Inspiring Future Careers – A Day at The Forest School Careers Fair

In October I had the fantastic opportunity to attend a Careers Fair at The Forest School in Horsham. This was part of their careers speed networking event for Year 10 pupils, aimed at introducing students to a variety of professions and sparking inspiration for their futures.

Careers Fair at The Forest School I was thrilled to represent the veterinary nursing profession – a career path I’m passionate about and one that opens doors to so many rewarding opportunities in animal care. I joined an eclectic group of professionals, including a pilot, a head nurse, a social media manager, a highways officer, and an architect.

Networking with a Twist

The event was brilliantly organised as a sort of “guess my profession” game. Each professional was stationed at a table, and groups of around five students rotated between us. The catch? Students didn’t know our jobs. They had to ask yes-or-no questions to figure it out. It was a fun and interactive way to get them thinking creatively and engaging with us.

Once they guessed (or we revealed!) our careers, we had the chance to share more about what we do, the pros and cons of our jobs, and salary expectations.

Bringing Veterinary Nursing to Life

represent the veterinary nursing professionTo make my role come alive, I brought along a few props:

  • A stethoscope.
  • X-rays.
  • Bone models.
  • Images of animals pre- and post-surgery.

These visual aids sparked curiosity and helped the students understand the real-life aspects of veterinary nursing. One student even managed to guess my profession correctly, with a little help and the giveaway hint of my fur-covered clothes!

Why Events Like These Matter

Images of animals pre- and post-surgeryI’ve always been keen to champion veterinary nursing as a career choice. It’s such a diverse and fulfilling profession, offering opportunities to work with animals, contribute to their health and wellbeing, and make a real difference in their lives. Events like these are invaluable for showcasing paths students might not have considered and for encouraging them to think outside the box about their futures.

A Message from The Forest School

It was wonderful to hear that the students enjoyed the session. Here’s a lovely testimonial from Miss Amy Schaus, the Careers Education Assistant:
“Just wanted to say a huge thank you for attending our Careers Speed Networking event yesterday; we really appreciate you giving up your time to speak with our students.
I spoke to a few students in the afternoon who said they really enjoyed the session and learnt a lot about different industries, so I’d say it was a success.
Thanks again.”

A Rewarding Day

This event was a reminder of how important it is to inspire the next generation. Engaging with the students and seeing their curiosity was incredibly rewarding, and I left feeling optimistic about the future of veterinary nursing and the animal care industry.

To anyone considering a similar event, I highly recommend it. You never know – you might just inspire someone to follow in your footsteps!

Find out more about being a Veterinary Nurse

Every June is Veterinary Nurse Awareness Month with different themes each year, here are some previous blog posts where I talk about my profession from various angles:

Other advice links