A love of helping his own children to learn has led engine parts interpreter Andrew Young to take on a Bachelor of Teaching and Learning with Charles Darwin University.
At the age of 36 and with encouragement from his family and support from his workplace, Andrew decided that now was the time to take the plunge into part-time study.
“Working in the same field for 10 years was getting a little bit stale and teaching had always been in the back of my mind,” he said. “It was something I had always thought about doing, but was never in a position to do it.
“Returning to study after 15 years was a struggle at first, but once I got some of my results back and realised I could do it, it was a real sense of achievement.”
Andrew said it was a combination of things that lead him to his choice of study.
“I had a taste of teaching while in high school doing work experience, but my three children have really inspired me,” he said.
“I really enjoy seeing the kids learn and the different personalities you get. They make you laugh and are happy to see you, which is really encouraging.
“The stand-outs are when you help the students understand and you can see that you have made a difference and taught them something. You can see that they feel proud that they have learnt something new.”
With support from his employer Andrew is studying his degree part-time through CDU’s external program and will continue to work full-time.
“I can’t say juggling full-time work, family life and my studies is easy, but once you get into it and you can see the goal at the end. It just becomes part of your life,” he said.
“The university is so flexible. I am completing two units a semester for the first year and will also complete studies through the summer semester. I will see how I go and might increase it next year.”