The biggest question we ask ourselves before we start thinking about which course to take is:
Is this the RIGHT course for ME!!!
The answer is not a simple black and white one. however I can provide some guides as to how to make the process simple for you. In my time of working in education and also being a student too is that the trouble with finding courses is knowing that you are enrolled into the right one or was there another course or Institute that offered a better option for me…. after all will this qualification I am about to do be sufficient enough for my job or career I want to pursue.
One of the golden rules I have used when talking to students about courses has been to ask the student is what is their end goal, what is it that you are trying to achieve?
Point One: Once you established that, then work backwards. Know your Career options, know what the market is like for job potential first. If there are a million jobs in the industry you want to go in or only one job available don’t let this put you off your game, it just means that there is a little more effort when it comes to finding that job.
Point Two: From here research is the key, find out what is available out there. If you want to study in a particular location for whatever reason then find out if the course you have is available, you will be surprised as to what is our there. my website and free service to students to register and use, www.studyfinder.com.au is a great tool designed to help eliminate the frustration in finding what options are out there. Just like some companies have helped the travel industry, insurance industry and even the Hotel accommodation industry, my company does exactly what these others do for Education.
Point Three: Once you have established your courses options, review what each of the courses offer, key things to look for are; duration of the course, fees, intake dates, level of the qualification, entry requirements (check this, very important), any prerequisites required, delivery of the course (online, via distance learning or classroom type delivery or a combination of all three), funding available (VET Fee help, Fee Help, Austudy, ABStudy, Scholarships, apprenticeships or even sponsorships) and finally read what the course is all about. Once this is done then it is simply choosing the right course and enrolling.
……….. BUT WAIT!!!! ……… There is more……
It is not that simple or is it? Again I can’t say if the course you pick will be the one or not. One thing to remember regardless of your current situation, if you are a student, return to work parent, employed, unemployed, travelling or retired remember this, I shall share with you some key words: PATHWAYS, RPL (recognition of prior learning), Credit Processing and Work Based training (WBT).
These are some things to think about for anyone wanting to get back into a course. If you are currently working or have worked in a similar industry to the course you want to get into check with the Education Provider you are looking into about RPL, WBT and see about trying to get some of those units/subjects credited which would be great right? Why?
Work Based training is great as you get the work experience as part of you working within your course. Just like an apprenticeship/ traineeship. This helps get a foot in the door sometimes.
Credits will reduce your time on the course = fast tracking your way thru and the best part is $$$$$ saving money on fees. However as a side note please check with the Education Provider on an admin or processing fee to do this.
Pathways, this is not something you physically walk or run on, this is merely the path you may take from say a Certificate to Diploma to Undergraduate Degree to PostGrad Degree to PHD….and anything in between. Pathways are a great way to see how you can extend your studies from what you may be doing now. Again this is a good way to look for credits too when extending into another qualification, again check the requirements with the Education provider.
Education Provider right around Australia are actively getting into pathways with each other from Private Colleges, TAFEs and Universities. The idea is great for students, and can sometimes make an Education Provider look like a specialist in some areas too. This is a little trick though don’t think that doing a Certificate in say Graphic Design will get you entry into a Bachelor of Nursing course. Again most courses do have entry requirements and some have prerequisites too.
One thing I learnt from leaving school, now I went to school in NZ but this applies to anywhere in the world, was that I was told by my advisor back in the 1990′s was that I had to go to University if I was to get a decent job. So once I finished my final year I applied to University and off I went to do a Bachelor of Business. Some courses were great and some were completely horrible. I spent 4 years at University happy and miserable thinking am i going to get a cool paying job for Coke, Adidas, Nike or a TV company. When I left University I went looking for a job, to my realisation that not all jobs required a degree to get in the door, a new concept was taking place – Work Experience! and some people had not completed a degree but a thing called a Diploma… What the!
How could this be?
This is where I stress highly to people still confused about what it is you want to do. Don’t lock yourself into a course which may take 3-4 years maybe more to complete if you are not 100% sure it is something you want to do. If you feel you are not sure – try a diploma or certificate first, then use this qualification to proceed into the next qualification. Look for the “pathways” to other qualifications or Education Providers. This is one I found on the web: www.idea.edu.au promoting their links to USQ, Swinburne Uni of Tech, CQ Uni and La Trobe Uni. It’s courses lead onto undergraduate courses at these institutes with a variety of credits applied.
Now this statement may not please the Universities and looks like it is aimed at TAFEs and Private Colleges, the idea is not aimed for this whatsoever. The idea is to make you aware that once you have a taste of a course in an area of study you like, then great use it to go onto Uni and do the undergraduate course. Remember to see about gaining credits too along the way…the shorter you can do the course the better. Again Uni is not for everyone, and some courses do provide the work placement or experience which is a real bonus too especially when it comes to employment and employers can see you have work experience and qualification to someone with just a qualification.
One thing to remember Institutes promote their graduate and intake numbers not their student drop out numbers. This is something I am passionate about rectifying. Reducing the drop out rate! However some times the drop out is due to circumstances outside the Education Providers control and this will always be around, but currently the drop out rate is about 30-40% in the first 6 months of an undergraduate course. If the rate was down around the 10-20% then this would be more acceptable.
However again please note some areas of study you will need to enter into the Undergraduate program as a minimum requirement to actually getting a job in your desired interest. i.e. Law, Medicine, Nursing, Education of just a few to mention. Don’t be afraid of what is out there on offer.
After working in both the University sector and also the Private College sector I have seen many a student come thru those doors looking dazed and confused and possibly a little tired from the great weekend just had….but remember you are not alone and there is help out there to guide you through it. This might seem a lot of information to consider, but put it in perspective do you want to spend 3 years at a cost of $40,000 to only drop out and never use any of that on your dream job…???? I don’t think so.
So recapping what I have talked about:
- Establish what it is you want to achieve. What is your end goal?
- Research your courses options, remember there are more options out there than you expect, try Uni’s, TAFEs, Private Colleges
- Know what the course is about
- Talk to the Education Provider or a Career Advisor if you need more information, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
- Look at pathways and Credit processes – reduce time and fees
- Enjoy your course!
Good luck and if you need to contact me to talk more you can email me personally on: mlock@studyfinder.com.au
Loaded Web Australia
