Zak

What did you study and why?
I studied Computer Systems Engineering. I originally wanted to do Mechatronics, but my grades weren't good enough. I didn't give up though and chose the courses in Computer Systems that were closely related to Mechatronics. I want to be a roboticist and invent things that help people.

Why did you decide to study in tertiary education?

I tried for a long time to get a job as an intern or apprentice in any engineering company that was somewhat related to robotics, but unfortunately, you need a degree to even be considered for an internship. I'm sure there are different circumstances where that might not be true, but for me, it was. I tried some other types of work but in the end, I didn't really have much choice.

What did find the most challenging?

Being alone. Having been a ward of the state, I don't have any close family who can support me. Most of the family I do have are estranged. It was/is difficult to take on a huge endeavour such as tertiary education AND have to manage working to survive and dealing with life. I wish I could just live at home. I wish I didn't have to work (or have free time to do fun uni related projects) and just focus on getting good grades. I wish the hardest thing in my life was my course work (I don't want to spoil the surprise, but it wasn't). I found some people who could indirectly support me which really helped me in my darkest moments. All I could do was my best, and despite the continuous struggles over many years, I passed.

What did you find the most rewarding?
The actual accomplishment of completing the degree, despite the obstacles. I continuously found ways to stay motivated, I fought through the negativity and embarrassment of my circumstance, and occasionally reached out to people before ever giving up. The fact I just passed was an amazing accomplishment for me.

What are you doing now?
I worked for 2 years after studying, but I haven't been able to find a job in my field. I might have completed my degree, but I still don't have the connections, support, knowledge, confidence, extracurriculars or proven track record that would get me a solid job in my industry. I am returning this year to complete a masters degree which should give me more confidence in my ability in robotics, more knowledge, and I am going to put more effort in this year to be better connected with the robotics community, people who might help me. This might also mean working on side projects, or volunteering on other people's projects. I think I am able to do this because I'm very lucky to have secured an amazing job with a company that is actively supporting me to study as well as work for their organisation; I got close to having this in my undergraduate, but Covid took that away from me. I also realise the value of being more confident, active in my studies, and active in the community of my field, whereas before, I had a narrow (but very necessary at the time) focus on my studies/coursework.

What are your future plans?
I'd love to work overseas one day for a robotics company designing something that helps people, maybe in Japan or Europe? My dream job would be designing androids for hospitals or nursing homes. Maybe even a firefighter robot that would reduce the need for people having to run into burning buildings and could lift things out of the way that a human couldn't. I've tried to think ahead a little bit and reached out to people about my goals- short, medium and long term, and hopefully that works out well. I really don't know if it's all going to work out, but it's the only (and best) way forward I can think of, so I'm giving it all I've got. :)

What bit of advice would you give to someone care experienced considering tertiary education?

Don't focus on what you don't have and what others do. Focus on what you do have and what you can do with it. If you are angry that you're behind in life and everything sucks, well, it already sucks haha, so why not try to achieve your dreams and be happy. If you fail, you just end up back where you are AND you know that you tried, that is something that you will never regret. Ten years from now you can think back and say either "I wish I went after ... even though it was going to be really hard for a long time" OR "I really tried to go after doing ... but it just didn't work out at that time. I'm glad that I tried my best though, I just didn't have good luck" ORRRR "I am really glad I tried that going for ... because it's worked out really well! All that hard work has paid off. I'm in such a better place and my life's improved so much since then". Or something along those lines, haha.

What changes would you like to see for care leavers accessing in the future?

Being connected. Being connected to one another, being connected to their community, and being connected to people in their field of interest. Being connected to a world of support is vital to both the success of the endeavour, and the quality of the journey as well. Having the unnecessary burdens removed that fall on people who have been in care, first and foremost the lack of connection, would be one of the greatest joys in my life. Having no connection to the tools you need to succeed, the people to lift you up, the money to survive, the advice on the best course of action to take, is in my opinion one of the biggest handicaps a person could ever have.

Is there anything else you want to tell us about your tertiary education experience?

The time in someone's life when they are supposed to be chasing an education in the thing they wish to be doing for the rest of their life should not be impeded because of personal circumstances such as your landlord kicking you out to sell you their house (without having the option of staying with family/friends), having to work 20+ hours a week on top of studies just to pay rent and battling loneliness. This is my experience and one I wish no one else has to go through.

If you care about the success of others and want to make a difference, if you care about those who are without support or connection, you should work to eliminate the barriers between care experienced people (who did very little to put them there in the first place) and the bright and wonderful futures they are trying to work towards.