You know it's exam time when the sunshine's calling your name, but you can't go out and enjoy it till you've studied for another hour! Ka-plunk. Talk about a reality check! Mid and end-of-year exams have never been fun times for anyone. The good news? You WILL forget about the pain of exams once you've finished school and study. The not-so-good news? When you're in career mode, the times of pressure you're experiencing now will be replaced with things like work ethic, communication skills, key performance indicators (KPIs) and - in the GF team's case - deadlines! All of a sudden exams don't sound too bad, eh?!

The endless reading and the pressure to remember everything gets us all worked up about the 'E' word, but this month in GF you'll get some wicked study tips, starting from page 38. Hey, if we can remember each and every chapter of the entire Twilight book series, exactly who won each category at the Teen Choice Awards, and know the lyrics to every single song on the NZ charts right now, how hard can it be to memorise a few text books?! If only exam papers were presented in a fun way - like Girlfriend - then they'd be a better read, and we'd take everything in. I think I'm onto something here...

Obviously, subjects you enjoy are much more fun to study for, and the chances are pretty high that you'll ace the exams too! It's a similar scenario when it comes to career choices - it's important to do what you enjoy. When you're a bit older you'll spend about 40 hours a week working (that's longer than your weekly school hours, yikes), so you should choose a career that you're passionate about. The professionals reckon you should identify your values (what you believe in) and look at your skills and talents (what you enjoy doing). Example A: If you're a technical genius and enjoy problem solving computer science, IT or engineering may be enjoyable for you. Get the idea?

There's no way we can predict what GF readers will grow up to be and do. But I do know something for sure - you'll be fabulous. I hope to meet you along the way.

Work it, girl!

Pamela, GF editor x