The challenges and rewards of choosing a career that doesn’t quite match gender stereotypes will be examined closely when the University of the Sunshine Coast holds its annual Open Day on Sunday 22 July.

A forum called ‘You can’t be what you can’t see: Exploring gender stereotypes in careers’ is one of many activities planned for Open Day, which is expected to attract thousands of prospective students from across South East Queensland.

The forum is for those thinking about working in industries that typically attract more people of the opposite sex. It will ponder what’s holding men back from pursuing careers in health care, and why women might not consider becoming technology experts or engineers.

Panellists will be USC Lecturer in Nursing Matthew Mason, USC Lecturer in Information and Communications Technology Dr Erica Mealy, and Civil Engineering student Olivia Shipton.

The trio will discuss the challenges they faced going against the trend, and provide tips on how to overcome stereotypes and bias barriers that can play out in such things as employment opportunities and gaining the acceptance of work colleagues.

Open Day will be held from 9.30am to 2pm at USC’s main campus at Sippy Downs and will have the theme ‘Rise, and shine starts here’. It is aimed at giving students all the information they need to make the most of their time at university.

Visitors will be able to inspect the campus, get questions answered, and learn more about the study programs they’re interested in by chatting one-on-one with USC academics.

They can sit in on real lectures across a wide range of disciplines to see what uni life is like, and attend information sessions that outline study programs and career opportunities.

There will also be other panel discussions that will focus on: how to choose the right university; what factors need to be considered when planning a gap year; and moves to overcome gender stereotypes in careers.

For more details about USC’s Open Day on Sunday 22 July, go to www.usc.edu.au/open-day