005: You Really Can Go Your Own Way
Meet Meredith Paige • Tuncurry NSW
Bachelor of Design Studies from the University of Western Sydney
"You can have it all, you just can't have it all at once." In this episode, Donna chats with Meredith Paige, who has a Bachelor of Design Studies from the University of Western Sydney, and currently runs her own design business in Tuncurry. From a bumpy start to living the good life by the sea, this is her unconventional University story.
Subscribe now on your favourite podcast platform:
Transcript
Download the Transcript here (PDF)
Intro 00:15
Hi there. Thank you for joining us for Six Degrees of Study: An Uneducational Podcast. Today we have Meredith Paige, who has a Bachelor of Design Studies from the University of Western Sydney, and currently runs her own design business in Tuncurry. We want to show you how it's highly likely there's only six degrees of separation between you, the career and the life you want. This is the Six Degrees Podcast.
Donna 00:38
Tell us a little bit about yourself, Meredith. Where are you today, personally and professionally?
Meredith Paige 00:44
Sleep deprived? That's nothing to do with the degree - don't take that on kids.
Donna 00:48
I think there's a lot to do with the degree from experience!
Meredith Paige 00:50
Well, it's pretty a very serious knock on effect of the degree isn't it? So I feel like I'm in a really, I feel like I'm one of those people that's actually got it all sort of thing, you know, which sounds really arrogant, I hope it comes across as grateful. But I think I feel like I've got it all. Like I've got two little boys who are hysterical, they're amazing. They're two and five, got a husband who is probably sick of supporting every crazy idea I've come up with, but he does it anyway. And he's actually really instrumental in where I've gotten to now. And I'm post degree, I did a Bachelor of Design Studies through Western Sydney University. And, and I live in Tuncurry of all places, but like, I'm a professional, small business marketer, I build websites and I create marketing strategies. And I work with some amazing people like Mr. Brown over here. And now the TUC team and yeah, I've kind of hit the sweet spot where we've got a little house by the sea that's like five minute walk away from beaches and lakes and I love the community we're in like, I did that soccer mum thing and I got roped into the committee. So now on the soccer club committee, like just tick every typical soccer mum box.
Donna 01:59
Committee for marketing, right?
Meredith Paige 02:00
Yeah, well, I'm like, I built the website. And they're like, "so this website ongoing, do you reckon...?" and I'm like, "Okay, fine. If it's going to save me 11pm phone calls. Yes, I'll do the marketing for the club as well", which is great. Because they're another bunch of people. I just, I grew up in a small town. Not this one. I grew up in the Blue Mountains. But coming back to a small town is like coming home. I love small. I love the people. I love the atmosphere. I yeah, I love it.
Donna 02:24
So just to put some perspective on it. When did you finish your degree? How much time has gone by?
Meredith Paige 02:30
So I graduated 2013, what are 2020 now. So I technically finished 2012 had the graduation ceremony 2013. So it's been what - Seven or eight years? Jesus seven years
Donna 02:40
Time goes fast!
Meredith Paige 02:42
Mhmm! Yeah, seven or eight years since I finished my degree. But I've had an amazing career ever since then. It's um, yeah, it's been a really cool ride. And I think it's one of those things that it doesn't look anything like what I thought it would look like but better - it's probably better than anything I could have imagined.
Donna 02:58
And when you completed your degree, did you fall into what your degree was related to? Or did you do a windy path after your degree?
Meredith Paige 03:07
So I think the windy path for me was pre degree. So I had a really bumpy exit from home, there was a lot a lot of conflict for me at home when I was leaving. And that was really hard, I can really kind of relate to anyone who has been put in a position where they feel like they have to choose between their family obligations and pursuing a life for themselves.
Donna 03:55
And you're talking about leaving home straight after year 12?
Meredith Paige 04:00
I was straight after Year 12. That's kind of when it all started because I think it sort of was the end of my childhood and the beginning of my independence and that didn't really sit well particularly with my mum because throughout my whole childhood become really integral in the family just functioning in our day to day life. Suddenly I was going off and pursuing my own life and everything collapsed when I left. This kind of getting very dark very quickly! But I kind of want people to know that I like you can still come out of the other side of it and still get it.
