Written by Jake Hampson
Most people expect university to be a straight and narrow road, three or four years and out into the ‘real world’. Life led me down a path slightly different.
My name is Jake, and I am studying in my third year of Bachelor of Psychology… despite commencing in 2020.
Most peers in my initial cohort have completed their degree and are working or studying in the Master of Psychology, a fair way ahead of me, and I have learned to accept and embrace this.
After my first year, I decided abruptly to take a break from uni. After studying full-time for three years (including another degree in Wollongong) I made the difficult decision to hit pause.
I held a diverse range of academic experiences but wanted to augment my life experiences.
Many people- friends and family, questioned this decision as I was already 21 (which in hindsight is still VERY young), had good grades, and (thought I) knew what I wanted to do.
I backed my choice, working full-time in my support care role as the key support worker for a few clients.
At the beginning of 2022, I made yet another abrupt decision to move to England with my partner.
We collected our visas, packed our suitcases, and flew across the world to our new home in Liverpool.
I remained here for the best part of a year, gaining amazing experiences as a support worker in a brain injury rehab unit and making life-long memories with now life-long friends.
Next on my journey, I backpacked around Europe for a month, visiting the usual yet breathtaking suspects- Venice, Paris, Budapest and ten or so more.
Upon return to Australia at the end of 2022… you guessed it… another abrupt decision!
My partner and I drove north of Sydney along the east coast for approximately 24 hours to another new home, this time in Townsville.
Three months of further experience in support work, relaxation on the beach, and a visit to the eye-catching Magnetic Island.
February of last year I came full circle as much as one can. I moved back onto the Charles Sturt campus in Bathurst where my journey began four years earlier, to complete my psychology degree very much refreshed.
I am finishing my final subjects in my third year and managed to continue work in a role similar to that in Liverpool, as a support worker for clients with acquired brain injuries, an area I am extremely passionate about.
My career plans have taken a slight detour as I now pursue entry into postgrad medicine, ultimately wanting to become a psychiatrist with a focus on individuals with brain injuries.
Having sat the medical school entrance exams in September, part-time studies in my honours year is the intention as I look to sit med school interviews next year. I can voice with confidence that a balanced sense of impulsivity and reflection has paid off these last few years.
If you have a gut feeling you want to pursue something, do it. It’s cliché, but it’s true, you only live once so move forward and grasp whatever opportunity for lasting memories life provides you.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative
