Sarah McGregor has always known she wanted to work in healthcare — and she's now a step closer.
About 10 years after leaving high school, the 27-year-old from Melbourne has completed her Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE).
She couldn't be prouder — and says returning to complete her final year of secondary education was "one of the best decisions [she's] made".
"It was definitely one of the toughest periods, but also so worthwhile. Throughout it all, feeling like I was finally making progress towards my ambitions and my dreams meant that it was some of the most rewarding times recently," McGregor told SBS News.
"I'm still a few steps away from the ultimate end goal, but just knowing I'm heading in the right direction felt really fulfilling."
'It's never too late to chase whatever your dream is'
McGregor left high school after finishing Year 10 in 2012. She says she was managing mental health challenges which impacted her ability to continue with her studies.
She moved into TAFE studies in early childhood education, before beginning to work in the field.
"I felt like I blinked and, suddenly, 10 years had passed and I was still doing the same thing," McGregor said.
"I always had the intention of wanting to do further study. But once you're that bit older, and you have rent and bills to pay, it becomes a lot harder."
After pushing through the COVID-19 pandemic, she decided it was time to open doors.
"The best way for me that I could do it was to go back and get that VCE certificate," McGregor said.
The move was symbolic in many ways. McGregor and her sisters had watched their mother return to studying to complete a master's degree in her 50s.
"Seeing her journey to find her true passions at that stage of life really emphasised that I don't think it's ever too late to go back and chase whatever your dream is," she said.
Most importantly, she said her VCE certificate was the "full stop" to round out her adolescence and early adulthood.
"It was symbolic in a way of closing that chapter of the struggles that I had gone through. Being able to go back and get the certificate felt like the full stop at the end of that story."
Mature-age students completing their secondary studies across Australia
McGregor is far from the only one to pursue secondary studies in adulthood.
While data for 2023 is not yet available, the most recent Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed there were almost 1,740 students across the country aged 20 years and older completing years 11 and 12 in a part- or full-time capacity in 2022.
The definition of adult or mature-age students in Australia differs across institutions.
In order to be enrolled as an adult in Victoria, students must be at least 18 years of age at the start of their enrolment year, according to the state's education department. They are required to not have been enrolled in more than seven units of study in the year preceding their enrolment as an adult.
Of the 57,601 students completing their VCE this year, 55,152 were aged under 18 and under, and 2,449 were aged 19 and over, according to the department.
McGregor said several institutions were offering VCE for adult learners in Melbourne at the time. She chose to complete hers through Box Hill Institute, a TAFE provider in Melbourne, over two years.
Matthew Hetherington, director of the institute's VCE studies known as Foundation Education, said there are a broad range of students completing the program who require flexibility.
On average, almost 80 per cent of its VCE students are aged over 19, including 60 per cent who are aged between 19 and 24. About 8 per cent of students are aged over 40.
"We've found those cohorts need flexibility within their VCE program, because they may have family commitments, or caring responsibilities," Hetherington said.
"Most of them have stopped their high school experience for a variety of reasons - they might have had financial or cultural difficulties, or some family challenges that meant they had to leave school at a point in time and they're coming back to their education."
Hetherington said mature-age students' subsequent pathways are also varied - they may wish to go on to further study, pursue a career that requires a VCE or change careers. He said students are supported with wraparound services to ensure they can meet their family and other life commitments.
McGregor said her experience was different in high school.
"I think going back out of your own choice, at a point when you are having to make sacrifices to do so, meant everyone had a lot of motivation to be there, and were very driven," she said.
"Having that support definitely helps a lot of us to get through it."
Finishing secondary studies at 53: 'I needed to do something for me'
At 53, Dawn Owen was the oldest person to sit a South Australian Certificate of Education (SACE) exam this year. Like McGregor, she said it's a "huge achievement".
"My whole family is very proud of me. I'm proud of me," she said.
"There were a couple of times where I wanted to give up... but my family got me through that. I'm on the other side of it now, and I go, 'Wow, I did it!'"
Owen, a mother of three, lives in Elizabeth Grove in northern Adelaide. She left high school in 1985 at the age of 15 and began moving "from job to job".
"I was unfulfilled. Being 15, I didn't think of the future," Owen said.
Several years later, she returned to school for a couple of years, before going back to work. Owen moved through some challenges in her personal life, raising two children as she grieved the death of her father.
Owen has devoted much of her time to supporting two of her children who live with autism. In 2020, her mother underwent treatment for breast cancer.
That year, supported by her family, Owen felt a desire to "find some direction" for herself. "I was getting older and I decided that I need to do something for me now, and follow my dreams," she said.
"I thought, the first thing I needed to do was get my SACE."
Owen studied at Northern Adelaide Senior College (NASC), taking up subjects including Ancient Studies, English and Modern History.
The school supports a range of students over the age of 16, including adults aged over 21 who wish to complete their SACE. Of the 90 students who graduated with their SACE completed this year, 25 were aged over 21. Owen was the school's oldest student.
Principal Anne Sim said several of the school's adult students were mothers. Some of them had been with the school for many years, taking up flexible learning options.
"Every student has a very individualised program based on what their long-term plans are," she said. "We're supporting adults with access to housing, health, navigating Centrelink ... they're managing a lot of other issues that younger students don't necessarily juggle."
She said transition pathways are "very important". At least 12 of the 25 adult students at NASC are planning further study.
According to the South Australian government's website, pathways available for mature-age students include a small number of government schools focusing on adult education, such as NASC.
Those aged under 21 can apply to enrol at a government secondary school, while those who are older can complete the SACE through an adult education provision (AEP) pathway.
'I'm really looking forward to the next chapter'
About 60,000 students in Victoria received their Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) last week. McGregor achieved an ATAR of 92.6, and said she's "over the moon". She is considering a couple of pathways towards paramedicine or medicine.
Looking back, she said her education pathway has been the right one for her.
"It's definitely been a different pathway to a lot of people's journey, but at the end of the day, I think it was what I had to go through to be who I am today."
Meanwhile, Owen is awaiting her result on Monday. She plans to study a diploma in family history at the University of Tasmania.
"Going through what I did in the last three years has made me realise that I can do this, that I'm not too old to do this," she said. "I can have a career of sorts on the other side, and achieve my goal, which is what I'm aiming for now."
Own reflected on her younger years: "You have a whole future ahead of you."
"I'm really looking forward to the next chapter."
