Robert's Story

As someone who had never participated in mainstream education, having been homeschooled, Robert’s pathway to university was somewhat unconventional. Although Robert’s parents had both been educated in the public school system, they felt that homeschooling would offer their three children a higher standard of learning, with their mother acting as their primary educator. As the oldest of three brothers, Robert was the first to decide against completing his Higher School Certificate, feeling that subjecting himself to the additional pressures would detract from his educational enjoyment. Although this meant that he was left without an ATAR, Robert had always envisioned becoming an architect, initially planning on gaining entry to the University of Newcastle by way of a Special Tertiary Admissions Test. However, the closer he came to pursuing this educational path, he began to think that his natural talents would be more suited to a career in engineering.

Keen to commence university studies in engineering, Robert stumbled across Newstep, a pathways program like Open Foundation but for younger adults, and enrolled with great anticipation; his decision paving the way for younger brothers James and Ben who also did Newstep as an entry pathway for their university studies. When asked to reflect on his experience in Newstep, Robert tells that the program served as a crucial stepping stone for his tertiary studies.

It provided confidence going into the degree itself … It gave me that one year to really perfect my academic technique, my studying skills, note taking, all of the things that are actually important for university. 

Following completion of Newstep in 2015 with outstanding results, in fact topping the cohort that year, Robert recalls “the joyous relief” his mother had when he gained acceptance into his undergraduate degree. Robert then spent the next five years undertaking a double degree in Civil Engineering and Surveying, again achieving exceptionally high grades. As testament to his hard work, Robert was awarded a Faculty Medal and also received several university awards throughout his degree. Robert is also proud of his role as a mentor to commencing engineering students in the latter years of his degree, sharing his insights on what it takes to succeed in undergraduate study, and also his work as a tutor for the first-year general course that all engineering students have to complete. It’s clear that Robert has a lot to offer others, highly organised, confident in his skills, an excellent student all round.

During his degree, Robert also undertook an industry placement as a surveyor with a large mining company. Although this placement was highly beneficial for Robert’s career readiness, he realised that he preferred engineering over surveying. Towards the end of his third year, Robert gained employment as an undergraduate engineer with a multi-national engineering consultancy with offices in Newcastle, a company for which he is still employed, working as a Civil Engineer specialising in roads and transport. Following the completion of his first degree, Robert has gone on to complete both a Graduate Certificate and a Masters in Project Management for the Built Environment, regarding these additional studies as essential for “developing key skills to further my career as a professional engineer in project management”.

Story by Isabel Whittle

Photos by Visual Communication Design student, Kristen Zahra

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