A good problem to have... some advice? (1 Viewer)

[darkroomgirl]

Okay, here's my dilemma...

Before I got my UAI, I wanted to do teaching at University of Sydney (B Education (Secondary: Humanities and Social Sciences)/B Arts, 83.10)... I even applied for a teaching scholarship (which I didn't get) and I was really excited about it. Something that inspired to do that me was my English teacher, who was such an awesome guy... he was so intelligent and at the same time you could tell he really loved his job. He was making a difference in all of us. That was something that I wanted (plus the awesome holidays, hehe)... something that wouldn't just be a routine job, but something that was exciting and challenging.

Yesterday, I got my UAI, and my jaw dropped when I saw 97.50... more than I ever expected. Before all this teaching stuff, my dream was to be a journalist, and my UAI is definitely enough for that. Everyone's urging me to do stuff like Law and yeah, Journalism, but now I feel like I actually developed a passion to teach. Is that like a total waste of UAI marks? My Journalism dreams are coming back again, but I think that's just cos I got a good mark... what should I do? Is there any way to compromise??

Like I said, it's a good problem to have...

 

[Danoz The Great]

I say follow your dreams. You seem very passionate about teaching, and I think it'd be a shame if you didn't follow it.

 

[darkroomgirl]

Do you think it's a waste of UAI, though? I mean, what some people are telling me is that I have this mark, I might as well do something with it... I kind of agree, I think...

 

[Jago]

I say follow your dreams. You seem very passionate about teaching, and I think it'd be a shame if you didn't follow it.

what she said.

 

[fnkychk]

There's no such thing as wasting a UAI. If you're going into a course for that reason then that's the problem, because you're less likely to enjoy it.

Don't listen to other people. Do what YOU want.

 

[PaleReflection]

Don't choose journalism just because you got a UAI high enough for it.

What do you want to do more, journalism or teaching? What would you value more?

 

[kezza-]

lol, w00t! Someone else who got 97.5! What were your marks??

You seem heaps interested in teaching as a career so stick with that dream!!

A UAI just means how popular a course is - ie. if everyone wanted to do teaching it'd be in the high 90s too!!

 

[The_highwayman]

UAI is only a measure of demand/popularity for the course. Not a measure of intelligence. I say go with teaching, because if journalism really was your dream, wouldnt you have pursued that rather than sprouted this passion for teaching in the first place?

 

[kami]

Okay, here's my dilemma...

Before I got my UAI, I wanted to do teaching at University of Sydney (B Education (Secondary: Humanities and Social Sciences)/B Arts, 83.10)... I even applied for a teaching scholarship (which I didn't get) and I was really excited about it. Something that inspired to do that me was my English teacher, who was such an awesome guy... he was so intelligent and at the same time you could tell he really loved his job. He was making a difference in all of us. That was something that I wanted (plus the awesome holidays, hehe)... something that wouldn't just be a routine job, but something that was exciting and challenging.

Yesterday, I got my UAI, and my jaw dropped when I saw 97.50... more than I ever expected. Before all this teaching stuff, my dream was to be a journalist, and my UAI is definitely enough for that. Everyone's urging me to do stuff like Law and yeah, Journalism, but now I feel like I actually developed a passion to teach. Is that like a total waste of UAI marks? My Journalism dreams are coming back again, but I think that's just cos I got a good mark... what should I do? Is there any way to compromise??

Like I said, it's a good problem to have...

I actually was thinking over a similar issue to you and there *is* a compromise you can make - you could do a 3 year Bachelor in Media or Communications etc. and then take a 1 year graduate teaching course(which is HECS funded). This way it may be possible for you to become a qualified teacher and do a Media degree to start off with should you take up appropriate electives in your Media degree - however that *may* rule UTS's B in Communication out as there is very little range in the arts faculty there and you may not be able to pick up the needed electives.

 

[etc. etc. etc.]

Teach

It's my dream also.

 

[SweetSeasons]

Do teaching if you don't enjoy it you can always transfer half way through or at the end of the semester.

I can't wait to start my teaching degree next year.

Also.. which teaching scholarship did you apply for? If it was the teach.nsw scholarship how do you know if you didn't get it yet?

 

[glitterfairy]

Follow your heart, girl

As mentioned about, UAI cutoff is about course popularity. There's no point in doing the course with the high UAI cutoff if you don't actually like the course and end up dropping and transferring into teaching anyway Of course, if journalism is where your heart lies, then that's ok - follow that. And there's also the option kami suggested, as well.

