Successfully combining work, study and family
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Matthew Kenyon with his wife Alicia and daughter Caitlin. |
Juggling full-time work, part-time study and a family can provide numerous challenges but Master of Accounting student Matthew Kenyon has shown that it can be achieved successfully.
Kenyon commenced his third course of study at Macquarie in August 2004 having already completed a Bachelor of Economics and a Diploma of Superannuation Management (in conjunction with the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia).
The flexibility of Macquarie's programs has allowed Kenyon to take time out for getting married, travel overseas and for the birth of his first child.
Conflicting priorities
Over the past two years Kenyon has had to balance study with a demanding work life, marriage, a new baby and all the other obstacles of life that have surfaced along the way.
"There is no doubt that the entire process has been a challenge, which has required me to balance conflicting priorities within my life," says Kenyon. "The flexibility of the Masters program has allowed me to change my program of study up or down to suit my other circumstances."
Instead of catching up with friends or spending weekends away Kenyon reads up on Australian Accounting Standards Board standards on some Saturdays or Sundays. "It is hard to compare against a night out with family, friends and a good bottle of wine," says Kenyon. "But while there have been numerous sacrifices that I have been required to make I firmly believe that the long-term gain is well worth the short-term pain."
Support systems
The time commitment required to study a subject effectively rather than just aim for a pass is significant according to Kenyon. The support of family has played a major role in allowing him to study effectively.
"By far the biggest factor that allowed me to pursue my study is the support from my wonderful wife who has maintained our home and family while I have had my head buried in textbooks," says Kenyon.
Moving up the ladder
Kenyon has worked at AMP since 1997 and his dedication to study has been of significant assistance to his career. He started in the mail room and has worked in various customer service and finance areas before commencing his current role of continuous improvement manager.
"AMP has been a very good employer who has supported me through both my Diploma in Superannuation Management and the Masters of Accounting course," says Kenyon. "They have been flexible with working hours enabling me to leave to get to night time classes and have allowed time off for exams when required. AMP also reimburses a proportion of my expenses incurred after I pass my subjects, which is a very good incentive to study hard."
You can do it too
"My advice for those considering combining full-time work with study is to be prepared for the challenges that study and life will bring," says Kenyon. "Learn to juggle conflicting goals and reset your priorities to get the most out of your study. Work hard at all aspects as there is no free ticket to a degree."
For further information on Macquarie University's Master of Accounting program visit www.accg.mq.edu.au/postgraduate/coursework_degree_programs/master_of_accounting