A DJ spinning his decks at 10am, a conga line of school students being led through a campus by university students, and all the free stuff you can think of - from condoms to coconut water.
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It could only mean one thing: a University of Wollongong Open Day.
The campus was abuzz with activity as prospective students and their parents roamed its lawns for the biannual event on Saturday, not even the grey skies dampening the thrill of opportunity in the air.
A small smash lab was set up, allowing those to don orange jumpsuits and unleash their anger on inanimate objects with a hammer.
At the opposite end of the campus, others strapped themselves into a horizontal inflatable bungee, propelling themselves from a stretchy cord all in the name of physics.
Amid the fun and games, high schoolers and undergraduates were on a quest to find answers to their questions like: What will I do for the rest of my life?
Green jobs
Technology, climate change, and Australia's accelerating shift to clean energy were front of mind for some attendees.
Jesse Payton, a fourth year Bachelor of Environmental Sciences student majoring in land resources, missed out on Open Day when he was a high schooler, so he joined in on Saturday.
He enrolled in the degree after being inspired by David Attenborough to work with wildlife.
But in the era of green jobs, he became influenced to pursue Honours researching the environment.
"I thought it would be better jobs-wise ... I'm keen to do anything related to environmental science afterwards," Mr Payton, 23, said.
I think a lot of people our age now know a lot about the green sector and how we should be transitioning
- Jesse Payton
"I think a lot of people our age now know a lot about the green sector and how we should be transitioning.
"But I feel there's also a side where people think it might be too late and they sort of give up and pick what they're interested in."
Growing up in a rural town, Mr Payton said there were doubts from his family when he expressed what he wanted to pursue, but his father changed his tune when he saw a job opening for a sustainability officer.
"He was always saying 'What job will you get out of this?' But then he saw an opportunity at the council back home and the salary was high," Mr Payton said.
Mr Payton has kept a keen eye on the heated offshore wind farm debate and believes with the declaration of the development zone off Wollongong last week, future research opportunities could arise for him.
Meanwhile, 18-year-old Marae Smith, who travelled from Nowra, wants to pursue a career in health. She's considering optometry due to the hours younger people are spending in front of screens.
"Everyone will definitely need glasses when they're older," she said.
Popular among attendees were careers in health - from nursing, physiotherapy, and biomedical science - which are all in high demand.
High schoolers appeared undeterred by increased tuition fees for arts degrees, with many expressing their desire to pursue law.
- How energy revolution will provide a range of new job opportunities in the Illawarra, Page 7
Grace Crivellaro
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
Court reporter for the Illawarra Mercury.
