Maximising Opportunities as an International Student

One of the most common mistakes that international students (including myself at a point in time) make is to be unaffiliated with the diverse opportunities that are present beyond their academics. 

One of them is working in the field where you are pursuing your master's/bachelor's. It is very easy for most people (myself included) to get swayed in pursuit of money by compromising on doing internships or getting experience part-time/casual in their respective fields during their student life. The best tip for such jobs to be found is via SEEK and Indeed which post a lot of these jobs and ideally the best time to do this is as a Uni subject or during semester breaks.

Another opportunity for international students is to volunteer. There are a lot of government/private companies/institutes/bodies who need volunteers consistently be it RSPCA, City of Melbourne, or Future Forte, which can help students develop employability skills and can assist them in their full-time job search once they graduate.

Personally, one of my achievements in Australia is taking part in the Melbourne University Employability Accelerator Program where I was in a team of 4-5 people we were matched to small client/health-focused startups and we had to solve their problem of increasing their clientele base in Australia. This helped me develop good problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills all of which are necessary for the contemporary business world.

I also took part in the annual case study competition hosted by the Faculty of Business and Economics where I was in a team of 4 people and our team made it to the semifinals in the top 10 teams. Lastly, I have also taken part as a student ambassador for my faculty alongside being a peer mentor for newly joined university students and was also a part of the University of Melbourne’s student union for a brief while.

These experiences helped me develop personally and professionally. By taking advantage of these opportunities early, international students can significantly enhance their university experience and prepare themselves better for their future careers.