Developing and diversifying in just a few short years

I never knew what I wanted to do after school. I decided to go with teaching as I enjoyed sport and coaching and thought teaching was a good qualification to start with if I decided to explore other career paths at a later stage.

Following on from university I was employed as a Health and Physical Education Secondary School teacher at a private school in Canberra. I enjoyed the work but I had a feeling it wasn’t going to be what I wanted to continue doing long term.

During my fourth year of teaching my partner was successful in gaining employment in Sydney and I saw it as a great opportunity to not only relocate, but change careers as well. I returned to university part-time as a post-graduate student and by the end of the year had completed my Graduate Certificate in Community and Health Development.

When applying for jobs in Sydney I was unsure as to what field I wanted to go into but had a strong interest in the community sector. Two weeks before my scheduled move I was successful in obtaining a position as a Flexible Respite Coordinator at a small organisation in the inner west of Sydney. This position was a fantastic introduction to the sector as due to the size of the service - my role spanned from working with clients and families and staff management, to administration, policy work and project management. The service supported children with intellectual disabilities and one of the highlights of my role was to coordinate the Vacation Care program and take the children out in groups to enjoy fun and exciting community based activities.

After two years in this role I again felt like I was ready for a change and wanted to progress. I was keen to remain in the disability sector as I had developed a real passion for not just working with people with disability, but for looking at the bigger picture. I wanted to be in a position where I could be involved in change on a system wide level so I wasn’t just helping clients from one service, but on a much broader scale. It was at this time that I came across the role of Policy and Projects Officer at NDS.

Working in the area of disability policy at NDS means that I am able contribute not only my ideas, but the views of organisations and their clients, to improve opportunities and support services for people with disability. I thoroughly enjoy my role at NDS. It is a great organisation and the staff are friendly and committed to what they do. Professionally, working at NDS has provided me with a wonderful opportunity to develop and diversify my skills and consult with people who have the capacity to drive change in the sector. At the same time I am in a position where I feel like I am contributing towards making a difference in the lives of people with a disability and ultimately that is what matters.