Professional Development: How to achieve a bachelor’s degree while working

Sometimes you might wonder how some people manage to work and study at the same time. Do they have superpowers and have so far successfully managed to hide them? Possible – but to be honest: unlikely. Currently, eight of our Journey Educators have decided to study for a Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching at Victoria University.

We are always excited when our Educators take the next step in their professional development. Because here at Journey, we are all about growth, and it’s no different when it comes to the professional development of our educators.

Victoria University offers a place-based Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching designed to meet the workforce need for early childhood teachers to provide high-quality early childhood education to young children across the state. The VU program accepts diploma-qualified Early Childhood Educators, who then study with others from their Local Government Area (LGA) to complete the Bachelor of Early Childhood in two years.

We asked three of our students now participating in this program about their motivation and goals behind their studies. And, of course, how Journey itself contributed to their decision to study.

Professional Development Story: Nilima

What motivated you?
When I changed my career and started working as an early childhood educator, my passion for health, well-being, learning and development in early childhood developed, and I wanted to achieve this through higher studies. However, funding or money was always a constraint for a growing family. During my maternity leave, I received from our Learning and Development Manager at Journey all the details about the Victoria Govt. grant to study bachelor’s; I immediately grabbed the opportunity as the timing was perfect. Staying at home with a newborn allowed me to explore this new challenge, and I am very much enjoying it.

How does Journey support you? 
Journey has always been supportive. For example, with my INSPIRE STEM program and I am convinced they will support my program when I return to work as I will be studying and working, maybe by providing flexible work arrangements to suit our study. What advice would you give to colleagues who may also be considering further education/study? Follow your passion. It is always worth trying to take that leap.

Professional Development Story: Alana

What motivated you?
What motivated me to apply was my want to develop my career in early childhood further, I love what I do, and this degree is an excellent way for me to extend that!

How does Journey support you?
Journey has supported me in many ways, first and foremost by making me aware of this great opportunity. The people I work with are so supportive through this also!

What advice would you give to colleagues who may also be considering further education/study?
Honestly, the course has been tremendous, and the lecturer I currently have is so helpful; it is great to have those zoom classes where we can interact with one another. I work full time (as most of us do), plus I have a 3-year-old and care for my dad, and at the beginning, I thought this would be too much for me, but it has actually been fantastic, not overwhelming at all! The advice I would give to anyone is just to do it if they are thinking about it! Take that leap and develop the career you want to have

Professional Development Story: Emily

What motivated you to apply?
I love to further extend my skills and knowledge in early childhood education; this degree has been my first step in furthering my knowledge and skills.

How does Journey support you?
Firstly, it was Journey that inspired me and showed me a way to up-skill and further my development and skills.

What advice would you give to colleagues who may also be considering further education/study?
It is definitely worth taking that first step; if you are wanting to further your knowledge and are unsure how to do it, this is the best next thing you can do.

Bachelor’s degree: Early Education Teacher

The profession of an early education teacher usually requires a university degree (e.g. a bachelor’s degree). The role of an early childhood educator is to support the implementation of an approved learning framework and to promote children’s well-being, learning and development. There is undoubtedly a focus on school readiness – after all, the transition here should be as smooth as possible for the children.  This qualification can usually be acquired either full-time (approx. four years) or part-time (approx. eight years). The possibility of a Graduate Diploma should not go unmentioned.

Our students have chosen to upgrade their early childhood diploma to a bachelor’s degree in just two years while working in the sector with the accelerated Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching at Victoria University. Victoria University offers those with a diploma in early childhood education a complete specialised Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching in just two years. The graduates are then immediately ready to work as an early-childhood teachers.

The evening classes are held online through Zoom, which means that the students can work and study simultaneously. Throughout the course, the students develop expertise in working with children from birth to 5 years, deepening their understanding of:

• teaching methods for kindergarten, childcare, and other early-childhood settings
• early-childhood learning theories
• cultural competency, including Aboriginal perspectives.

The assessments are designed to draw on and develop their current knowledge. The students must complete exercises related to their early-childhood education and childcare work, such as creating art-based responses, designing learning opportunities, and reflecting on workplace documentation.

The Victorian Government is currently working with three universities to support eligible Victorian educators to train to become qualified kindergarten teachers. In addition to Victoria University, they are Australian Catholic University and Deakin University.

For all those who are curious now:

Studying for a bachelor’s degree is by far not the only way to enhance your career at Journey. In addition to tailor-made presence seminars for our centre managers and lead educators, which, because they take place offsite, promote personal exchange among each other, we are particularly proud of our online platform: Journey Academy. This platform facilitates the professional development of our educators with a wide range of resources.

If you are interested in working with us, as we sincerely support our educators in achieving their professional goals please check our current vacancies or contact our talent team. We look forward to hearing from you.

Check out the latest career opportunities at Journey!

Further information can be found here: Innovative early childhood teaching courses | Victorian Government (www.vic.gov.au)

Australian Catholic University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

Deakin University’s Accelerated Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

Victoria University’s Bachelor of Early Childhood Teaching