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AGA trainee Cheyanne Angus wasn’t really sure what she wanted to do when she finished high school. Feeling pressure to make the right choice, Cheyanne turned to AGA for help with getting started. Since completing her Certificate III in Business Management, Cheyanne is now a Court Registrar at Heidelberg Magistrates Court and continues to achieve in her chosen career path.
“I never saw myself doing this type of job – I didn’t have any sort of experience or interest, and my preference was to attend uni when I graduated from school. I just wasn’t really 100% sure of what I wanted to do” Cheyanne explains.
While considering available options, combining study with work through a traineeship with AGA allowed Cheyanne to start building her career straight away. As part of her traineeship, AGA found Cheyanne a placement at Melbourne Magistrates Court. “I really fell in love with this kind of work, the legal aspect. I set my mind to it and I’ve been able to build a career from there” she says.
Later, Cheyanne took on a role at the Neighbourhood Justice Centre in Collingwood, working with mental health practitioners and support workers to achieve positive outcomes for service users. Cheyanne was then able to gain a position as Bench Clerk within the Suburban Court in Heidelberg, which exposed her to both civil and criminal cases.
“As a Bench Clerk I sat with the magistrate in court – it’s your responsibility to make sure that court runs smoothly and everything gets to where it needs to be. Now as a Registrar, I’m out of court but it’s up to me to facilitate court processes. So whether that’s processing warrants or issuing things to people, it can be very complicated – but it really is a very professional, down-the-line kind of job” she explains.
“I’ve learned you don’t have to go to uni to secure a good life. My experience with AGA proves that whole concept can be wrong.”
At the 2018 AGA Graduation and Awards ceremony, Cheyanne’s hard work and dedication were recognised when she received the Carol Hammett Student of the Year Award. “It was a massive sense of accomplishment for me because I didn’t go to uni and I doubted my capability a little bit. Winning that award made me feel that I was worthy. AGA really saw what I couldn’t see in myself” Cheyanne says with pride. Winning the award also helped Cheyanne further develop her career goals – “I thought, ‘if I can win this award, I can go far in this career.’”
While Cheyanne was completing her traineeship, she experienced significant personal difficulty. During this time, AGA offered her support. “When I was completing my traineeship, we suffered a family loss. There were some days that I couldn’t go to my schooling because I had family priorities and AGA was really supportive of that – they understood.” This enabled Cheyanne to stay on track with her work and study commitments and go on to successfully complete her traineeship.
“AGA set out a plan and gave me advice on how I could still keep on top of my studies while managing everything else that was going on. All the support, the coaching, and the teaching – they were always there.”
The decision to take on a traineeship instead of a degree was tricky at first for Cheyanne, who once thought that going to university was the only way to succeed. “I’ve learned you don’t have to go to uni to secure a good life. In high school, they put a lot of pressure on to get a really good ATAR, go to uni and tell you that’s the only way to create a career. My experience with AGA proves that whole concept can be wrong.”
Are you thinking about what to do after secondary school? Get on the path to career success and contact the friendly team at AGA today.
