Why I wish I enrolled in uni as a mature-aged student

Why I wish I enrolled in uni as a mature-aged student

When I finished high school, I made the choice to jump head-first into a degree. To be perfectly honest, while I wasn’t 100% sure on what I wanted to do after school, I mainly went because I was even less sure about what to do if I didn’t. Hindsight is 20/20 of course, but if I had my time again, I think I would have waited a couple of years before committing to uni, so I could have entered as a mature-age student, and here’s why:

I know more about what I want to do now

One of the things I wish I’d done more before starting my career was gaining work experience in fields I was interested in. I only started doing work experience directly related to my PR & Advertising degree in my final year of university – which happened to be around the time that I realised I wasn’t particularly interested in working in either PR or advertising. In fact, my first job ended up being in television scheduling, and it took several years working in different industries before I found an area I was passionate about and that matched my skills.

If I’d taken a couple of years to explore my options, I could have picked a degree or program that more closely matched the industry I’m in now – saving me some time (and some student debt as well!). Having completed courses through universities as an adult, knowing that my learning is going to apply directly to something I’m interested in keeps me far more motivated to commit to my studies.

I’m more deliberate with my time

Being young and trying to balance work, study and social life can be pretty challenging. You’re simultaneously told that these are the years to live without burden or obligation, whilst simultaneously being expected to prioritise your studies and take initiative with your time. While it works for some, as you can guess, it didn’t work out so well for me.

Ironically, now that I have more structure, less time, and some maturity to boot, I’m far more able to sit down and study efficiently and effectively. In fact, the UNE states on its mature entry page that mature-aged students are far more likely to excel in their studies because they’re able to take a more disciplined approach to study and bring their prior experiences with them to their degrees, giving them an advantage over their younger peers.

I can make a more informed decision

There’s never been a better time to research a career I’m interested in, from the day-to-day experience working in the field, to pathways and opportunities for future progression and upskilling. When I’m researching my next career move, I can consult social media sites, readily-available industry reports, AI tools and more to give me a clearer picture of what the future may hold.

Recently I also tried out UNE’s Future of Work Tool, where they collaborated with world-leading firm Accenture to combine industry data with machine learning to generate role-specific reports that gave me insights into my skillset and how it was going to be affected by future industry and technological trends.

Having this information at my fingertips would have helped me create a degree program that was future-ready, rather than simply guessing what may be in-demand in a few years’ time.

It’s never been better or easier to study online

When I went to university, online education was mostly considered an afterthought, and the quality of online resources was typically up to individual course convenors. Some provided extensive support and great resources, while others seemed indifferent to whether you were able to make it in for a lecture or not.

These days, universities place a greater emphasis on providing online and distance education. With a cohort that’s mostly online (and mature-aged), UNE is leading the charge in this space, with fully-online course programs, 24/7 online tutor support, and decades of experience providing distance education. If I’d waited a little longer before choosing to study at university, I could have studied with more flexibility in my schedule, helping me balance my work and home responsibilities.

I can’t have my time again, but with a few years’ experience under my belt and a bit more research about what’s available to me to help me make decisions, I can pretty safely say that being a mature-aged student is a great option if you’re looking to take your next career step! If you’re interested in learning more about mature-aged study at UNE, head to une.edu.au for more information.