Career Launchpad: Life after graduation and the value of giving back

Owen Wu, science graduate

Owen remembers the anxiety of job hunting after graduation. He majored in psychology but realised his strengths lay in statistics and calculations rather than long essays; he wanted to work in information technology, but worried about his lack of experience.

He picked up casual work tutoring in maths and helping in restaurants while trying to break into the tech industry – and landed his first full-time role doing IT support for Kinetic IT, answering customer calls for Origin Energy.

The job turned out to be less about technical skills than it was about communication.

“I was exposed to lots of different accents, sometimes very broad Aussie accents, from callers talking about their computer not working; that was a challenge!”

After 18 months, Owen moved through developer roles at insurance and superannuation companies before Deloitte called.

“I did a 40-minute interview and got an offer the same day,” he recalls. He has since worked for Deloitte in integration architecture, helping connect different software systems that don’t talk to each other.

Owen’s journey started several years earlier when he arrived in Melbourne from China as an international student, and he says balancing study with rent, food and work could at times be overwhelming.

That early University experience shaped his decision to volunteer for Career Launchpad.

“At that time, I didn’t know about [the range of University] supports [that were available], so if there’s just one person who could get this support from me, it could potentially save them a few months, or even a year or two.”

His advice to students reflects his own experience of rejected applications and false starts. “Luck plays a big role in the job market and whether you match what they need.”

Timing is everything and you have to be patient, he adds.

Myles Birch – creative writing graduate

Myles Birch came to the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts degree, undertaking a graduate certificate and then Master of Creative Writing, Editing and Publishing. Half-way through his masters degree, he started planning his next steps.

“I knocked on my coordinator’s door and said, ‘I want to make sure that I’m employable and I have industry-related skills’.”

The coordinator steered him towards copywriting and marketing units. “Learning about marketing and copywriting, I realised for the first time that, as a writer and creative, there are actually jobs out there for me.”

His first role post-graduation was with a digital marketing agency in Richmond, which grew rapidly over the following two years – from 20 to more than 100 staff.

Myles then moved to an eight-person creative agency where he wrote copy and managed accounts. Four months in, he realised he was fascinated by the sales calls he overheard each week and asked his manager for sales mentoring.

“I said, ‘Could I start to learn and shadow you?’ And she said, ‘Yes’.”

He soon added business development to his role alongside writing.

“If a client inquired through our website wanting [to build] a website or campaign, I’d jump on the phone, learn about their business, and share a proposal.”

Myles then set up his own freelance copywriting business, wearing every hat from accountant to writer to salesperson, before accepting a job offer from ANZ as a content strategist, working on a website serving 8 million customers.

“Part of my job was writing content and strategies,” he explains. “The part I loved the most was presenting to 10 or 15 bank stakeholders, selling them on that strategy.”

Myles happily volunteers for the University as a means of paying back the help he himself received when he was contemplating his own transition to work.

“I know from my own experience that understanding what’s out there, what steps I can take, chatting to someone about advice – once that pathway was visible, it relieved a lot of anxiety.”

Claudia Kardaras – psychology graduate

When Claudia Kardaras started her psychology degree at the University of Melbourne, her daughter was six and her twin sons just 16 months old. Her own experience of therapy following postnatal depression made her decide to become a psychologist.

“When I started doing my bachelors, my daughter went to school, the twins went to childcare – and I went to uni.”

At her first lecture – with around 800 other students, in the Arts Theatre – the lecturer asked who wanted to become a psychologist, and half the room put their hands up.

“He said, ‘Only 2 per cent of you are going to get through and become psychologists’.”

Briefly, Claudia wondered if she should just give up … but soon rallied.

“I thought, ‘Why can’t I be part of that 2 per cent?’ I worked so hard to get into the University. I thought, ‘Well, I’ll do it.’ And I did.”

After completing her bachelors at Melbourne, and postgraduate degrees at Victoria and La Trobe universities, Claudia worked as a psychologist in private practice and in hospitals.

She became fascinated by the work of US positive psychology creator Martin Seligman, and when the University of Melbourne offered a Master of Applied Positive Psychology in 2013, she joined the first cohort.

“Uni Melb is constantly evolving, looking at how to improve things for the public, how to improve things for students,” she says.

Claudia has now moved to private practice full-time, running the Centre for Positive Psychology with seven psychologists on staff – one of them, her own daughter, who graduated about five years ago.

She also consults on wellbeing and culture to organisations including the Arts Centre Melbourne and Melbourne Theatre Company.

“I like volunteering for the University and helping students who may be finishing their course and not sure what to do or where to go,” she says. “I like to be able to bring them some comfort and help and guide them.”

Her advice to students? “A lot of people, once they get their degree and start working, have ‘imposter syndrome’; they feel like everyone else knows more than they do, and they’re going to get found out to be a fraud.”

Her response: “Remember when you land a job – your employer already trusts that you could do the job. So, you then have to trust your degree, trust yourself – you’ve got the skills and the tools, you’ve got everything that you need.”

Volunteering offers a wonderful chance to give back while gaining so much in return.