Changing career focus works

Three great graduates cover

Studying can feel like a huge commitment of time and money, particularly when you’re not sure if you are going down the right career path.  But - once you get underway - you’ll be surprised how much opportunity there is to branch into other areas and roles.

A big part of your tertiary study and career journey is about opportunities to explore, grow your skills, find your passion and learn of new career options.Georgia Fui talking about her job

Many students start their degree with one career in mind, then change paths. Georgia Fui, for example, started a criminology degree with the aim of becoming a police officer. By the time she’d graduated she had decided instead to become a probation officer, helping people through their community-based sentences. She didn’t change degrees; she changed her career direction within her degree.

It was a work placement at Community Corrections Services that opened Georgia (right) eyes to the career of parole officer.
“I was excited and but really taken aback and thought ‘oh god, can I do this?’. Then I realised although it was not what I’d been thinking about when I started my degree, I really wanted to give it a go,” says Georgia who is going from strength to strength at Community Probation Services.

Siobhan Flynn loved computers and technology and completed a software development degree at AUT. She got into a graduate programme at Mercury NZ where she became fascinated with agile management. She decided to change direction and trained to become a scrum master, loving the communication and people interaction involved compared to the more solo world of programming.

“I guess when I looked at Agile and SM saw lot more openness and teamwork and I think that gels with who I am as a person, I’m really talkative, I like having a good chat at work and I think it made more sense to me to go down the people route rather than the technology Roberto Jatulan route,” says Siobhan who is now working as an agile coach at Teamworx.

Roberto Jatulan always loved music and thought he was going to be a musician when he grew up. But when his family moved to New Zealand from the Philippines, he chose to study occupational therapy at AUT, looking for a stable career and one where he could help people. Roberto (left) quickly found he could draw on his musical passion and skills within occupational therapy and it is definitely a bonus with his current role as a mental health occupational therapist.

“When we experience illness we get thrown off our rhythm and my role as an OT in mental health is to help people find that rhythm again. I can do that with music along with other meaningful activities. Music can bring a lot of joy,” says Roberto who was working at Buchanan Clinical Rehabilitation Service, a rehabilitation unit for people with mental illness, and is now a team leader at Equip.

Rosemary Heather (right) began her degree in Biomedical Science intending to work in a pharmaceutical Rosemary Heather is food science analyst at Azure Quality or health setting. But when she saw food assurance service AsureQuality was looking for a lab technician she decided to apply because she was keen to get technician experience. And she hasn’t looked back.
“I found I really enjoyed working in a food testing laboratory using skills from my degree, particularly technical and laboratory skills.”
Rosemary has now moved into a food science analyst role with AsureQuality. She works on the protein and foreign matter lab benches analysing and protein testing food samples, including infant formulas and milk samples. 
She says she is utilising her biomedical science degree, just not in a medical or pharmaceutical setting.
"Don't just think about one pathway. Instead be open to all opportunities and find enjoyment in everything you do, then you'll find your place," advises Rosemary.

AUT Maori Liaison Jana Nee

Jana Nees’s social science degree led her to a Whānau Ora navigator role at Te Whānanga O Waipareira Trust, then onto diverse roles within the trust in social work, youth innovation project management and social media.

“Nothing ever grows in a comfort zone and I found my social work skills translated over into project management even though it was initially challenging, and then to other roles. I encourage everyone to take a leap to keep learning and growing, even if it feels scary,” advises Jana (left), who is now working as Takawaenga Māori at AUT.

Be open to change

These five AUT graduates are great examples of how you may start off with one career in mind, then gravitate to something else more satisfying or completely different to what you first thought of.

It is about being open to change so that you continue to develop yourself and keep up to date with current and future workplace trends and opportunities. Your study is a significant part of that, says AUT employability and career specialist Melanie Holland.

“As you progress through your study and enter the workforce, you will be making a number of decisions. It is reassuring to understand that your career future is not going to be based on one decision or job, but more likely a series of different opportunities that suit you throughout your working life.”

She says it is smart to think about the skills and strengths that you bring to your career, rather than particular job titles, because current and future work and job requirements are constantly changing.

“By keeping open to a range of career possibilities you’ll find there are many industries, different work settings and roles that you could move into.”

Want help?

AUT E Lab 3Our Employability Lab team is skilled at helping you think about your career options and look at opportunities available for study and work now and in the future.

Make an appointment with one of the team by signing into Elab Online where you are able to book into individual appointments and workshops. These are currently offered in person and online.

Not used Elab Online before? It’s easy. Just sign in with your AUT user name and password as a ‘Current Student’ or ‘Graduate’ depending on your status.

Written by AUT Employability and Careers writer Angela McCarthy