WITH a stream of creativity running through his blood, it makes the 13 hour work days worth it for Cessnock's Lewis Mitchell.
The former Hunter School of the Performing Arts student lives in Sydney and works as a contemporary music producer and engineer with artists like The Kid Laroi, The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky and The Veronicas.
"I was always a very musical kid, playing in punk and metal bands and always on the guitar," the 31-year-old said.
As more than 6000 students across the Hunter sit their HSC, Mr Mitchell reflected on his time in year 11 and 12 and said that two-year period doesn't define the trajectory of your life.
"I think all young people stress around the HSC and what you are going to do next. I unfortunately had some family stuff happening at the time and I didn't do as well as I hoped, but at the same time it led me to where I am now," he said.
His "sensible" plan B was to get an ATAR high enough to study electrical engineering but when that didn't happen he opted for plan A - to chase his dreams in the music industry.
"HSPA definitely was the inception of the idea of doing this as a career, spending time in the studio, and as part of the HSC I did a TAFE course on entertainment industry music," he said.
Mr Mitchell graduated school in 2011, before moving to a backpackers hotel in Sydney the following year to take up tertiary study at JMC Academy.
He's worked at Sony Music and now contracts as a studio engineer to Universal Music, recording with famous and local artists.
"I spend a lot of time as a producer and songwriter at the moment," he said.
The young boy from Cessnock who used to play around on his guitar has worked with Travis Scott, Gang Of Youths, d4vd, Anderson .Paak, The Free Nationals, Egoism, The Lulu Raes, Jerome Farah, JOY., Stan Walker, Tim Farriss (INXS), Mitch James, 6lack, Col3trane, A.B Original, Masked Wolf, GRAACE, Delta Goodrem and Guy Sebastian - to name a few.
His advice to HSC students was to follow their passions and you'll learn along the way what you like and what you don't.
"It's the following few years where you find yourself. If you're really passionate about it and have the drive to do it, then do it," he said.
