What did you study at undergraduate level and when did you graduate? What are you studying now? Are you studying and working at the same time?
I have studied Bachelors in Agricultural Science in India. Currently, I am enrolled in the Masters of Agricultural Science. I graduated in June-2018. Right now, As I am a full-time student, it's hard to find a part-time job according to your timetable.
What have been the most important stages of your life?
I took school education at one of the best educational institutes in the town. As I was interested in farming since childhood, I took Agricultural course for further study. After Bachelors, I was looking for higher studies for specialization. So, I went abroad for higher studies for better education along with some working experience. I had so many options but with a view to the best living city and a great education, I choose Melbourne. And right now, I am having a wonderful experience here at Melbourne.
How did you get to your current (or most recent) job position and how long have you been working there?
I am not doing any type of job regularly. I just prefer Casual Online job which gives me good pay along with an increase in my knowledge. For this task, I asked many of my friends, googled it and also looked at Quora. So, more or less I get many tasks which suit me and gives me a good pay rate.
What made you decide to progress with further study?
During my bachelor's, I visited many farmers. When I looked at their position in Farming, I felt very bad as they were struggling with farming practices. So, I thought that as I have an opportunity to try to change the position of the farmers by doing further studies and some research, then I should do that. This motivation was enough for me to enrol in higher studies.
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?
In my Master's coursework, I had many streams for specialization. But I chose Crop Production for a reason that most of the farmers are struggling with the growing of the crop. So, it is the only field in today's era, which needs more concentration in Agriculture. Moreover, I had a lot of interest in this subject too. That's why I chose this particular stream.
What was the process to get accepted into your course? What were the prerequisites?
A student must have a background from an Agricultural family. One should possess an honours degree in Agriculture is beneficial for this course. Minimum of First class during Bachelors is a must. Bachelors degree must be obtained from approved universities from the Australian government. The requirement of English Test Bands was also a major criterion. Your family should be rich enough to pay University fees as well as your living costs in case you don't get a job.
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?)
Particularly, the Area of study varies according to the subjects. Like in Soil Science, we had a field trip to the nearer village of Melbourne for 1 day. In Statistics, we learn all the analysis and balance sheets and all. Breeding programmes are also considered frequently to increase the knowledge of breeding. In one subject, we are taught how to communicate with others when we are in the field. Thus, various subjects give various types of knowledge.
Will this course be beneficial in your career? Where could you or others in your position go from here? Please explain your answer.
Yes absolutely. A master's degree in agricultural science will be worth a lot in the future because the need for food is never gonna be ending. So, the world will need more and more agriculturist as they are the only one who knows how can we produce the best food with minimum effort. An Agriculturist have a chance to take place in the Government body of any country and work for farmers. This can be a major plus point for us as we can earn a good amount of money by helping others
What do you love the most about your course?
This course gives me a chance to interact with farmers. Know their problems and try to solve them at our level of knowledge. It also teaches us to do hard work by which we can remain fit. Sometimes, we get blessings from farmers by helping them. Developing new varieties is the dream of an agriculturist. Thus, from studying each subject to working in a field, I love every moment.
What are the limitations of your course?
Hard work- this can be the most limiting factor for students. It's not everyone's cup of tea to work under the sunlight during noon for hours. Secondly, it's the subject of interest. A person may lose his interest after enrolling in the course due to boring lectures and all. To develop a new variety, It may take 5 to 10 years. So, it's a matter of patience too. Thus, this course also has some limitations.
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.