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Having done well in accounting at school,
Nicole says she came to study commerce
because ‘I didn’t really know what else
to do’. However, eight years into her
business career, Nicole was struggling to
see a long-term future for herself behind
a desk and, after chatting to a friend
who’d just had a baby, decided to trade in
her calculator for a stethoscope.
‘I didn’t dislike accounting, I just really
couldn’t imagine myself doing it for the
lot of research. I asked a lot of questions
of friends who were already working as
nurses and midwives’. It’s an approach
she recommends to anyone considering
a significant career change, saying the
research she did helped her feel confident
in her decision and prepared for what she
was about to take on.
Now working through her first semester
of a Bachelor of Nursing, Nicole says she
feels more focused and motivated than
With a degree in commerce and a full-time job at a local firm,
Nicole Davidson was steadily approaching her first decade
in an accounting career when she decided to give it
all away and follow her dream of life as a midwife.
rest of my life. It’s quite predictable work
whereas being a midwife will mean facing
different challenges every single day.’
when studying, despite now juggling
external study with being a mum to her
two young daughters.
While her friends, family and colleagues
were all ‘really, really great and very
supportive’ of her decision, Nicole says
their support didn’t come without a
few raised eyebrows. ‘Obviously, going
from accounting to midwifery is a big
change and a lot of people were really
surprised, but a lot of people also said
that they could picture me as a nurse and
encouraged me to go for it’.
‘I do a lot of reading and study at night
when the girls are in bed and they’re
usually really good at giving me some
time to study. I practice taking their pulse
and they think it’s pretty exciting that
mum’s going to be a nurse’.
Fully aware of how big a move she was
about to make, Nicole spent weeks
scouring online resources and chatting
to friends who had already taken this
path. ‘It wasn’t an overnight decision for
me. It meant quitting my job and doing a
While the transition hasn’t come without
some challenges, including being ‘pretty
scared’ of the new USQ StudyDesk, Nicole
says she has no regrets about making the
change and is looking ahead to a fulfilling
and challenging career.
WORDS: ANDREA DAVIS – USQ Student
IMAGES: USQ ONLINE MARKETING