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?
I studied for an undergraduate degree majoring in social science I then after working for a few years undertook a Master's degree in social work I graduated in 2017 I am currently working as a support worker.
What have been the most important stages of your life?
I went straight to university after graduating from year 12 and I wasn't sure what to study I could have enrolled in anything as my marks were so high I had a real passion for writing so I chose to study English I was going to study law however I got a job as a librarian and I needed an income. Some years later I enrolled in social work as I had a desire to help marginalised community members.
How did you get to your current (or most recent) job position and how long have you been working there?
I sent off my resume and I am overqualified for this position I have had it for two years
What made you decide to progress with further study?
I was bored with being a librarian and I wanted something more challenging I also met a lot of disadvantaged members of our community when I worked at the library. These interactions led me to see a lot of community issues. This motivated me and I wanted to help others.
How did you choose your particular further study course (compared to others)? / Were you weighing up any alternative degrees or career pathways before choosing this qualification?
I found myself struggling between considering law and I still have a real passion for the law but I felt that I would have more choice in where I worked if I did social work. I also felt that an adversarial environment in the legal profession wasn't really me. It was a difficult position but there seemed to be more jobs to choose from.
What was the process to get accepted into your course? What were the prerequisites?
I had to pay upfront for a bridging course If you apply and there aren't enough social workers in your current curriculum vitae, you will be required to do a bridging certificate. That is a separate certificate in loss and grief I absolutely loved this course as it was so well taught and I still remember the lectures.
What does your study involve? Can you describe a typical day? (if it’s difficult to describe a typical day, tell us about the last thing you worked on?)
The last thing I worked on was a research project in the field of mental health A typical day is very busy. You will find your schedule jam-packed and a lot of students find that they have to only study one or two subjects as opposed to a full-time study load.
Will this course be beneficial in your career? Where could you or others in your position go from here? Please explain your answer.
This course was beneficial to my career It does lead to a multitude of areas to work in. You can work in councils, schools, government departments and hospitals just to name a few of the options. But the key would be to find what community group you are passionate about
What do you love the most about your course?
I loved the mental health subjects and I enjoyed learning counselling which was really interesting and informative. There were so many social issues to learn about. I found other students all had an area of interest that had made them choose social work in the first place. I wasn't sure of my goal area but I knew advocacy was important to me.
What are the limitations of your course?
I think that more time practising the counselling component would have been really beneficial. There are so many techniques and theories relating to best practice. The course is very good at teaching counselling, however, it's beneficial to do as much as possible. Perhaps the ability to write government tenders could have been expanded upon.
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.