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Samantha recently completed a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Writing and Publishing, marking a significant milestone in her education journey. But her path to university wasn’t straightforward. After finishing high school at 17, she completed a certificate in communications but chose not to continue with a bachelor degree. She then moved from New Zealand to Australia, working and travelling, before circumstances allowed her to refocus on her education.
Attending university when you’re ready offers so many benefits, rather than forcing it when the timing isn’t right.
Her return to university was driven by a passion for reading, writing and a desire to explore the various forms of storytelling. With a constantly growing stack of books in her ‘to-read’ pile, Samantha had the realisation that she wanted to be part of the world that brings stories into the lives of others. Her degree enabled her to bring all these loves together in one place.
Despite entering the degree without a clear sense of her strengths as a writer, Samantha found a passion for editing and publishing. As she explored different writing styles within the degree, including narrative non-fiction, short and long fiction, travel writing and children’s writing, she discovered a whole new range of interests and passions that sparked her love for writing for children.
While at uni, her role as editorial director at Elephant Page Publishing, a student-run publishing house, became a standout achievement where she immersed herself in all things editing. As part of her role, she managed a whole range of tasks and timelines, kept workflow on track, developed a house style guide and, of course, completed a lot of manuscript editing. While Samantha says leading a team remotely had its challenges, working on developing a manuscript to the best it could be with the team was a very exciting experience.
Another highlight of Samantha’s degree was when she undertook an internship with Romance Writers of Australia, which provided her with valuable industry experience. Although she was nervous to start due to not being an avid romance reader, her mentors listened to the type of work she wanted to focus on and enabled her to develop her professional skills through writing and editing articles for the Heart’s Talk publication.
Reflecting on her university journey, Samantha has learned some valuable lessons outside of her academic learnings. She reflects on her non-traditional university timeline, gaining an appreciation for the courage and determination it takes to follow your own path, noting that it is never too late to start something new.
Between juggling full-time work, raising her daughter and aiming to graduate with distinction, she found that work, life, study balance isn’t always achievable – and that’s okay!
Just challenge yourself to be the best you can be and find a rhythm that works for you.
Samantha attests that if you’re serious about your degree, you can create so many opportunities for yourself. She stresses the importance of waiting until you’re ready and not to rush the process – be sure to ask plenty of questions, engage with your peers and challenge yourself to be the best you can be.
Looking ahead, Samantha will continue to write and edit in a professional capacity. She also has aspirations for further study, with an honours degree followed by a PhD in mind.
Samantha’s journey to graduation wasn’t conventional, but her determination, passion for writing and commitment to her studies helped her succeed. As she takes the next step in her career, she holds the value of the lessons she’s learned and reminds herself that it’s never too late to pursue your dreams and find success on your own terms.
