If you’re not happy – make a change

Claudia Anderson a 21-year-old Newcastle University student studying a Bachelor of Architecture has recently decided to change her life completely. After 2 years of her degree, she will now defer architecture and go travelling overseas expressing that she was “just not happy”.

 

“I was under the impression that everything would be smooth sailing and that I would have a newfound motivation by actually picking what interested me to study, but sadly that wasn’t the case,” Claudia said.

 

As the university year is coming to an end, many realise that this may not be the path they want or need. However, the decision to leave or to continue at university cannot be rushed. University can seem like the only option but realistically it is only one of the paths that can be taken for your life choice.  

 

The feeling of being stuck or unhappy is a common emotion in a university student. In a student experience survey, it was seen that 19 per cent of undergraduate students indicated that they had considered leaving their institution in 2021.

 

However, this isn’t the case for DJ, he is 25 years old and completed his physiotherapy degree in 4 years and never looked back saying “it was the happiest years of my life”.

 

Circumstances such as his sporting lifestyle and UAC applications led DJ to choose his degree in physiotherapy, showing that DJ thought about his degree for a while.

 

“When I finished High school, it just seemed to be the right option for the lifestyle I wanted to achieve,” DJ said.

He wanted to pursue his career in sports while learning how to help others with their rugby injuries.

 

“I think to this day that it was the best decision of my life,” DJ said.

 

DJ is currently enjoying his career in physiotherapy but would like to investigate different areas to expand his knowledge in psychology. He expressed interest in going back to university for this however wanted to find other ways of achieving this goal.

 

Claudia also thought that the right option was the degree she chose. She based her degree decision on her creative strengths, but now her creative strengths can and will be used elsewhere.

 

“I have always been interested in architecture and how it is a combined effort between the client, designer, and limitations of the council, it was like a puzzle that I wanted to help solve,” Claudia said.

 

Claudia is still interested in this as a career however just believes she can find a better course that suits her life.

 

“Degrees aren’t what you expect, and people change, well I definitely changed,” Claudia said.

 

Around 1.5 million students aged 15-74 had not completed the non-school qualification they were enrolled in during 2020, there were also 198,000 students (13%) who had deferred or dropped out of their studies; that is, they had not completed a course they were enrolled in during 2020 and they were not studying in 2021. (Australian Bureau of Statistics)

 

“I just think that my life has shifted, and my values have changed, so I would like to follow that feeling in my gut,” Claudia said.

 

She also explained that she felt like her life never stopped, “I was either working or in class studying,” Claudia said.

 

These feelings are common as most young Australians aged 15-24 years were doing some work or study, or a combination of both: 81% were fully engaged in work and/or study (that is, working full-time, studying full-time, or both working and studying), and a further 10% were partially engaged (part-time work or study).

 

The statistics are heavily concerned with the expectation of a university being the norm in society at the ages of 15-24. There can be a lot of pressure on students. In high school parents heavily suggest university as they think a degree will help their child get a job more easily, but that isn’t the case in this society.

 

The expectation was enforced in primary school, high school, and home lifestyle from a young age. Claudia explained that the main question that she was asked were “what are you studying at university?" Or "when are you going to university?”

 

“I never allowed myself to think of any other path because my father’s university experience was very linear, and it seemed like it was the only viable option to live prosperously,” Claudia said.

 

DJ agreed and explained that "it seemed if you went to university, you were intelligent but if you didn’t you were seen as stupid".

 

“Which is the dumbest thing ever I think,” DJ said.

 

“University seemed to be what everyone told you was the only path, but I’ve definitely concluded that it isn’t. I know people that have left university and are now making more money than I do with a full degree behind me,” DJ said.

 

In 2021 out of all applicants who received offers, 13,999 or 8.4 per cent deferred their offer according to the Australian Government, Department of Education’s statistics. Showing that many do choose the option of deferring however maybe more should.

 

Claudia also referred to her gap year where she deferred her offer to travel saying, “I never got to go travelling in my gap year, I tried to but covid happened, so maybe that’s why I never felt university was the right thing for me”.

 

Gap years are meant to help people decide what they really want to do but maybe they just delay the inevitable.

 

DJ didn’t have a gap year but heavily suggested it might be a good idea.

 

 “Take a gap year, take the time, we’re on a floating rock so you have time to decide what you want to do,” DJ said.

 There was a 1.4 per cent decrease in the applicants that accepted their offer in 2021. This means people are starting to branch out and discover different paths that work better for their life.

From my personal experience, I agree that taking time is the best decision. I spent my gap year working three jobs in my hometown Tamworth. It wasn’t the prettiest or the most fun gap year, but I was trying to save money for my university degree. I am currently in my second year of a Bachelor of Communication and loving it because I can see the path I want for my life.

  

Despite Claudia and DJ having different experiences with the university lifestyle, they both still suggest that life has a reason for the path you are on, this path can be university, TAFE, a job or travelling it doesn’t matter.

 

Claudia said, “I believe that I gave this pathway a go, it hasn’t worked out the way I planned it would, but it has allowed me to discover new passions and desires within my future career”.

 

DJ agrees, saying, “I think that everything in your life is a part of the path, and it leads to all sorts of ways depending on where you take it”.