Alternative Paths: TPC — Mental Health Today

I recently participated in a university panel discussion about transitioning from post-graduate study to full-time work. Since the audience comprised post-graduate candidates from my alma mater, I tried to be as candid and forthcoming as possible. And for cynical readers, no – my answers weren't edited by the academic running the seminar. My motivation for participating was two-fold:

Assist the academics and department who taught and got every ounce of ability out of my study.
Give an honest account of the winding path many Liberal Arts graduates take once they've received degrees and are left staring cross-eyed at the bleak jobs market.

My most only significant contribution came in pitching "transferable skills" for Arts graduates – something I genuinely believe for those who honed writing, researching and critical thinking skills at university. I've found a lack of these skills in workplaces, and a decent amount of blame falls at the feet of our archaic teaching curriculums and Australia's obsession with rote learning! At this point in the Zoom discussion, I cast my thoughts on the group of people I'd most like to address: high schoolers.

Working from home during lockdown means ABC TV is often on in the background of my makeshift office. The other day, I listened to The Drum while drafting department emails – the kind that strains my humanity. The panellists addressed the need for teenagers wanting to go to university to know that there are "lots of pathways to get where you want to go". There was a lot of this warm and fuzzy sentiment, but you wouldn't blame any teenager responding: "What are these pathways?"

As I turned back to my emails, I mulled over what I would tell high schoolers.

My alternative path: TPC

Despite having every conceivable advantage growing up - first living in Sydney's North Shore and then moving overseas and attending "international schools" - I dropped out of high school just before starting Year 12. I wasn't without challenges: knee and back operations, crippling depression and generalised anxiety. But when my mates graduated with fanfare, I was attending probation meetings in the Juvenile Justice Community Service Centre on Kippax Street. I had gotten in trouble, was sent to juvenile detention in Western Sydney, and struggled to see a path forward like most "juvenile delinquents".

Fast forward three years, I was twenty, had finished my probation sentence, and worked as a shitty barista at cafes in the Central Business District of Sydney. It wasn't bad work; I just didn't see a future in it. What I'm trying to say is that I didn't care enough to learn how to make a decent coffee.

I started applying for what I dubbed "office jobs". I didn't know what to apply for; I knew I wanted full-time work that would engage my mind and pay better than $12.50 an hour! However, it only took a handful of job applications to realise that I'd need a high-school certificate (HSC) to get an office job. I saw jobs that I thought I'd learn and do well, yet all I received was the dreaded template rejection letter.

The next 90-degree turn in my path came when I was made redundant from my barista job. We were all made redundant as the cafe chain shut up shop. On our way out, though, we received what felt like a hefty payout – mine amounting to a little over $2,000.

My mum swooped in at this point and signed me up for an HSC & TPC @ TAFE NSW information night. Her advice was to spend a chunk of the cafe payout on a course that would line up future jobs. I, on the other hand, wanted to spend frivolously on flights around Australia.

The information night didn't start well as the staff presented the HSC TAFE route. I wasn’t willing to consider attending TAFE for two years and play the struggling student once again. The second half of the information night concentrated on something I didn’t know about: the Tertiary Preparation Course (TPC). What intrigued me about the TPC was that you could complete two years of the HSC in one year by committing to full-time on-campus. The option was only available for “mature aged candidates” (20+) and aimed to prepare students for future TAFE or university study. While I wasn’t considering university, getting an HSC in less than a calendar year was appealing.

The course cost close to $1,000 back in those days. I was less than enthusiastic about the bill, given my desire to travel around the country. Sensing this my parents sweetened the deal by offering to stay at their place and not have to work for the year. (There’s that privilege rearing its head again.)

My last moment of doubt occurred when I was due to enrol and pay for the course at St Leonards TAFE. While shuffling forward in a long queue for registration, I was overcome with dread as I thought about failing and losing $1k!

I enrolled.

The best thing about studying the TPC was autonomy and independence. It wasn't your typical high-school setting, no one forced you to attend, and there wasn't an overly rigid structure. The class numbers were small and the teachers were down to earth, treating us like adults seeking to further our learning. It became apparent that this was a perfect setting if I was willing to put in the work.

St Leonards TAFE library — it was essential to my study & fantastic preparation for university Arts study.

I've spent time trying to work out how I came to apply myself at TAFE in a completely different way to high school. My mental health wasn't much better than in my teenage years. Instead – I think it came down to natural maturity. For example, reading, researching and studying outside of high school classrooms felt like an impossibility as a teenager. But at TAFE, I felt content sitting in the library for hours researching and writing. I'd often leave campus between 7-8 in the evening, catching one of the last 536 buses home. Even on the bus rides, I'd scribble notes in my journal and process by writing follow-up questions that I'd return to.

As it turned out, my marks were good.

I finished the year with a university entrance score of 98/100. I want to stress that this was predominantly because of the TAFE's learning environment and the aims of the staff. They provided seminar class settings and facilitated engaging discussion. It was also like university in that we could approach teachers during open-door hours for further discussion and assistance.

I'm not sure what the parameters are like these days for the TPC — it appears there is far more online studying. That said, the on-campus model was ideal for me and likely anyone who struggled in traditional schooling structures or wasn't developmentally ready to achieve particular marks to go on to university.

For more on TPC through TAFE NSW: www.tafensw.edu.au/course/-/c/c/10767NAT-01/Certificate-IV-in-Tertiary-Preparation

TAFE NSW TPC - Certificate IV PDF pamphlet: www.tafensw.edu.au/product/pdf/10767NAT-01