Hi Everyone,
I really do hope this post finds you well.
It’s been 2 months since I posted here so I thought it only makes sense to start with what has been consuming most of my time for the past few months.
I have been completing the practicum component of my university degree and studying/researching the final theoretical component. It had essentially accounted for 50 hours of my time per week which was challenging to manage with motherhood/wife life too.
However, I have finally completed my university degree which has been a long and hectic journey. I am thankful for my experience and also super grateful for the opportunity to receive a tertiary education.
To give you the context, I was not the most academically gifted student so university was more of an afterthought than my reality after completing school.
My timeline blew out and what should have taken me 4 years to complete took almost 10 years!
In 2012 – I saw an ad on TV about studying online at University through distance education. It was so appealing because it meant that I could continue to work and contribute to our mortgage. After some research, I found a pathway to apply to University.
I applied to University and I got accepted but was told I had to pay upfront for my degree because I was not a citizen. Imagine my confusion when I thought I was a citizen given I had represented my country in a sport and travelled overseas as a teenager. I could not afford to pay $40,000 for my degree upfront so I started the process of my citizenship…
In late 2013, I got my citizenship approved because I was adopted overseas, making the process complex and expensive.
In 2014 – I started my first year part-time and worked full-time. Midway through the year, the company I had worked for 7 years went into liquidation and I lost my full-time employment and long service leave entitlement. It definitely impacted my study as I had the financial stress of searching for a new job. (Funny story, it happened again the following year with another company)
2015 & 2016 – I mentioned in a post about a challenging year and almost quit.
In 2017 – At the start of term 1, my husband had a bike accident, got a blood clot and had major surgery where he could have died or lost his leg ( thank you Lord he is still here and healthy). I could not participate in placement because I was not allowed to get an immunisation needle while pregnant, which was compulsory to complete a placement. Instead, I gave birth to my beautiful boy and became a full-time mother.
In 2018 – I got back into studying and became a full-time student and mother, which was a hard combination and sleep deprivation definitely impacted my motivation. (Breastfeeding while typing out assignments is an epic skill)
In 2019 – Completed the first placement which I was supposed to do in 2017 and it confirmed my desire to pursue my career path. I will never forget during placement when a family relative died by suicide which was a shock to the system as it was almost identical to a client on placement.
In 2020 – I gave birth to my second child during the COVID lockdown, which was a unique experience so studying was not on the radar during the global pandemic.
In 2021 – I was a full-time mother of two children, studying part-time to finish my final year, which was a juggling act.
Now in 2022 – I graduated with an honours degree, was awarded a high distinction for my final theoretical research unit and moved up 2 pay scales because of it.
All the glory to God!
I am grateful for every moment that changed the pace of my race to graduate. God’s mighty hand of pure perseverance is truly a reflection of my completion because this rollercoaster journey involved so many other life stressors and wanting to quit so many times.
I do hope and pray my journey inspires you to keep going and keep seeking God in times of pain because he will give you the power to preserve.
I am excited for the next chapter of my new journey, I have been blessed with an extremely rewarding work opportunity after all these years of studying.
Love G x
GINSFAITH 
It did inspired me, thankyou!
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Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it 😊
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