Like many teenagers in the final years of their secondary schooling, Jessica Fearnley remembers reaching a crossroads when it came time to pick a career path.
Agricultural science, marine biology, or exercise science?
It may have been a tough decision at the time, but the choice to study a Bachelor of Rural Science at UNE is one that she hasn’t looked back on since graduating with First Class Honours in 2018.
“I just love that there are so many facets of agriculture that you can jump into,” she says.
“I’m now working with the NSW Department of Primary Industries as a development officer in temperate fruit, working mainly with cherries. I work really closely with growers and understand what challenges their facing, and use that information to design research projects into those areas. It feels like I’m able to make a difference, which I love.”
Jess spent four years at Duval College and fully immersed herself in everything university life had to offer. She says getting involved in clubs and societies and seizing academic opportunities with both hands has helped her thrive in life after university.
All these soft skills that are needed to be able to function in society properly really were developed at college.
“During my time at Duval I was lucky enough to be Senior Resident Fellow, and with those skills came communicating with people, being able to understand different perspectives and different lifestyles that people might lead, conflict management within teams; all these soft skills that are needed to be able to function in society properly really were developed at college,” she says.
“Then my technical skills really flourished when I chose to do Honours in my fourth year. It helped build my confidence in the lab and taught me how to pull together a research project.
“It also helped develop my writing skills which is something I use in my job every day. Being able to have that opportunity to write a small thesis before you enter a masters or a postgraduate degree was a really good opportunity.”
They say hard work always pays off, and for Jess, this sentiment certainly rings true. In the four years since graduating, Jess has been named a Crawford International Agricultural Student Scholar which saw her travel to Cambodia to research Insect pest management in the north western regions of the country, she has been a Centre for Entrepreneurial Agri-Technology Emerging Leader, and most recently she was named the NSW Royal Agricultural Society Rural Achiever Award. This accolade will see her go on to represent the state as the NSW Rural Ambassador in the national finals, and will open up an array of professional development opportunities.
This go-getter mindset and the willingness to try different things is something Jess recommends to students and graduates hoping to crack into the agricultural industry.
The worst thing that can happen is that you might not like it, but you’re not going to be in any worse of a position than you’re in now.
“The worst thing that can happen is that you might not like it, but you’re not going to be in any worse of a position than you’re in now,” she says.
“But if you do like it and you make some good connections, they’ll be a big help to you in the years to come.”
