Danielle Moore
When Danielle Moore, an advertising, marketing and communications officer for the agricultural services industry in Bendigo Victoria, decided it was time to update her qualifications she took advantage of an innovative online course being offered by the Faculty of Land and Food Resources at The University of Melbourne. Danielle has now graduated with a Master of Agribusiness.
She was looking for a professional qualification at a postgraduate level based on her experience and previous study “I was after something that would build on the skills and experience I already had in business, but that provided more focus than an MBA. It also had to provide the flexibility to live and work in a regional area as a professional, and as agriculture has always been an interest this course made perfect sense.”
The Master of Agribusiness is an interactive program that is delivered mostly online and is aimed at people who are already holding down a full time job, or running a business, and where distance can hinder attendance at University.
The biggest challenge for Danielle initially was just getting into the study mode – “It had been quite a few years since I had studied, and without a class around you all the time it was important to communicate regularly with everyone. Extending yourself to get the best from each subject is challenging – it’s easy enough to do the minimum for a pass grade, but extending your thoughts and assumptions make it meaningful and truly worthwhile,” says Danni.
Danielle found that one of the most rewarding things about the course was the personal challenge to successfully complete the course while dealing with the rest of her life :work, family, friends and sport.
“The flexibility of the actual time of study is the biggest benefit. There’s no need to be at a particular place at the same time every week – you can work it in easily with the rest of your life. It would be nice sometimes to sit down with people and chat face-to-face, but the diversity of location of fellow students just adds to the richness of the learning experience. We’re not all from the same climate or geography so have different backgrounds and, experiences. “The friends and contacts made through the course are invaluable and really add to the benefits of the experience”, says Danielle.
Obviously the better your technical skills are, the easier the course is, but plenty of support is provided. Discipline and time management are the keys. “It’s important to keep up with all the readings and discussions.”.
Completing the course has allowed Danielle to extend the work she does, and also given her a better understanding of the business environments of the clients she work with. She has been able to develop some new projects both within the business that will provide new revenue streams and with client projects, which will support the long term success of the business.
Danni says, “The course was very interesting and thoroughly enjoyable. The benefit is not only in learning more, but in discussing issues and situations with colleagues, as well as reviewing your own experiences and consolidating your knowledge and skill sets. You are doing a course with like-minded, proactive people who are interested in learning and sharing ideas – it was very exciting!
It was a personal challenge to complete the course, one that I am proud to have achieved. I think it has given me the confidence to try new things and put my hand up, even if I am not 100% sure of my abilities – it’s the incentive to give things a go and keep learning.”
Further information about the Master of Agribusiness can be obtained by phoning Diane Cardinal (03) 8344 6883 or visiting the website at www.agribusiness.unimelb.edu.au