Your future job probably doesn’t exist yet, so stay curious and do what you love.

That’s the wise advice former Chatswood High School student Alice Fahrer gave to Year 12s when she met them at a recent alumni event.

Now 32-years-old, and thriving as video chief of staff at News.com.au, Ms Fahrer originally had her heart set on becoming an interior designer.

“I had been so sure of what I wanted to do when I left school. Once I was in that course, I realised that the idea of being an interior designer was interesting but not necessarily something that would be my nine to five, just the way I love dogs, but I have no desire to be a vet.”

Ms Fahrer was a couple of months into an interior design course at Billy Blue College of Design when she faced the turning point.

“I had a crisis about what I was going to do with my life.

"I went to the student centre to ask whether there was another course I could do,” she said. “They said, today is the census date, the last day to make changes without a financial penalty, so I had three hours to decide whether to stay in an interior design course worth about $11,000. I decided to leave and study lots of things to find out what I liked.

“I fell into being a producer by accident. I’m pretty good at English and creative writing and investigating and had played around with photoshop and videos but it didn’t feel like a career path.

“I ended up going to the University of Canberra - I wanted to explore outside my comfort zone - and did a double media arts and production degree. I didn’t find my calling during my degree, but I still enjoyed it.

“My first job was as a junior digital producer at Foxtel in the marketing team. I had never studied marketing, but they wanted someone who was online all the time, understood the meme culture and could edit behind the scenes content.

“I love my job now but I didn’t know that telling the news on social media could be a job because that career didn't exist until after I was well out of uni.

“The crux of what I was telling the year 12s was, your future job probably doesn’t exist yet.”

Asked what advice she would give students today thinking about their future, Ms Fahrer said: “Focus on the things that you would do without people asking - one day those will become valuable skills.

“If you follow your passion and be open to the world changing and new experiences, there’s no wrong path. You just have to take your first step.

“Every step I’ve taken has led me to where I am supposed to be. Yes, I took detours for sure but everything I did tapped into the things that I love – production, investigating, telling stories.

“I'm such a proud product of an amazing NSW public school education, and the skills and values that I built at Chatswood High took me far beyond Year 12.”

Sean Abernethy, Head Teacher Student Excellence and Engagement at Chatwood High School, runs the CHS Alumni Program said: “It aims to enrich the experiences of our Year 12 students by showcasing the diverse pathways taken by former graduates.”

Now in its early stages, the program has already featured inspiring contributions from past students including Alice Fahrer and Kate Hackett, currently the Acting Chief Executive for the South Eastern Sydney Local Health District who recently delivered TED-style talks reflecting on their journeys since leaving CHS.

“Looking ahead to 2026, we hope to further expand the program - inviting more alumni to share their stories, broaden aspirations, and open new pathways for our senior students.”