From a JPC Classroom
to Cross River Rail
Joseph came to John Paul College from Vietnam. Today he is an engineer on Cross River Rail, one of the projects getting Brisbane ready for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Joseph · on site at Cross River Rail, Brisbane
“I Was Very Impressed With the Australian System”
When Joseph arrived from Vietnam, the first thing he noticed was how differently high school worked in Australia.
Back home, he had been studying twelve subjects at once. At John Paul College, students start choosing their own subjects in Year 10, and in the senior years they study only six.
“When I first came over, the biggest difference was that you were choosing your subjects from Year 10.”
Joseph · on arriving at JPC
Six Subjects Instead of Twelve
For Joseph, the biggest benefit of the senior years was focus. With six subjects instead of twelve, he could put his energy into the units he liked and the ones he was good at.
It also helped him narrow down his career options, which he says he was able to do at JPC. The subjects he chose were his first steps towards engineering.
“It helps you define a more narrow path for your career — which I was able to do. I studied the units I liked, and the units I was good at.”
Joseph
Careers Advice That Helped Him Choose
In Year 12, Joseph used the College’s careers advice service. He says it was “very helpful at the time.”
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01
What You Love and What You Don’t
A survey asked about his interests, the subjects he disliked and his personality.
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02
Your Predicted Result
The service then compared his answers with his predicted Year 12 score, so the advice matched what he could realistically achieve.
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03
Your Best-Fit Degree & University
From there, it suggested the degree and university that suited him best. “That helped me find my career path — which is engineering.”
From a Classroom to Queensland History
Joseph arrived from Vietnam as a new student. He is now an engineer on one of Queensland’s biggest infrastructure projects. These are the steps in between.
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Arrival
From Vietnam
Joins John Paul College and is impressed straight away by how Australian high school works.
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Year 10
Choosing Subjects
Chooses his own subjects for the first time.
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Senior
Six Subjects
Studies six subjects instead of twelve, picking the ones he liked and was good at.
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Year 12
Careers Guidance
JPC’s careers service helps him choose a degree and university.
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University
Engineering
Starts the engineering degree that the careers advice pointed him towards.
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Today
Cross River Rail
Works as an engineer on one of Queensland’s biggest infrastructure projects, ahead of the 2032 Olympic Games.
Watch Joseph’s Story
Joseph explains how his time at JPC led him to engineering and to his work on Cross River Rail.
Building Brisbane’s Olympic Future
Today Joseph is an engineer on Cross River Rail, one of the biggest infrastructure projects in Queensland. It is helping Brisbane get ready for the 2032 Olympic Games.
Cross River Rail
A new rail project that will change how people travel around Brisbane. It is one of the largest engineering projects in Queensland’s history.
An Engineer’s Work
The subjects Joseph chose at JPC led to his profession. He now solves engineering problems on a project that matters to people across Brisbane.
An Olympic Legacy
The work being done now is getting Brisbane ready for the 2032 Olympic Games. Joseph is proud to be part of it.
I love Australia, I love what I do as an engineer here, and I’m proud to be part of the team improving Queensland’s infrastructure — preparing ourselves for the Olympics in 2032.
Joseph · Hoàng Vũ · Vietnam
Every JPC Story Starts With a Choice
Joseph arrived from Vietnam and left JPC knowing what he wanted to study. See how JPC helps international students choose their subjects and plan for university, or start your own application.