Ready to turn your passion into a profession? Time to take the next step and follow your study trail to university? Want to start afresh with a whole new skillset? No matter what you want to get out of your studies in 2024, we’ve got you covered.
If you choose the right TAFE course for you, studying in 2024 could tick all the right boxes for you. But choosing a course can be challenging, which is why we've come up with some tips on how to help you find the right course for your future goals.
Interests
The first step to choosing a course is to consider your interests. Do you enjoy spending time with children? If so, early childhood education may be the course for you. Do you like hospitality, working outside or corporate work? There are many different courses on offer, so it is up to you to consider your interests and go from there. The main thing to remember is that you choose something that you enjoy and are passionate about.
The best thing to do is to browse the course offerings - each TAFE has these – and go through them. Save the page of every course that interests you, even slightly and then consider the below tips to help narrow your choice down.
Location
You’ve found your ideal course, but it takes two hours to travel one way, and the contact hours mean that you have to travel at least three days a week. Are you ready for this commitment? And if you think you are, think again. Is four hours of travel per day going to weigh you down after a while?
The location of the course is just as important as the course itself, so when you are choosing a TAFE course, pay careful attention to which locations it is offered in and whether online study is an option.
Study mode
Do you like to learn with hands-on tasks or prefer to watch to online classes and do you own reading and research at home? Would you prefer to be in a class with fellow students each week and a teacher in person, or is that not a high priority to you?
Consider your learning style and how you like to interact with others. Many courses are offered online with some on-campus workshops meaning you can do most of your study from home. Apprenticeships and traineeships combine workplace learning with some on-campus study. Take a look at the course pages that you saved earlier to see how your preferred course is offered.
Your end goal
Some of the courses you’ve chosen have locations that don’t suit or are only delivered face-to-face which isn’t what you’re after, leaving you with a smaller selection to choose from. Perfect! The process of elimination will make this step easier. For each course that’s left, consider the end goal.
What will happen when you finish the course? What sort of options will it offer you?
- Will you work in the private sector?
- Will you work for yourself? Do you want to work for yourself – or at least have the opportunity to?
- Will it provide you with employability? Many TAFEs will be able to help you with employability after course completion, but it never hurts to check.
- If the plan is to continue to university, will you be able to?
Be practical about career prospects and in general, continuation of your life after you finish studying.
Worried about changing course? Don’t be!
At the end of the day, you are not trapped in any course. If you enrol and in a short while, you realise that the course isn’t for you, you will be able to transfer out of it and into another course that may suit you better.
Each course is different so please ask questions about your preferred course. We love questions!
Applying for a course at TAFE Gippsland
It is as easy as completing the online form on our website to get your application started. Select ‘apply’ from the course page of your choice. If you aren’t ready to decide just yet select ‘enquiry’ and complete your details. A staff member will be in touch for either enquiry to discuss the next steps or to answer your questions. Alternatively, you can contact us via your preferred method.