Starting over this year in an entirely new program of study has been a daunting challenge. One of the reasons I have been able to make this unlikely move work so far has been the guidance I’ve received from a variety of mentors, particularly in a professional setting. The support and guidance I’ve received from subject tutors and lecturers have of course been important, as well as having a supportive group of peers to work alongside. The support I have received from professional mentors from a number of organisations as well as within UniSA has been one of the main reasons for my relative success in the transition so far.
Through these opportunities, I have had the chance to experience, however briefly, what life is like in a workplace within my chosen field. Going from freelance writing and tutoring, and before that working retail to these environments is a significant change. Having even a glimpse of these workplaces and being able to discuss with current employees there what is expected of them and how their workday goes has been an invaluable insight. Building a professional network, especially as a student who has no real connections within the IT industry is another important benefit that mentoring confers. Building the first few connections within an industry is very difficult as an outsider, and mentoring is an ideal way of beginning this process and makes building subsequent connections much easier.
In an ideal world, everyone who undertakes tertiary study would receive this level of mentorship. However, scaling this support to accommodate every single student would not be feasible — there are simply too many students and not enough potential mentors to go around. Still, the benefits of 1 on 1 guidance and instruction are invaluable and should be more widely available to students, should they want this.
Mentorship and apprenticeships, or any arrangements which can close the gap between students and the industries that they seek to work in are important. Even informal meetings can be greatly beneficial, as a way to orient a prospective graduate to their target industry and help them identify where their skills and experience stand to the reality of what they need to bring to a job. There are often calls from employers that recent graduates are not equipped with the skills needed to immediately make a positive contribution to their workplaces. Often, the skills taught in university course curricula do not quite match with the reality of what is needed by employers within a particular industry.
Even with the relatively brief period of contact time with industry mentors that I’ve had so far this year, I’ve already been able to identify skill gaps such as particular software programs and coding languages that I need to develop an understanding of before graduating at the end of next year. With plenty of time before then, I’m able to organize my time now and develop these skills well before applying for graduate jobs and potentially gain an advantage in a competitive field of graduates. Being able to do this has also put my mind at ease in terms of where I’m at and that I am on the right path in terms of being adequately prepared to enter full-time work when I graduate in just over a year.
Scott Davies 