 

[Rekkusu]

Totally I agree with the latter, you should always follow your dreams. A teacher of ours whom unfortunately transferred from our High School to Baulko as Head teacher of commerce had achieved a Uai of more than 99.95 [She had never told us what she got hhaha], but she too pursued the dream of Teaching Commerce subjects, and has continuosly done so even up to today, and she never regreted taking teaching (which was a rather low-demand subject back in those days) rather than Medicine.

Also, if after a period of time that you feel that Journalism is not right for you, you can always transfer within the mid-year intervals to another course, though usually its better to transfer at the end of the year, so i.e. in your case next Christmas via UAC.

 

[jhakka]

A UAI just means how popular a course is - ie. if everyone wanted to do teaching it'd be in the high 90s too!!

This post says everything that needs to be said. The fact that you got 97 doesn't mean that teaching isn't good enough for you. Sure you could become a lawyer, but do you want to? You could become a journalist, but do you want to?

I've had the whole "What was your UAI... What? Why are you doing teaching with marks like that?" conversation, and it's very annoying, not to mention insulting. If you want to teach, your marks shouldn't affect that in the least. Don't become one of those people who think they're above teaching because their marks are high. There are enough of those already.

The only reason Education courses have lower cutoffs is because they're not as popular, or because they accept more students. If anything, more people with higher marks taking the courses will improve the courses reputation (high UAI cutoff=popular course, remember), and in turn will improve the reputation of teaching as a profession.

On top of all that, it's a pretty good course, too.

Congratulations on your mark, and I hope to see you at USyd next year.

 

[darkroomgirl]

lol, w00t! Someone else who got 97.5! What were your marks??

You seem heaps interested in teaching as a career so stick with that dream!!

A UAI just means how popular a course is - ie. if everyone wanted to do teaching it'd be in the high 90s too!!

Oh cool, we got the same UAI! Congrats! I got 98 in Ancient History, 92 in Adv Eng, 94 in English Ext 1, 94 in English Ext 2, 95 in Visual Arts, 84 in Music and 80 in History Extension...

 

[elisabeth]

You have the exact same thing going on as me. I wanted to become a language teacher by doing a BA/BEd at UNSW, which has a cut-off of around 78, and my UAI was 99.65. Of course, I'm going to go through the UAC guide and see if there are any other courses I'd like, but I was planning on sorting that all our after the HSC anyway.

So even though now people are hinting that you could do other courses, at the end of the day, it is YOUR life and your career. If you put journalism on the backburner because deep down, you never considered that you'd get the marks but it was what you wanted to do, go for it. Don't chuck a law degree in there as well unless it's really what you want to do. If you think the teaching idea is the best for you, then do that and don't let small minded fucks with the attitude 'those who can't, teach' get you down about your choice.

And there's always a compromise, if you were torn - like for example, I could always do a double degree - an Arts on for languages and another field. Then afterwards, if teaching was still what I felt driven to do, I could do a graduate diploma.

Anyway, best of luck with whatever you decide to do. That's a great result and we both have a little while yet to think things over.

 

[darkroomgirl]

Also.. which teaching scholarship did you apply for? If it was the teach.nsw scholarship how do you know if you didn't get it yet?

I didn't even get an interview! :S Hmm..

To jhakka... you do teaching at USyd? I might need to ask you some questions, then, I'm quite confused!

 

[jhakka]

Haha, yeah I do teaching at USyd. Feel free to send a PM my way if you need anythig.

 

[SweetSeasons]

I didn't even get an interview! :S Hmm..

To jhakka... you do teaching at USyd? I might need to ask you some questions, then, I'm quite confused!

Yeah that happen to me in year 12. I don't know why I didn't get the interview the others that did got lower marks then me at school and I thought my reference letter was swell stuff like that, but I got an interview when I re-applied this year.. will know if I got it or not tomorrow.

 

[Gummy_bear]

I want to do teaching also
We need more teachers, and if you really want to do it, then go ahead

Im trying to decide whether to do early childhood teaching or art teaching in high school.
im just going to wait and see what offers i get, as i have a lower UAI than some.

Of course, if you have an extra spot on your preferences, you could add a journalism course in and decide after you get your offers.

That way you have even more time to mull over it.