Why studying the ‘right’ subjects doesn’t matter when it comes to getting into uni

Whether you’ve studied drama and art or advanced mathematics, following your passions can actually be a bonus when it comes to securing a job in Queensland’s fastest growing industries.

Chloe Palin is set to graduate from the University of Queensland this year with a specialty in electrical biomedical engineering – a path she chose after enjoying science and maths subjects in high school.

Chloe Palin, a fourth-year bachelor of engineering (honours) student at the University of QueenslandCredit: UQ

She didn’t study advanced maths in year 12, but found that was no barrier to gaining entry to the bachelor of engineering.

Instead Palin, now 21, was able to do a bridging course in her first semester to bring her up to speed.

“I know a lot of people don’t do [engineering] because they think, I didn’t do extension maths,” she said. “[But] it’s not necessary.”

“It’s really important to highlight to high school students that you don’t need to be the best at maths, physics or chemistry. If you want to solve something, you can. Don’t let the maths stop you.”

Jobs Queensland’s Anticipating Future Skills report predicts one in three new workers will be employed in health care and social assistance by 2025-26.

Health courses such as pharmacy, veterinary science, naturopathy and speech pathology were the biggest field offered in the December 2022 QTAC round, matching with Jobs Queensland’s predictions of where the jobs will be in the next few years.

The individual course with the most offers was a bachelor of engineering (honours) at UQ, with 377 places. It includes specialties like Palin’s choice of electrical biomedical engineering, which will qualify her to work with prosthetics and medical imaging.

“I wanted to do something that would help people [and] engineering is so broad,” she said, pointing to areas, such as mechanical, civil and environmental engineering. “I fell in love with it.”

Engineering is one of the top five fields of study that Queenslanders pursued this year, along with health; society and culture, which includes law, economics and psychology; management and commerce; and natural and physical sciences.

More than 40 per cent of new jobs in 2025-26 were projected to be in professional occupations, for example, scientists, accountants, advertising, lawyers, veterinarians, architects or engineers.

And those careers remain in reach for the thousands of Queensland Year 12 students who studied creative subjects, such as literature, visual art, drama, and film, television and new media.

In fact, Griffith University professor of education Donna Pendergast said, a balance of subjects overall in Year 12 could be a good strategy.

Pendergast said some students opted for a mix of higher scaling ATAR and prerequisite subjects for their desired university degree, alongside passions, such as music or drama.

Drama, for example, could provide transferrable skills, like confidence and the ability to speak in public, that young people could take with them across the estimated five careers they would have in a lifetime.

“You don’t want kids doing subjects at school that they’re not interested in because they won’t be as engaged in their learning, so they’re not likely to get the maximum experience in their senior year,” she said.

“There are many ways into careers and that’s increasing all the time.”

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