Students in Focus
30 is the new 20: How Tessa Scanlan is unlocking new doors as a mature-aged student
A tertiary education program is challenging enough in itself. Now imagine combining it with working full-time and being a mother to two young children – that’s what º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ student Tessa Scanlan is currently doing in the hopes of unlocking more doors in her career.
It’s a challenge, but one she’s enjoying.
“I started this journey in 2021 – I work in a legal-related field in the Australian Public Service, and while it intrigued me, I was looking for options to further my knowledge in the space,” Tessa says.
Tessa looked into further studies, but the gap from when she graduated from school meant that she didn’t have a current ATAR that she could use – and her current work wasn’t directly related to what she wanted to study, so she couldn’t complete a work portfolio to aid her entry.
“I found out that offered a . They also offered flexible study options, so I figured … why not,” she says.
“It was the perfect re-entry point for me, because it had been a while since I had studied anything academically, so this was good way to get my head around everything again and remember how to actually study – like writing essays, doing assignments, doing readings, all of that stuff.”
With a full-time job and motherhood duties, Tessa took full advantage of the course’s flexibility. She was able to study at her own pace, and after about a year and a half, obtained her Certificate.
During that time, Tessa’s experience at CIT further reinvigorated her thirst for knowledge and led her to decide that she was ready to pursue further studies.
“My time at CIT was also a test for me – was that spark of interest real, and was it worth pursuing something bigger? Or was it just something I could read a bit about, and be satisfied?” she says.
“Well, it turned out that I really enjoyed it, and I wanted to go more in depth.”
With her knowledge of the pathways from CIT to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, Tessa decided to enroll in º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ’s Bachelor of Laws (LLB) program. Through this pathway, she was able to get credits from her CIT studies to count towards her º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ degree.
Aside from the credit transfer, she chose º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ because of the flexibility it offered.
“I’m studying part-time, two units per semester, and some in Winter Terms. I often attend classes and tutorials at night, whereas other universities have more rules around schedules and face-to-face learning that just wouldn’t work for me at this point in my life,” she says.
The LLB program at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ also built on Tessa’s learnings at CIT, with units at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ offering a deeper dive into certain concepts and topics. She enjoyed working closely with tutors and lecturers, which made for immersive engagement with subjects.
Through it all, Tessa’s academic journey with both institutions has helped her a lot in her current job.
“I interact with a lot of lawyers in my day-to-day, so having a similar knowledge base and skills has helped my understanding and made those interactions a lot more efficient,” she says.
“I feel more knowledgeable, and my skills – and the speed at which I process things – have improved to the point that I’ve managed to land a promotion since I’ve started my journey.”
As Tessa continues on her path, she would like to encourage others to never think it’s too late to start on something that sparks interest.
“Sometimes you get to this point in life, when you think the ship has sailed on your chances for doing something that you're passionate about,” she says.
“But that’s not the case. There are avenues available if you really want to give it a go. I found something that I enjoyed, I took a small bite of it – and now I’m doing even more, really enjoying what I’m doing, and having the flexibility to fit everything important to me into my life.”
Words by Mike Verzosa, photos by Tyler Cherry.