When I finished high school, I honestly had no idea exactly what I wanted to do. I loved photography, art and business, but I didn’t have a clear career path mapped out. I was 18, and looking back now, I think that’s completely okay. There’s so much pressure to decide what you want to do with your life when you’re still figuring out who you are.
Looking back on my time at The Knox School, there were a lot of great teachers, but one who particularly stands out is Mr Fitchett. He was involved in media at the School, and I remember spending time in the media area learning about cameras and having the opportunity to help film and edit school productions. He was always so welcoming and generous with his time, and genuinely excited to teach us more about something we were interested in. It was a small part of my time at School, but one I remember fondly.
My favourite subject was Studio Arts. I loved photography, particularly learning about film, working in the darkroom and developing photos. At the time, I thought photography might become a career. It ultimately didn’t, but it sparked a passion that has stayed with me and become a really fulfilling hobby. I think that’s a nice reminder that not everything you study or pursue has to eventually become your career to have value.
After graduating, I spent some time working and travelling before eventually finding a job at a boarding kennel. I didn’t know it at the time, but that job would completely change the direction of my career. It introduced me to the animal industry and sparked a real passion for working with dogs and, more broadly, animal welfare.
From there, I joined a dog daycare and grooming salon, initially working mainly in social media and reception. I kept saying yes to opportunities to learn, took on more responsibility as the business grew, and eventually worked my way into management. Today, I manage the daycare and grooming salon alongside our canine dental hygiene and animal education businesses. My brother Nick, who also attended TKS, now works alongside me, so somehow we both found ourselves building careers in the same industry.
It definitely wasn’t a straight or carefully planned path. A lot of it came from being willing to try something new, learn as I went and follow opportunities that genuinely interested me. My career now looks nothing like what I would have imagined for myself at 18, and I’m really glad it doesn’t.
I’m proud of building a career in a field that genuinely brings me joy. I now manage three businesses across the animal industry, and our team was recently named Business of the Year by Whitehorse City Council. That was incredible recognition for what we’ve built, but I’m just as proud of the culture we’ve created along the way.
We now have a team of more than 30 people, and creating a workplace where people genuinely enjoy coming to work, feel supported and share the same passion for what we do is something I’m incredibly proud of. More than anything, I’ve been able to build a career around something I genuinely care about, alongside people who care about it too.
My work in the animal industry also led me to foster dogs for a number of rescue organisations over the years before a few like-minded friends and I, including my brother Nick, decided to start our own, Rebel Tails Rescue.
Rebel Tails is less than six months old, but we’ve already helped save more than 100 animals and built an incredible community of foster carers, volunteers and supporters. We recently held our first major fundraiser, a quiz night with nearly 200 attendees, which was a pretty surreal moment for such a new organisation. Seeing something we started from scratch grow into a community of people who genuinely care about making a difference has been one of the things I’m most proud of.
One challenge I’ve faced is learning not to measure success by what other people think a successful career is supposed to look like. Working with dogs wasn’t necessarily the conventional career path, and there have certainly been times when people have questioned whether it was something I could build a serious career around.
Over time, I’ve realised that success is incredibly personal. For me, it means enjoying the work I do, being proud of what I’m contributing and building a life that I actually want to live.
If I could tell my 18-year-old self anything, it would probably be to trust herself a little more. I wouldn’t change the path I took because ultimately it brought me to where I am now, but I would have spent less time worrying about whether I was doing things the “right” way or following the path I thought I was supposed to take.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is that growth often requires being uncomfortable. Starting something new, taking on more responsibility or entering a space where you don’t know everything yet can feel daunting, but being uncomfortable doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in the wrong place. Sometimes it simply means you’re learning.
If you’re finishing school and have absolutely no idea what you want to do, I wouldn’t panic. Go and learn about yourself. Work different jobs, travel if you have the opportunity, try things, meet people and pay attention to what you enjoy and what you don’t. You don’t have to have your entire life mapped out at 18, and whatever decision you make now doesn’t have to be permanent.
I also think it’s important to remember that the career you choose, or the career you study for, doesn’t have to be your forever career. You might spend years studying for something and realise once you’re actually doing it that it isn’t for you, and that’s okay. You might spend years in one industry, work your way up, and then decide you want to try something completely different and start from the bottom again. None of that time is wasted. You’re still learning, building skills and figuring out what you want your life to look like.
Being flexible and willing to learn has probably helped me more than having any particular plan. Give things a genuine go, but also know when something isn’t right for you anymore. Changing direction isn’t failing, and starting again doesn’t mean you’re back at square one.
I also think it’s important not to make work your entire identity. Finding work you enjoy matters because you’ll spend a huge amount of your life doing it, but so does building a life outside of work. Have hobbies, maintain friendships, adopt a rescue animal if you feel like it, find things you’re curious about and protect your time.
There isn’t one correct version of a successful life. Keep learning, stay open to changing direction, and keep moving towards a life that actually feels good to you, rather than one you think you’re supposed to want.
