What did you study at the undergraduate level and when did you graduate? What are you studying now? Are you studying and working at the same time?
Currently, I work as a marketing and HR consultant, which I absolutely love as I get to meet new people every day whilst working from the comfort of home, whilst my children are young; it is the ultimate work-life balance. Unsure about exactly what I wanted to do. I studied a Bachelor of Arts, moved into business commerce with marketing and human resource majors and also completed a Graduate Certificate in Commerce.
The transition from school to university was paramount to my success. I left the restrictions imposed by a school setting and went from floundering to thriving, acing most subjects. I absolutely loved the university and the opportunities it afforded. Whilst studying I got my first job, which I got based on the fact I was a student, from here I was given countless opportunities that shaped my success including a stint abroad.
I have been self-employed for over 6 years. Ready to take the leap of faith and utilise the knowledge gained whilst working for others I fast realised it was the best possible thing for me.
What made you decide to progress with further study?
University was almost a natural progression. I attended a school where 99% of people went onto university. For me it wasn't a decision of whether or not I would continue to study, it was what would I study. I also wanted to ensure financial success, which at the time I believe would be aided by tertiary qualifications.
I was quite lost, hence why I opted to study for a Bachelor of Arts initially. It left my options open. I knew I liked writing and thought this path may lead me to journalism, however with a heightened commercial acumen, business, marketing and HR really stood out as courses that I wanted to follow.
The process was merely OP based (a scored system used in QLD). It was essential that I achieved a certain OP and then applied to QTAC. My application, references and score were the basis of my acceptance into the course. I don't believe there were any further prerequisites.
I am not currently studying, however, when I was studying, a typical day involved getting up at 5 am, studying for an hour before getting ready for work, going to work and then tending to coursework, online tutorials and podcasts in the evening. When I was studying full time I had a full course load of 5 subjects and attended university every day.
Will this course be beneficial in your career? Where could you or others in your position go from here? Please explain your answer.
My course has been incredibly beneficial to my career. Without it, I am unsure where I would be. The joy of having a diverse skill set and knowledge base, gained from a broad course load has allowed me to be equally skilled in HR and marketing - often people who study one of these disciplines do not have the multi-skill level that I have been afforded. I have worked as a director of marketing, head of people, manager, marketing and communications and led an award-winning agency. I am now self-employed.
I loved the diversity. I enjoyed the multidisciplinary coursework whereby courses often fed into each other. Examples of this were organisational behaviour and consumer behaviour. One marketing subject and HR subject fed into one another - consumers are people and behavioural patterns are often similar. Seeing this coursework apply to different streams within the workplace really excited me. I also loved getting to know people across diverse walks of life from accounts to economics and management.
I really do not believe there were any limitations to my course within the field in which I wanted to work. Of course, I couldn't go tomorrow and be a scientist or a nurse, however, the course equipped me with all the information necessary to excel in my career to date.
Which three pieces of advice would you give to a current undergraduate student? They don’t necessarily have to be related to your studies, or even to one’s professional life.