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Accessible, Affordable, Achievable: How Federation University helped Barbara break through to her dream career

1 November 2024

Getting a job close to home in her area of study was the dream for Barbara Polasik-Coyne.

Having completed a Graduate Diploma of Health (Child and Family Health Nursing) in 2021 and starting work as a maternal child and health nurse with Cardinia Shire Council, that dream is now her reality.

When it came to deciding where to study, Barbara found that Federation provided the ideal mix of accessibility and affordability.

“The location and fee cost were key to my university choice,” Barbara said.
Time, as they say, is money, and for busy adults with full lives, the location of a university can make all the difference. Barbara found the closeness of Federation’s Berwick campus to be the ideal time saver when it came to managing study with work and family commitments.

“Berwick was much closer to my residence as opposed to travelling to the city or Bundoora, which saved me time, especially as I also had daycare drop-off and pick-ups to juggle,” she said.

Federation’s campuses across Victoria in Ballarat, Berwick, Gippsland and the Wimmera mean that students don’t have to travel to inner-city Melbourne to get the qualifications to upskill, build on their credentials or change careers.

For Barbara, completing her studies and getting the job she wanted was one of the highlights of her year. And due to industry demand and her readiness to work, she had her pick of employers waiting to hire skilled local graduates.

Barbara’s experience is not uncommon for postgraduate students at Federation, which has been recognised as #1 in Victoria and #2 in Australia for full-time postgraduate employment by the QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2023.

And when the University’s graduates do find work, they get paid well according to QILT, with 95.3 per cent of postgraduate coursework students in full-time employment, earning a median salary of $94,500.

The possibility of getting a better salary is a great motivator to take on postgraduate study. But getting ahead often comes at a cost. Postgraduate study not only takes time, but it can also be expensive.

However, Barbara found that Federation provided a good return on investment.
“Federation University Berwick offered many generous scholarships in response to community need for maternal child and health nurses at the moment. In the end, I wasn’t a dollar out of pocket!”

Getting that financial help was of great benefit to Barbara. But the assistance she received didn’t stop there. Federation is recognised for its student support, with smaller class sizes meaning each student can get the personalised feedback and attention that can be the difference between surviving and thriving at university.

Barbara praised the support she received from her course coordinator, saying she “wouldn’t have done as well in the course without her”.

“She was flexible to our concerns, readily available for questions, and took our feedback graciously on board,” Barbara said.

The support provided by Federation not only set Barbara up for her dream job close to home, but continues to help her in her career. She has one last key piece of advice for current and prospective students.