For working mum Tracey Carr, studying at university has always been on her bucket list, but until now, life has taken her on a different path.
“I got accepted into the course of my choice at the end of Year 12 and took a gap year, and then it wasn’t long before I turned 40 and realised, I was still on that gap year.”
With a large family and a successful, full-time career working in local government, she says the idea of adding study into the mix has always been daunting.
So, when Tracey’s employer offered her the support to upskill and study online she grasped the opportunity with both hands.
“I decided to enrol in an Undergraduate Certificate in Professional Development through UNE Tamworth at the start of last year,” she says.
“While 12 months was still significant, it wasn’t a huge commitment and I thought it would give me a good indication of whether I could actually manage to study and work full time while parenting.”
I’ve never taken time out of my life to just focus on me and think about what am I good at, what do I want to be good at, and how I can make those things work together.
With the chance to study units like Communication for Business, Developing Your Professional Preparation, and Innovation in Business, Tracey says the content that she learnt over the year, especially in the Professional Preparation unit, has not only benefited her at work, but has also helped her grow as a person.
“I’ve never taken time out of my life to just focus on me and think about what am I good at, what do I want to be good at, and how I can make those things work together,” she says.
“It was really nice to be able to spend 10 to 12 hours a week where all I thought about was me, and what can I do.”
With the support of her employer and her loved ones, Tracey’s transition into study was smoother than she expected. She says while her family was a big part of this, the help she received from the team at UNE Tamworth played a big role, despite COVID-19 lockdowns putting a spanner in works during the year.
“Everybody was warm, welcoming and supportive, and it was just a fantastic experience. We had a few COVID lockdowns while I was studying, which meant we couldn’t go in and access the centre quite as often as we would in normal circumstances, but despite this, they continued to support us with regular check-ins and gave us useful tips about using the online resources.”
Tracey says while she knows she would have taken the plunge and studied eventually, having this support close to home made the decision much easier. She thinks facilities such as these are vital to empower more working women, particularly in rural and regional areas, to invest in their education and carve out the future they have always envisioned for themselves.
Having the building there takes away a barrier and gives you a sense of security, especially when you haven’t studied at a tertiary level before and you’re not familiar with how it all works.
“If UNE Tamworth wasn’t there, I would probably have still studied at some point, but I would have had to think long and hard about it first,” she says.
“Having the building there takes away a barrier and gives you a sense of security, especially when you haven’t studied at a tertiary level before and you’re not familiar with how it all works. Just knowing that there are people there and there’s zero judgement is really helpful, and to have nothing but kindness, openness and support right there is a huge a benefit.”
As for what’s next for Tracey, it’s full steam ahead. She says her positive experience has given her the confidence to take the plunge and enrol in a Bachelor of Organisational Leadership at UNE.
“I’ve been looking at that course for about three years now and have always talked myself out of it, but after doing my undergraduate certificate last year, I’m now really confident that I can complete it,” she says.
“I feel like I’ve taken the first step into the later part of my life by moving back into the study I should have done when I was younger.”
