One of my biggest worries before I entered university was whether I would still have the capability to finance myself since I assumed that a full-time degree at The University of Newcastle, Australia would take up the bulk of my time. I would later learn that the way classes were structured allowed me to hold a weekend part-time job, finish an internship, and freelance as a graphic designer and content writer in two years.

A day of class for Bachelor of Communication usually consisted of a three hour long lecture and tutorial, which happened on the same day, back-to-back. I preferred this in comparison to what we had in polytechnic — a full day of lectures for different modules followed by tutorials happening on different days — since this keeps the momentum and any class discussions going. Classes at The University of Newcastle, Australia had three time slots: 8:30am to 11:30pm, 12pm to 3pm, 3:30pm to 6:30pm.

We took a maximum of 4 modules per trimester, leaving me with at least one free day every week to work on my jobs outside of school. Along with my classmates who hold diplomas in related courses (I have a diploma in Mass Communication from Ngee Ann Polytechnic), I was given several credit exemptions. While these exemptions did not shorten the duration of my course of two years (i.e. 6 trimesters), I had significantly more free time in trimesters when I took less modules.

In particular, I took only one module — Audience Studies — in my second trimester, freeing up the rest of my week. I figured that since a lecture and tutorial lasts for only 3 hours, I effectively had 4.5 free working days in a week, which could be better spent doing something productive. With this in mind, I applied for an internship to beef up my resume during my school holidays prior to that trimester.

My internship application via various job portals got picked up quickly since I had prior experience and I got several offers by the end of my search, about one month later. Most companies were understanding of my schedule and more than glad to allow me half a day off to attend my classes.

A typical week for me then was four full days of work every week, with half a day of work on Wednesday mornings. Then I’ll grab lunch on my way to PSB Academy, which was, fortunately, conveniently located at the heart of town in Marina Square. That trimester, although with only one module, was especially tough since I was doing an internship at a PR agency while also managing my school work and ensuring that my grade for that module doesn’t slip below a distinction.

I had 3 to 4 modules the following trimesters after my internship. As I was used to 6 modules per semester, on top of working part-time, during my polytechnic days, I figured I could push myself again this time. As clients started approaching me on Linkedin, where I was listed as a freelance content writer and graphic designer, I started accepting jobs while studying full-time since freelancing allowed me some flexibility.

A typical weekday was packed with client meetings in the morning if my classes were in the afternoon, or vice-versa. Weekday evenings were strictly reserved for a careful balance of my client’s works or school assignments, depending on whichever deadline is nearer while my weekends were filled by my part-time job.

I’m a staunch believer of how you choose to spend your life determines the person you become. Naturally, I loaded up my weeks even if I had to burn the candle at both ends sometimes so I could make the most out of my time. As most of my previous working experience was centred around corporate blog writing, interning at a PR agency gave me the chance to explore other modes of writing and eventually, opened up more opportunities. Freelancing during school also set the stage for more options during my job hunt as I worked with several big-name clients.

If you’re interested in getting started on an internship or freelancing, job portals — like Glassdoor, Glints or InternSG — and Linkedin, which also has its job portal, are a great way to get started. I did my internship in my second trimester as the workload was lighter but one of my classmates did hers towards the 4th to 5th semester; doing your internship later will allow you to contribute more to the company you’re interning for since you’ll be more knowledgeable then.

A lot of my friends used their free time to improve themselves differently as well — some go to the gym, some picked up a hobby, some took extra lessons outside. The point is that although Bachelor of Communication at The University of Newcastle, Australia is a full-time course, it also offered students the flexibility of working outside or pursuing your interest while gaining a new qualification.

-

Brought to you by PSB Academy.