Clint:

My name is Clint Quilivan and I’m a USQ student.

My very first job out of high school was working in a barrister’s chambers in Sydney. I think that’s when the seed was initially planted for me.
I got to a point as I got older and I got more mature and I felt I was ready finally to take on study and I was in the right head space for it.
I was sitting one day at my desk thinking why did I not finish what I started? I remember feeling particularly unfulfilled with my life at that in my life and thinking there has to be more to life that this.

I grabbed the university guides and the hunt began for me to find a way that I could fulfil this goal and reinventing myself in a career I was really passionate about. In whatever you do you’re in a relationship you’re hoping they’ll be there for you every step along the way, and even sitting down for a coffee on Saturday morning she’ll turn to me, smile, and say, ‘I hope you realise just how proud I am of you for what you’re doing’.
My wife printed out my letter of acceptance and stuck it on the fridge just a reminder of whenever we go into the kitchen we got that constant reminder of, I’ve set out to do this; and I did it.

Clints wife:

I feel sure he’s made the right decision, he’s shown he’s got an aptitude for it and he’s passionate about it so, I think its an exciting chapter in our lives.

Clint:

When I was looking at universities I was of course looking at flexibility which was very important to me and I found a lot of universities were very rigid with their structure, it was- you had to do it a certain way, it had to take a certain amount of time, whether you like that or not.
What I found with USQ was its entirely up to you how quickly or how slowly you do it. The university is prepared to work with you to make your degree the most rewarding experience it can possibly be- its not you’ll do it our way, its let’s work together.

At this stage in my study I’ve decided to absolutely go hard and get the course knocked out as quickly as I can, that’s just a personal decision that I’ve made; but should circumstances change for me, if I need to go back and work full time or part time, or do some work experience the option is there for me to cut back a few courses and tailor my course to my needs and my lifestyle.

I enjoy studying online, I feel just as involved and just as enriched as nay on campus student would feel. You’re treated equally. My year coordinator for my first year, Toni Bracken, I have lost count of how many emails I’ve had to send that poor woman, and you know, to her credit within our limits she’s been able to give me the right advice and point my in the right direction and has always been there on hand to make sure I’m getting the best out of my study experience and all my questions are answered.

I think I’ve made the best possible decision I could have ever made for my career and my life. In fact I sit here now and think, why did I not do this years ago, why did I wait til now? It’s never too late to realise your dreams and get exactly what you want and live you life and your dreams.