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Getting work and life experience while studying

September 16, 2022 - 3 min read

How a Deakin study abroad program can give you a competitive advantage in the global job market

Have you ever wanted to learn while also exploring the world? With businesses rapidly becoming globalised, international experiences play a crucial role in preparing graduates for their careers. Study abroad programs are a great way to achieve this, as well as to experience new cultures, make friends and gain a competitive edge in the global job market.

Deakin University, Australia, offers global learning opportunities with international partner universities, meaning that you can travel while you study.

Georgia, a Deakin Bachelor of Property and Real Estate graduate, participated in one of these programs during her studies. She took part in a two-week study abroad experience at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, England.

‘This experience not only allowed me to grow individually, yet also academically and socially.’

As part of the program, Deakin students were split into small groups and acted as ‘consultants’ to small businesses in Norwich. Georgia’s group worked with a local animation company. They were seeking advice on strategies to improve their marketing tactics and social media presence to attract new work and bring back returning clients.

The program enhanced my career prospects’, said Georgia. ‘It allowed me to build my teamworking skills, learn how to adapt to a changing environment and consider varying opinions and ways of completing tasks – all transferrable skills to any workplace.’

Georgia also felt that this real-world experience ‘allowed me to test and improve my organisation and time management skills and understand what full time consultancy work may feel like.’

Georgia loves that her experience helped grow her technical skills, including her IT proficiency when she learned to structure and format professional reports to an industry standard. For these, she also utilised Deakin Library’s advanced search source to locate academic journals.

Christian, a Bachelor of Business Analytics student from Zimbabwe, said one of the reasons why he chose to study at Deakin was for the opportunity to participate in an international work placement to develop his employability and gain valuable experience in a professional environment.

‘Options for my work integrated learning program which included doing it locally or overseas. I chose to do it overseas so that I could travel and gain valuable exposure to other parts of the world.’

Georgia agreed, saying her experience helped her career prospects ‘by acting as a great example to use in job interviews to illustrate international collaboration, learning, problem solving and independence in diverse environments.’

It wasn’t just career and employability skills that Georgia was able to gain from this experience. Throughout the program, she also had the opportunity to explore Norwich City and surrounding areas ‘on day trips and between working on the consultancy report, including Cambridge and Banham Zoo’.

This was the same for Christian, who told us ‘I had the opportunity to visit the palace and dress up in the traditional Hanbok which is worn for traditional celebrations, weddings and more in South Korea. I visited a very famous shopping street named Myeongdong where they had street food, restaurants and stores stacked on top of each other in the street. These were beautiful sights. Korean barbecue has become my all-time favourite food ever since then.’

Georgia highly recommends studying abroad. ‘This experience not only allowed me to grow individually, yet also academically and socially,’ she remembers fondly. ‘The community, including staff and students at UEA, were so welcoming to our group and involved us in campus activities and events, where we had the best time connecting with UEA business students! Some students I met through this program I call some of my best friends today!’

Quick links

Learn more about study abroad opportunities as a Deakin student

Interested in coming to Deakin on a study abroad or exchange program? Learn more about inbound study abroad options at Deakin

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Why study at Deakin?

As one of Australia's leading tertiary education providers, Deakin offers a personalised experience enhanced by world-class programs and innovative digital engagement. We lead by creating opportunities to live and work in a connected, evolving world.

#1 university in Australia for educational experience*
Top 1% of universities worldwide**
#1 university careers service in Australia^
Victoria's #1 university for teaching quality^^
#1 university in Victoria for student satisfaction#

* 2022 Student Experience Survey, based on undergraduate students, UA benchmark group Victorian universities.
** ARWU Rankings 2023
^^ 2022 Student Experience Survey, UA benchmark group Victorian universities.
# Australian Graduate Outcomes Survey 2016–2022 (GOS), Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT).

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