans to complete a TAFE qualification in restoration. asserted

Attanasio → complete → restoration

Aishwarya Kalra has also already received an early acceptance offer and is bound for the University of NSW’s bachelor of design. asserted

Kalra → receive → design

Becoming an exchange student and starting a side-hustle based on her love of the thrift flip – transforming second-hand clothes into custom garments – are also on her to-do list. asserted

Becoming → become → list

“I would take eight gap years and five years discovering myself. asserted

I → take → myself

But that’s not really realistic,” she said. asserted

she → ’ → ?

Finding a job in her chosen field and not losing herself are among her post-school worries. “I’m concerned I’m going to lose myself a little bit because there are so many things I want to try and do. asserted

I → find → myself

I don’t really want to be in a strict path of design – I would love to try other things,” she said. asserted

she → want → things

“I’m going for an ATAR, but I haven’t selected any unis because I don’t want to force myself into something when I can do all of it – start producing my own music, maybe apply for dance studios, and then just continue to go,” she said. asserted

she → go → studios

After her HSC is over, McMaster’s short-term plans are to work in a coffee shop as she saves up to travel. asserted

she → work → shop

“[I’m excited about] the freedom – you get to do anything. asserted

you → ’m → anything

I’m excited to explore the world. asserted

I → ’m → world

I feel like that can really show who you are, who you want to become.” asserted

you → feel → who

David Gojak’s post-school path also involves music; the 17-year-old French horn player has already been accepted into Sydney Conservatorium of Music to study a bachelor of composition. asserted

player → involve → composition

After that, he hopes to join the navy band, following a work experience stint with the organisation. asserted

he → hop → organisation

While he worries about the impact of AI on musical composition, Gojak remains confident that performing won’t be a problem. asserted

performing → worry → composition

“You need lungs, you need lips, you need hands to play. asserted

you → need → hands

Music is done by humans – it’s not perfect and it’s beautiful, because if something is perfect, it loses its beauty. asserted

it → do → beauty

It’s meaningless.” asserted

It → ’ → ?

Also unbothered by the march of artificial intelligence on entry-level jobs is aspiring nurse Shirley Gu. Motivated by her love of helping people, Gu says the AI-proof nature of nursing also appeals. asserted

nature → aspire → nursing

“AI can’t give out medicine, it can’t prescribe. asserted

it → give → medicine

It doesn’t know all that. asserted

It → know → that

So I don’t think that would be an issue for me,” she said. asserted

she → think → me

“I love the building, I like going to the city,” she said. asserted

she → love → city