Kristy finds her niche with a career change

“I love what I’m doing right now and I really feel like I’ve found my niche,” she said.

Kristy left school in year nine and had worked in the hospitality industry for 20 years before becoming a mother in 2016.

She said she reached a point where she felt lost and wanted to do something different with her life.

“I just didn’t know how to go about making that change without a qualification so with the encouragement of some friends who worked in the community services sector I attended an information session at South West TAFE,” she said.

From there Kristy enrolled in the Certificate IV in Child, Youth and Family Intervention and hasn’t looked back since.

“I always felt like I wanted to work with youth but I wasn’t sure in what aspect,” she said. She said she gained great support and advice from her teacher and family who encouraged her to apply for a casual position as a residential care worker.

Kristy was successful in gaining that position before she even finished her studies and is now aiming to gain permanent employment.

“I love working with young people, engaging with them and hearing their stories. I should have done it 10 years ago,” she said.