Although Daniel is from Tigerland (bom bom bom bom) when a paid professional placement came up at North Melbourne Football Club, it was an opportunity that sounded too good to turn down.

Daniel studies a Bachelor of Business Information Systems/Commerce at Swinburne, which is a great match for his placement in North Melbourne’s membership division.

It will give you the edge

Experience v no experience. When going for jobs, if your resume says you’ve already worked for six or twelve months in the industry you’re looking for work in, you will already be ahead of the pack.

“I wanted to set myself a part – I’ve had family and friends who have finished their degrees and still can’t get into the workforce, I wanted to get some real work experience,” says Daniel.

With jobs, come perks

Most jobs come with one or two cool perks to brag to your friends about. Maybe the people in your office sit on beanbags instead of office chairs, or maybe you get to go to corporate events with five star caterers or if you work somewhere like Daniel does, they might even fly you interstate!

“When I started at North Melbourne they made me feel right at home, offering me tickets to all the games, they even flew me to Sydney and across to Perth for the North Vs West Coast final! I also got to attend some events like the club’s best and fairest, the Syd Barker medal!”

Sweet new skills

When you start any job it’s inevitable that you will be learning new skills. The good thing about a professional placement is that many of the new skills you pick up will probably be in the area that you want a career in. Learning new skills can be challenging at first, but it doesn’t take long till you’ll be the one teaching the new recruits.

“It was full on at first, the database was very hard to learn and I had about half a dozen training courses with the AFL just to learn how to use it, but I had to learn properly because in my role that’s mainly what I use. Now I’m teaching the new staff members how to use it!”

Insider knowledge

Undertaking a professional placement gives you inside knowledge on what it’s like to work in a professional setting.

“My professional placement has clarified what to expect in the workforce and you get to see how businesses’, especially the administration side, operate. I feel confident and comfortable to go into the workforce and contribute as a professional.”

You’ll realise that uni is worth the time and effort

Have you ever been in a lecture and thought you yourself, ‘when will I ever need this in the real world?’ Turns out a professional placement will also show you why you learn what you do at university.

“During my placement I realised that all my subjects are leading me to where I want to end up. You see how all the knowledge you learn in uni is applied to a job and I can see how both sides to my double degree will cross over and complement each other.”

Doors will be opened

A job at the end of your placement is never guaranteed, but it happens! Daniel scored a part-time role after completing his placement at North Melbourne. Even if you don’t get a job out of it, you have experience at the company or organisation which will give you a leg up if a job ever comes up after you graduate.

“I’m really lucky, they kept me on part-time after my placement so I can finish my degree, and stay in the club, there are jobs within AFL that I find out about through work every now and then. When I finish uni I’ll probably apply for some!”

Written by Mia Burgess, Bachelor of Arts (Journalism), Swinburne. Mia’s also on a 6-month Professional Placement in Swinburne’s Media and Communications team.