The sneaky way to get a head start on your career

Studying at uni and want to skip ahead of your class? You can launch your career sooner with this clever move.

Andy Beales

Studying at uni and want to skip ahead of your class? You can launch your career sooner with this clever move.

Traditionally, uni students complete their final exams then dive into the job-seeking

pool with countless others who are all vying for the same positions at the same time.

But there is a way to get a jump on the competition and begin building your career,

right now.

If you study on-campus, making the switch to a flexible online study option means

you can tailor your course to suit your schedule, so you can go after your dream job

now and work your studies in around it. Plus, combining study with industry-specific

experience will get you a big thumbs-up from potential employers.

Psychologist and career expert Suzie Plush says getting experience in your industry

while still at uni means you’re developing key skills, broadening your knowledge, and

showing employers how keen you are.

“It will give you practical experience. Sometimes when you’re studying, you can get

all the theoretical experience, but not the practical experience, so this way, it’s much

more balanced,” she says. “It also shows enormous capacity, drive, motivation and

time-management skills. And that you’re organised and adaptable – these are all huge

ticks for employers.”

Victoria, 23, was studying a Bachelor of Arts with a focus on creative writing and

english at Macquarie University in Sydney when she took an internship with book

publisher Hachette. Upon completing the internship and before starting her final

semester at uni, Hachette offered her a full time job.

“Macquarie had off-campus study options available, but not for my degree,” she says. “It was too good an opportunity to pass up, so I had to make it work somehow.” Victoria found Macquarie offered the subjects she needed to complete her degree online through Open Universities Australia (OUA). “Without OUA, I had to choose either the job or my degree, but this way, I got both.”

Victoria was hired as a product coordinator and has since been promoted to product

executive.

“[Studying and working full-time] was a lot of work but it was really satisfying, and

the semester I studied through OUA turned out to be one of my highest-performing

semesters. Having the ability to do all my studies online was great because everything

was so accessible and they make it so simple to get things done. If I ever had a

problem, I could call someone and they’d help me straight away.”

Plush says that while it’s possible to undertake full-time commitments to both study

and work for a short period like Victoria did, she recommends looking at all your

options to make sure your workload is manageable.

“If you’re working full-time and studying full-time, you can only really sustain that

for a little while. So if you do follow that path, keep checking in on how you’re

managing,” she says. “Because studying online is a tailored solution, there are many other options to consider too, like studying full-time and working part-time or vice versa. And you can take a break from your studies or switch up your work and study load any time you like. When studying online, it’s easy to fit your uni work in with your life and job because you aren’t tied to a set timetable. It gives you the flexibility to create your own path, in a way that works for you.”

If working in your industry and studying at the same time isn’t an option for you,

OUA also offers multiple study terms each year, rather than the standard two university semesters available on-campus. This means you can still get an edge on your classmates by studying online with leading unis during the extra periods and graduating ahead of your class.

Enrolments for OUA’s next study term close on November 18, so now is the time to

enrol in online subjects to speed up your studies, or open the door to working and

studying at the same time.

Get a head start on your career. For 25 years, Open Universities Australia has enabled students to study online with leading Australian unis and fast track their way to graduation. Explore your options at open.edu.au or call a friendly student advisor on 13 OPEN.