Danielle

Bachelor of Social Science

I had never considered Social Sciences for my University career, simply because I was not exposed to the subject at all throughout my schooling. I really only fell into a Bachelor of Social Science degree because I took the subject during Open Foundation out of curiosity – and absolutely loved it! I followed the path of majoring in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management (IRHRM) after using electives to explore three areas: IRHRM, Politics, and Media and Culture. I found the IRHRM major to be very interesting, and was pleasantly surprised by how well it integrated with the core (prescribed) courses in the Bachelor of Social Science program. Most importantly for me, this degree offered me real prospects for a strong corporate career – without a Business degree. I really wanted to take on the Social Science degree instead because I really enjoyed the courses.

A huge benefit for me with this program was the fact that a third of my courses were electives, half of which could be from anywhere within the University. I took advantage of this in three ways. Firstly, I used these courses to explore other areas when deciding on my major. Secondly, I was able to use two of my Social Science based electives to learn Auslan (Australian Sign Language), which I have always wanted to do. Finally, I was able to use any remaining electives I had to boost the business side of my education – taking on courses in ethics and basic accounting in line with my career goals.

I really feel lucky when it comes to this degree. In my final year I dedicated the first three months to applying for Graduate jobs in Human Resources. It was a lot of hard work but paid off as I got the job I wanted the most, and I am now a Human Resources Graduate with the NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA), in Sydney. It is the job of my dreams with a fantastic pay and plenty of support and development opportunities. Best of all I am already putting the skills I gained at University to use. A lot of people say that various degrees did not prepare them for real work, but I am working in the Workplace Change and Culture branch of the organisation – an area which I studied extensively both through my major, and even my prescribed courses. I use knowledge I gained at University every day and would recommend the Bachelor of Social Science degree to anyone!