Jeremy is making a change to help others

Making a career change is a big decision. But for 36-year-old Jeremy it wasn't about leaving something, it was about starting something new and exciting.

"I was working for the state government doing building energy efficiency rules legislation but in an office environment, and I needed a change from that," he said.

"I decided to study nursing because it's a really amazing combination of something that's really good for a society, something that I think I'd be hopefully pretty good at, something that you can make a reliable living at, and something that's always in demand."

Jeremy isn't wrong about the strong job prospects in the industry. According to the Australian Government's JobOutlook service, the number of both enrolled and registered nurses is expected to grow very strongly over the next five years.

But that doesn't mean it was a quick decision for Jeremy to make such a big career change.

"As a mature-age student, choosing to start a new journey in nursing was for me a long, painstakingly researched, yet ultimately very easy choice," said Jeremy.

"I looked at quite a few options for studying nursing. There were quite a few factors in ultimately choosing TAFE Queensland including the flexibility and hands-on training on offer."

"It was also quite a time-efficient way to get a really respected qualification. Being an EN in about 18 months typically, that really appealed as well."

While Jeremy is still in the early days of his Diploma of Nursing (HLT54121), he ultimately wants to take advantage of TAFE Queensland's university pathways after gaining some industry experience. Part of that journey includes learning from a range of industry-experienced teachers.

"The teaching staff have been absolutely phenomenal. We have teachers at TAFE Queensland who've worked for 40 years in hospitals. We have teachers who've done lots and lots of different jobs in the industry — lots of varied experience and lots of really interesting stories about the career we're looking at," he said.

Looking back at his decision to make a change, Jeremy can see the differences but also similarities between his careers.

"They're very different roles, but I guess ultimately, we're trying to look out for society as a whole and give everyone a chance to have a good, happy, healthy life," he said.

"Greatness to me would be something that you can be really proud of for yourself and your own accomplishments, but then contributing to something bigger and better and society overall. That's nursing now for me."

As for anyone else considering a career change, he has some advice.

"I'd say definitely go for it, do all your research, and find something that you're going to love."

"It's been a really phenomenal experience doing something new later in life, and I would highly recommend it to anyone," Jeremy concluded.