Hard on the tails of the 12-month pressure cooker that is year 12 and weeks in December wondering just how badly or well they fared in their VCE, now comes the tertiary education selection process. 

Any parent of a year 12 student will know this visceral tension almost as if they were feeling it themselves. The elation, the heartbreak and sometimes plain flat disappointment of the December crucible of our youth has no doubt tested the powers of consolation and congratulation of many parents. 

But just when the holiday season has somewhat ameliorated  the sensation that the rest of their life has been irretrievably shaped by a VCE score, along comes the VTAC offers and another great litmus test of perceived personal worth.

Given its enormous complexity and the fierce competition for places, the process for tertiary applications and qualifications may be an imperfect beast, but it does strive to be as equitable and efficient as possible. The issue that will be crossing many a parent’s mind again is how to take this measurement and place it in the broader perspective of the many more options life offers

A standardised measurement of all student capacities and their appropriateness to diverse vocations is vitally important to a merit-based education system and the best career outcomes. Like VCE results, it also seeks to reward endeavour and talent. 

However, like any standardised system that draw a measurement across a generation, there will be individuals it does not quite fit. 

There is also the danger it creates a singular perspective and evaluation of education centred around its own scores and what they empower the individual to do.

The ferocious competition for tertiary places most aligned with prestigious and well-paying careers can have a prejudicial effect on how many students perceive their own performance, talents and worth.  

Combating this, some universities have taken the bold step of offering less prestigious courses as preliminaries to the more specific vocational areas. 

The ideal is to better serve the broader education of individuals and, ultimately, the careers they take rather than a headlong rush into a super-competitive world.

There are many more educators in life than formal institutions, and these should be given due consideration. 

For those who have achieved the places they want, congratulations. For those who have not, there are many more pathways to life’s goals.