After 41 years helping generations of students find their path, the long-serving careers adviser at Corowa High School has retired.

Mrs Janet Lake has closed a chapter on her career that helped shape the pathways of countless young people across the region.

“I feel so lucky to have been the careers adviser at Corowa High School for over four decades… it’s been an incredible journey,” Janet Lake said.

Encouraged early on by a colleague who said, “You have the best job in the school”, Mrs Lake described the role as diverse, challenging and deeply rewarding.

“There is really no end to what you can implement, and I’ve been fortunate and want to thank all my colleagues over those many years who have always been supportive and encouraging of my efforts,” she said.

“The working relationships I had with students, parents, employers and business owners, training providers, employment agencies, apprenticeship companies, community organisations and more have been so rewarding.”

Having never had access to a careers adviser during her own schooling, Mrs Lake was determined to ensure students benefited from advice, information and opportunities. Over the decades, she introduced programs including school-based traineeships, executive shadowing, eTeam projects and girls in trades, while connecting students with universities, TAFE, employers and a wide range of industries.

“I have enjoyed the thousands of conversations I have had with students and their families,” she said.

Work experience was a cornerstone of Mrs Lake’s approach, opening students’ eyes to possibilities far beyond the classroom.

Placements ranged from courtrooms and operating theatres to cattle stations, observatories and aquariums. One student, Brett, who once sought work experience as a motion picture armourer, is now a stunt artist in the United States.

“Our local employers, businesses and industry have been wonderful collaborators,” Mrs Lake said. “Over the years, they have been so helpful to me and offered students countless opportunities to immerse themselves in work-related activities.”

“I have always stressed to students that if you see something you want, a place where you’d like to work, go and ask. If you don’t, someone else will. You only need one person to say ‘yes’, and you’ve got your start,” Mrs Lake said.

Mrs Lake’s advocacy extended across all post-school pathways, including all forms of vocational education and training.

“A frustrated employer once said to me, ‘You teachers tell them all to go to university!’ I assured him that was not at all the case.”

Over four decades, Mrs Lake has seen the careers adviser role transform dramatically.

“When I took on this role, there were no computers, and I didn’t have my own phone for seven years. I had to use the principal’s phone, and all paperwork was sent by post. Now, I wonder how I ever managed.”

Former students and parents still stop Mrs Lake in the street to share career updates and say thank you — moments she describes as deeply meaningful.

Even in retirement, her instinct to advise on careers remains strong.

“While there are so many career options out there, I think this is where I was always meant to be, and I still find myself offering career advice incidentally when I’m out and about… I can't seem to stop myself.”