Donna 04:29
But Meredith I think it's also relatable. It's your personal story. But I think there's a lot of people that are in a similar position. I know often you think "oh this is just me that's going through this." But as you start to talk about this stuff, you realize that yes, it's your story, but it's also other people's story too. So...
Meredith Paige 04:48
It's a really, really rough separation point when you assert the independence you deserve anyway. So I finished school at 17 and a half because I started that year early so obviously I was young leaving school. I got accepted into Macquarie Uni doing a languages degree. I studied Japanese and I went to Japan a couple of times, and I was going to be diplomatic service in some way, shape or form.
Donna 04:54
Wow. So hang on - just that you went there straight after Year 12? Because that's where you got in?
Meredith Paige 05:33
So I put that degree on hold for a year. So I deferred it, because I want to take a year off because I'd done a whole bunch of other things towards the end of high school. So I knew what it was like to have the balance of education and extracurricular activities and I wanted 12 months to just, I think it's probably similar to you like I want to 12 months to earn a bit of money, I had a car, I had a license, I went got a job in the city really nice job. And it was such a such a good first job, it was just an admin role, but it was great. I met my then-boyfriend now-husband, and he's a little bit older than me, but he was like working really hard was paying off a mortgage in Sydney single handedly, which is no mean feat. And so like I'd met this guy who was really like settled and secure. So long story short, so I was out of home by the time I was 18. Week before my 18th birthday, I had to move out. I didn't move in with my husband straightaway. It was a really messy situation. We all have those situations, which look a lot of details, just suffice to say it was messy. So that was 2018 was just a really bumpy ride in amongst trying to work and be an adult. And then 2019 rolled around. It was time for me to start that degree. So 2017 I graduated, 2018 was my gap year. Oh sorry, so minus 10 years. 2007. Sorry, you can tell maths wasn't the degree I went into!
Donna 07:38
You've learned A LOT in a short time!
Meredith Paige 07:41
So yes, 2007 I left school. 2008 was me working and trying to keep my head above water. 2009 I started that degree. And I realized very quickly that I wasn't doing that degree for the right reasons. I was using that degree as a way to make things right at home, because I felt like that was the degree I should be doing that would make people at home happy. And you've got that three month grace period with universities where you no strings attached can walk away. No harm, no foul, which a lot of people again, don't know about.
Donna 08:12
At school they don't just say "you know, you don't have to have all the answers now. Just give it a go test the water!"
Meredith Paige 08:17
Dip your toe like, if that degree doesn't work, find a different one! So, yes, so three months in, I realized that degree just wasn't going to cut it because I was like, "Look, my so then boyfriend, we were talking about like the family life we wanted, we knew we wanted to move up here because my husband had been coming up here since he was little, we wanted to do the family thing up here. And I just knew that that degree was going to span far too long, but I wasn't gonna be able to package up a degree and a career with a bit of experience and then move because - this was my misconception about regional areas -it's almost like, "I'm going to need to take work with me, if I'm going to make my career stick in a small town like that." What are the chances that are being designed roles in a small town like that I need to make these work. So I had to sort of do all this legwork and everything while I was in a metropolitan area to then take up with me. And I'm looking at this degree going "this isn't gonna work, like what I'm going to be in three years, an interational Student?" Because it was a name of the Degree in International Studies. And I'm like, "Well, so what jobs are there for international students, exactly?". Like I could just see there was only two or three degrees tacked on to that to make it mean something. So then I sort of went my separate ways and again, Macquarie was like, "okay, that's fine. Have to have a nice life" basically.
Donna 09:26
So can I just ask you there with that, did you feel like you're racking up debt then with Macquarie? Like is there that feeling of Oh...?
Meredith Paige 09:33
Well, I've reached out to the university and I said, "this is my situation." And they just reiterated the fact that look, this is the cutoff point in your decision to make it to the cutoff point. It's fine.
Donna 09:42
You walked away from there without without the cost? You made the choices in time?
Meredith Paige 09:46
Yeah, that's it. I just had the date in mind. And I said, "Okay, I'm gonna make a decision by this day, trust your gut." I did, I walked away. They sent me the letter saying, you know, thank you. We hope you have enjoyed whatever experience you end up having, we hope it's enjoyable. And that was it. It was really, really easy. And so the I went and spoke to UWS and they said, Well, look, that's fine. And I said, what about - I think back then it was the UAI. Now it's the ATAR or something, I think. And I said, "What about my UAI?" And they said, "Look, don't worry about we'll make it work. You know, just send us all your information. We'll work it out."
