When I was in high school, I was so torn as to my future. I really liked the Creative Arts but also had a passion for Science. There was pressure to know what I was going to “be” in the future. If I could go back in time and give advice to myself in high school, I would say two things:
Firstly- stop stressing about the future! So much pressure is put on knowing what you want to do and having that concrete plan for success. There are always ways and means of attaining your dreams- there is no linear path to get anywhere. You may need to do a bridge here, and go a road there, but it is possible to get where you want to go. And if you don’t know where you want to go, that’s ok too! Try something, if it’s not right, try something else. Find your happiness. There are people out there that have their plan from a young age and everything it seems goes to plan. However, this isn’t always the case and may take a little longer to find.
The second thing I would say would be check out Nursing. I’m proud to now have a better appreciation for this amazing workforce and even more proud to now be joining their ranks. There is no such thing as “just a nurse”. There are so many disciplines and sub-specialties and Australia being as diverse and geographically vast as it is, there are so many exciting opportunities!
When I left school, I did complete a Science degree. After studying some business units at TAFE, I completed postgraduate study in e-health and worked in health professional education for close to ten years. To further my career in e-health, I needed to move into a clinical role. As nursing represents a major face in accepting new technology in health care, I thought it was a good place to start. I enrolled in nursing and it blew my mind what an awesome profession it truly is.
I’m proud to be a third year Bachelor of Nursing student with CQUniversity.
I chose CQUniversity initially because of the flexibility in study options. For my first semester, I was living in Sydney and worked full-time. Being able to watch lectures and study when it suited me allowed me to maintain a study-life-work balance. I then moved to the northern end of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland to pursue my studies full-time. I kept my enrolment as a distance student as it allowed me to be more flexible with my time. The clinical labs were all condensed down into a few days in residential schools, rather than a weekly session, and I could do the course work at any time during the day. This flexibility not only saved me time and money in not having to drive into campus, but also allowed me to be employed on a part-time basis.
When making my plan to study, I decided to do a semester at CQU then change universities when I moved state. After my first semester, I changed my plan. I found CQU fantastic. Not only was the administrative and academic team approachable as well as knowledgeable, they knew how to do online study well. The support in place for new students was above and beyond what I had previously experienced.
I’m now a few months off graduation and am in the process of applying for my graduate year. I’m very excited about the future. When I was in high school, I had no idea I’d one day become a Nurse. All the study and things I have experienced in the meantime will not go to waste, more so it will make me a better Nurse. If you’re in high school, or even beyond, and don’t know what you want to be, don’t stress! Do things that you enjoy, keep trying and you will get to where you need to go… even if you don’t know where that is yet.
If you aspire to become a Nurse or you’re still considering your options, join us at our Noosa Information Session on Tuesday, 6 September from 6 pm.
