Feature
Choose to challenge the status quo Kelly Southworth Editor
When Frances Goh was leaving Carey in 2006 and considering her future career path, she did exactly what was expected of her. She had good marks and liked numbers – a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne was a clear choice. She doubled up with a Bachelor of Arts too and had five majors. She might not have realised at the time, but this was a hint to the fact that her broad range of interests would not be satisfied by her chosen linear pathway to becoming an investment banker. ‘Okay. So now I’m an investment banker. This sucks,’ she quips, looking back on how she was feeling in her time working
at Macquarie in Hong Kong. ‘Everyone said this was the thing to do. Well now I have the thing, and I don’t want the thing. Who decided this was my thing?’ Frances learnt the important lesson then that her career trajectory would be far from the linear path she always envisioned. She needed to figure out what she was passionate about and the world needed to catch up with her ambition: the innovation industry didn’t even exist when she was in Year 12, but she did eventually find a calling as Director of Strategy and Innovation for kin8. Here she helps startup businesses to bring their ideas to life through effective management and research.
A
t Carey, Frances was Middle School Captain, First Girls Badminton Captain and a Prefect, and she loved being able to do everything that interested her through the co-curricular program – netball, debating, music and Outdoor Education. ‘I filled my plate to the max. I wasn’t good at everything, but I gave everything a good try. I think that’s important.’ Always driven and with boundless energy, Frances continued this pattern throughout university, engaging in international study opportunities and being involved in campus life. So, when she came to a career that didn’t stimulate her active brain as much
Frances’s tips for how to challenge the status quo 1
Now is a good time
2
Asking for help is a strength, not a weakness
3
Feeling dumb is part of the process
4
Keep adding to the difference you’re already making
5
Your current situation doesn’t determine your future plans
6
Practice micro-bravery
7
Your voice gives others permission to raise theirs
8
If you can, you should try
9
You are never going to feel like it
10 Who are you not to be powerful? Above: Jonathan Walter, Principal, and Frances Goh (2006) at our International Women’s Day event in March 2021. 8 | Torch
