Katrina

Bachelor of Social Science

As a mature-aged student I came to university primarily to learn about the world and understand the myriad of social and political contexts that determine why people/groups/countries act the way they do.  I enrolled in the Bachelor of Social Science as it appealed to this curiosity, primarily due to its focus on sociology and social research, which I supplemented with a major in Politics and Policy.  During my first undergraduate year an illumination of what I could 'be' did not manifest as I was too busy taking advantage of the elective provision and undertook subjects on world literature, which satisfied a long-held personal goal.  However, by my second year, a clearer professional direction started emerging.  With assistance from my lecturers and the Careers Service I began to understand that the curiosity which steered me to university had developed into a real, tangible vocational skill - that is, social research.  Equally important, I was also beginning to understand the immense 'saleability' of this skill (amongst others) in the job market.

As my second year drew to an end, I approached an employer for whom I had worked a few years ago and offered to do free-of-charge customer surveys.  They jumped at the chance!  Once the project was finalised they showed it to a marketing consultant who was doing some other work for them.  Appreciating my skills and understanding of research methodologies, including relevant software packages, this consultancy company asked me to do research work for them on a project-by-project basis.  I have been fortunate to work on and coordinate major global projects - all the while drawing on my skills gleaned from my studies.

I have since successfully finished my degree.  I am sure I would not have achieved great results if it were not for the focussed structure of the program, combined with a responsive and interested teaching staff.  I loved absolutely every minute and all aspects of the Bachelor of Social Science and I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone seeking a liberal education that also provides practical vocational skills.  This I can testify to, for I have just secured my dream job within the Quality Planning and Reporting unit at the University of Newcastle as a Project Officer.