Aaron Williams

Aaron Williams started his Social Work degree with The University of Queensland when he was 32, 16 years after he finished high school.

He found the idea of returning to study daunting, but the supportive staff and close relationships formed at the University helped make this transition easier.

“I was petrified every day for the first six months – I thought that I would fail for sure.  I found the lecturers very supportive and over the first year I improved my academic writing skills and quickly gained more confidence.”

From an uncertain start, Aaron went on to excel in his study, recognised as a Dean’s Scholar throughout his degree and graduating with first class Honours. 

“What I most enjoyed about the UQ Social Work curriculum was the choice of highly practical elective subjects. These helped me greatly in choosing the direction that I wanted my career to take,” Aaron said.

For Aaron, a UQ Bachelor of Social Work led to employment the week after graduation, and a career in Child and Youth Mental Health.

He is currently a district Coordinator with Ed-LinQ, a state-wide Queensland Health initiative aimed at building bridges between schools and mental health services.

Aaron attributes his success to the third and fourth year placements that form part of the degree.

“Both placements offered incredible opportunities to develop my skills and knowledge and both led to job offers that resulted in me continuing on with the organisations as a paid employee. The contacts that I made and the experience that I received from my placements have helped to fast-track my social work career.”

One of Aaron’s career highlights was creating a new model to support homeless young people with mental health issues.

This was part of his position as the Service Integration Coordinator within the Child and Youth Mental Health Services (CYMHS).
Aaron says that a career in social work, and particularly mental health, can make a difference in many peoples’ lives.

“In Australia today, 1 in 4 young people are living with a mental disorder. Social workers play a vital role in providing clinical expertise and social supports for these young people and their families. If you are interested in helping young people to try and reach their full potential, I cannot recommend working in the youth and/or mental health sectors highly enough.”

Aaron is planning to continue at The University of Queensland with post-doctorate studies.

“Before starting my social work degree at UQ, I never imagined that this would ever become a possibility,” he says.
 

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