Sometimes you just need to study whatever it is that you’re passionate about, and trust that the right career path will reveal itself along the way.
In Declan Taylor’s case, following his passion will see him end up with two degrees, and the opportunity to share his passion for maths and science with new generations of learners.
Currently studying a Master of Teaching at the University of Tasmania in Hobart, Declan has also completed a Bachelor of Engineering and said he faced a big decision when he was trying to decide what he wanted to study at university.
“I always kind of liked the idea of being a teacher, and I thought about doing a Bachelor of Teaching [straight] out of school,” he said.
“But I went with engineering because I loved maths and science at school.”
That interest in teaching never went away, though. And by the time Declan finished his engineering degree, he realised he had something unique to offer as a teacher.
“[As an engineer] you definitely use a lot of skills and develop a lot of knowledge outside the general kind of maths and science that you do in school. So yeah, definitely a different perspective on how you go and use those sorts of skills in real life.”
So, Declan enrolled to study a Master of Teaching, with a plan to teach secondary school students who were planning to go on to university, as he had.
“I'm really passionate about teaching maths and science … and trying to figure out how to get kids to find enjoyment through maths and science,” he said.
“I think I was very lucky to have a really good year 11 and 12 maths and science teacher … and I think it was probably because of that teacher that I enjoyed that class and that content so much."
“So yeah, definitely looking to follow in the footsteps of that teacher.”
Across his two degrees, Declan has been able to build a lot of diversity into his university experience and explore his other interests by using his electives to explore various other subjects, including one semester studying music at the Hedberg.
He also had the opportunity to work in a number of casual roles for the University and earn an income while he studied.
“Especially at the start of my degree, I worked a lot in the sport department at the University,” he said. “And since then I've been very lucky to be a student ambassador and have a lot of different other experiences there and get paid to do so, which has been fantastic.”
Even with these extra commitments, Declan said he had little trouble maintaining a healthy work–life–study balance, thanks to Tasmania’s lifestyle and the University’s flexible study options.
“The work–life balance … in Tasmania is probably easier than it would be elsewhere, I think … Everything's a ten-minute drive away maximum, so I think that's a real, real good part about studying in Tasmania."
“[And] you can do everything asynchronously or online or in campus. We're kind of all given a flexible option that works for whatever our life circumstances are.”
By treating his studies as a journey, rather than a destination, Declan has not only found his career path but enjoyed other unexpected experiences along the way.
And for anyone else feeling unsure about what (or even if) they want to study at university, he recommends doing the same.
“In the Master of Teaching, pretty much everyone that I've met so far, it was not where we necessarily thought we would end up. [It’s an] idea that we've found throughout building all those experiences.
“Study whatever it is that you're passionate about, and I think the rest will work itself out from there.”