Carving out a career in Kuala Lumpur

A new life, in the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur—new sights, new smells, new experiences. This was an exciting prospect for David, who moved from Sydney to set up a home with his partner. Naturally, David assumed that given his years of experience as a Business Analyst, that he’d have no problem finding a job. But things didn’t quite unfold as he imagined.

“The only way that you can be assessed here for a role is based on your qualifications, and then your experience” explains David “and for me, what I lacked was the qualification”. So David set out to find a study solution, flexible enough to allow him to fly back to Sydney for contract work, to keep the money coming in. He found that solution in OUA, and he’s now on his way to gaining a Bachelor of Business Information Systems, from Swinburne University.

David knew he needed the degree to gain employment, but what he didn’t know was how much more he’d learn about his long-time profession. One subject in particular on database design, proved to be extremely helpful to David, as he often works with data and reporting specialists. Previously, as David recalls, “I’d be thinking… I’m not too sure what they’re going on about, but I’d nod and ask questions. Now when I work with those people, I know exactly what their needs are”.

“The only way that you can be assessed here for a role is based on your qualifications, and then your experience—and for me, what I lacked was the qualification”.

While online study was a daunting thought at first, David has come to feel comfortable with his new study mode. He loves having the ability to communicate with classmates from all over the world – talking within their virtual classroom, and collaborating on platforms like Google Docs and Google Hangouts. David has actually come to prefer consuming his study materials in the online space – particularly lectures. “Sometimes you can drift off a bit” David laughs, “It’s like, what happened in the last 20 seconds? But with a lecture that’s recorded, you can rewind”.

For those like David, who want to take learning at their own pace, online study might be their preferred solution. “I find that for me,” adds David, “learning online is a whole lot better”. Before he knows it, David will have his career up and running in KL, and will be looked upon as an internationally-employable business professional.

Study from wherever you are

Through OUA you can study online, at your own pace, from wherever you are. With everything you need, provided in your university’s online learning management system (LMS), you’ll experience uni just like an on-campus student, except you’ll have more flexibility to personalise your studies. While you’ll be studying in your own time and space, you’ll never be studying alone. OUA has a passionate community of online students, and a team of experts to help find the right study option for you, and assist you to manage your studies from start to finish.