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uniquepathways-blog · 6 years

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What is a Unique Pathway?

Nearly 7 years ago, I finished my last day of year 12, without any idea of what exactly the next step for me was. I was also trying to comprehend how the last 2.5 years of incredible change had effected me.

At the end of year 10, I had decided I wanted to complete the VET Cabin Crew Course, the first of its kind. With a family business in travel and a passion for travel, it was perfect. My high school at the time would not allow me to complete this course as it was a full day out of school on a Wednesday, meaning I would miss other classes, something I knew I could make up with the right scheduling. I made the decision to ask my parents to support me and help find another school that would allow me to do this while catering to a variety of other needs. With 2 weeks left of the school year, there was only one school that would allow me to do so. This school was different to what I had ever experienced. I had always been at private or catholic schools with small class sizes, small overall school sizes and support around the clock. This was a public high school with over 300 girls in my year level alone and not enough teachers to be able to provide the support each student need. I was confident this would not effect my grades or my ability to enjoy school.

The first year of the cabin crew course was fantastic. I made life long friends and learnt so much more in that year. I was able to see and engage with people from all walks of life, something that helped me understand life a lot better. Unfortunately, the new school, even though they supported my Wednesday at the course, wasn’t for me. It was hard to make more than a couple of friends, I found my will to be at school decreasing by the day and we made the decision to move, again, for year 12. This was to ensure I could achieve the potential I had and feel comfortable and supported every day. One of the life long friends I made at the cabin crew course went to a small private school where I moved to. This was the best decision to make as it has left me with a group of friends I could never see my life without, I achieved a fantastic VCE result, felt part of a community (still to this day) and still was able to see out my cabin crew course. My parents whole heartedly supported me through all of this as I had no fear in trying to achieve all that I had potential too.

Although these 2.5 years of decisions prior to leaving school had changed my life forever, it would be the next 4 years that would rival this. My initial plan was to do what everyone else was doing and go straight to uni. I was (and hopefully still am!) quite smart and if I put my mind to it, can achieve anything. I wanted to go to the University of Melbourne and study Commerce. In a turn of events, it seemed the rest of Melbourne in my year level did too and for the first time in 15 years, my ATAR was too low (by less than a percentage point) to be accepted. I would have secured a place in each of those previous 15 years. I accepted the Arts degree at Melbourne and then set my sights on finding a part time job to get my Dad off my back.

There was a job for a reservations agent at a wholesale travel company that my Mum utilised and she also was familiar with their sales team, I applied for this job and got it. A week before my 18th birthday, I was employed, full time. I certainly wasn’t expecting it but I absolutely loved it. I learnt so much about life, myself and my passion, travel, within a few months. I booked the New York holiday of my dreams about 9 months into this job and enjoyed every cent that I had earned those previous 9 months.

It was the week that I got back from this trip that I did something that would forever change my life. There was an expression of interest from our sister company in Los Angeles for a reservations agent role. I knew I had to develop my skills before going back to university (as I had deferred to the following year), so I applied, to increase my job interview and personal skills.

These skills must have already been quite high as I was successful and would be moving to Los Angeles just after I turned 19.

I think moving overseas, with work, at such a young age was ideal. I didn’t know enough about adult life or think too much into it so I just said yes and went with the flow. I ended up living in Los Angeles for two years, I worked so hard and was the highest selling reservations agent within a month. I travelled across the US/Canada and Mexico, I made life long friends (one of which I was a bridesmaid for in her wedding this May) and came back one of the best versions of myself I could have ever imagined.

I know you’re probably thinking, UNI?! When did that happen?

If it was up to me, at 19 and living in Los Angeles, it would have never happened.

But with these things, there’s always a higher, more experienced power, to make decisions.

What I’m about to say, happened, yes, this happened.

I was playing basketball with some kids in LA and my phone rang. An Australian number. I have elderly grandparents so every Australian number was answered, in fear, to be honest.

“Hi Christine, it’s ***** calling from Swinburne University” Me – “Hi… how can I help you?”

I truly thought it was a spam call. However, it was not, the call ended up being a certain relative of mine (Dad) had called Swinburne Online and enrolled me to start in the next teaching period (in about 2 weeks) my Bachelor of Business. He’d kindly left my Major up to me.. so nice of him. If it was up to him, it would’ve been accounting. An argument we had over those 2 weeks.

I was enrolled in one of the first teaching periods with Swinburne Online and the only stipulation about being overseas was that I had to do 1 semester in Australia. This was fine as I knew I’d be home within 2-3 years.

I started my university degree, while working full time and living overseas. I got sick when I was in LA and deferred a semester which counted as a withdrawn fail. Looking back, especially when last year I was very unwell and managed to finish, pass (even with HDs) 3 units (I usually do 2 a semester), I should’ve just kept swimming.

As I’m writing this blog post, I’m just over a week until I finish my last exam ever (maybe ever) and will have completed my degree.

I have had 2 lots of major surgery, worked full time including a job that I just resigned from that impacted me in ways I could have never imagined and have managed to pass every single unit, most with D or HDs. I put these scores down to the fact that working ‘in the real world’ teaches you a lot more than you can imagine. Working in roles such as my last two (Product Development and Marketing) teaches you how to translate something in a textbook, to real life and then translate it back to be able to complete your assignments and exams.

I would not have been able to secure my current job, where I am the youngest by far and over qualified compared to my peers, without doing these two things (working and studying) hand in hand. If I had just worked, I wouldn’t have the technical knowledge to create a bigger picture and if I had just studied, I wouldn’t have had the ‘real life’ knowledge to be able to succeed so quickly and confidently.

Everyone is different, and that’s why at Unique Pathways, we will talk through more than just my experience and experiences of those who have completed degrees straight after school due to their field. I will also talk about how these pathways are different in other countries and the possibilities you can explore when choosing to study overseas.

As you can see by my experience, things change in a moment, your pathway is your choice.

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