Donna 10:15
Because by then we're, you're close to mature age entry point anyway?
Meredith Paige 10:19
I think I probably would have qualified because then I would have been starting 2010. So then they said, Yeah, look, it's not. I can't remember the specifics. I remember knowing it was just easy. Yeah, that's all I remember was that it was easy. Pretty frictionless. I spoke to someone at the campus, they walked me through the process. I picked a degree, we put it on hold. And they're like, "Oh, see you next year." There's some degrees, I think you can do a mid year intake. I didn't have that option with the design degree I chose. But that's fine. They said "we'll just see you at the start of next year." So that's the only thing I remember is that it was easy. Then I just hit the ground running, it was the best switching gears moment, I could have made really.
Donna 10:59
So from that point from completing that degree, and how long did that take?
Meredith Paige 11:03
That was three, there was a four year or three year option. Um, and so because again, like sometimes, like I think in adversity is the making of you so because I had to move out, because my husband did eventually end up living together. We didn't get married for like seven years after that. But because we ended up living together, I had to work full time to able to pull my weight financially. And so I started doing restaurant Restaurant Management, because I needed the money and therefore subsequently willing to forfeit my social life. I ended up moving into like management, supervisory roles and things like that in a lot of major restaurant chains and things like that. So I was able to earn fairly decent money, and also study. And so I eventually found my way to Penrith Panthers, because ...
Donna 11:41
Can I just ask you, when you were taking on all those quite heavy work roles? Were you studying full time?
Meredith Paige 11:47
Yes.
Donna 11:48
And that was manageable?
Meredith Paige 11:51
I think it's about self awareness and knowing what's manageable for you. So I reached a point where I couldn't work full time, but I could work four days a week, you know, my full time degree was about three or four days depending on what week rotation was in. I was able to do a lot of homework - Again, I did have to forfeit a social life. But I'm super awkward. Like I much prefer staying at home in my own company anyway. I think I went clubbing twice in my entire life. So that kind of worked for me anyway.
Donna 12:14
So hang on, then you end up at Penrith Panthers, which is a bit of a contradiction!
Meredith Paige 12:19
So that was probably the only time I was ever going to go out was if I was working there. Um, so yeah, so then, amongst all the hospitality roles I had, I ended up at Penrith Panthers because it was just down the road from, I was at the Kingswood campus. And so it was easy for me to work more hours because I wasn't losing time in a commute and I could do the shift starts and everything like I do a diet uni and then do a 5pm to like a 3am shift at Panthers. That's just what you had to do because paying to keep a roof over at the same time. And I think it's all about being in the right place at the right time or being the right person at the same time. So I approached the restaurant manager while I was doing the supervisor shifts and I said, "hey, look, I'm doing a design degree. I'm always looking for opportunities to hone my skills. So if you've got like a menu, like next time you do the menu revamp, can I design it? Or if there's like signage to go up in the restaurant, can I design it?" And it just so happened that the head chef was on really good terms with the marketing manager. And the marketing manager was crying out for like a part time designer to take some of the weight off their full time designer because at that point the club had like 10 sub clubs, the footy club, the RSL like the marketing team were very overloaded at that point. So then I ended up sitting down with the marketing manager. And we worked at that I'd do two days working in the marketing team and two days work in the restaurant. And then it kind of spilled on from that because there's so almost by sort of sheer coincidence as soon as I finished my degree, I mean, like to take a step back, it was really good for me to have that working context for my degree so while I was studying, I was also applying all these skills to a real world job. And then when I finished my degree, that was when the Western Sydney Wanderers were starting up and so our graphic designer got poached to be the graphic designer for the Western Sydney Wanderers. And so then I moved into the lead designer role at Penrith Panthers. And so it was this seamless transition straight out of uni into working for a major NRL team. And so I looked after the football team had a bit of extra help with the marketing and branding side of things. But also I did a lot of designer work for the football team, the major club of Penrith and their sub clubs around the state.
Donna 14:17
So do you think that they would have put you into that role if you didn't have your degree? Or was it you having the confidence from your degree that made that transition easy?
Meredith Paige 14:27
I think it was about being on the lookout for opportunities related to what I was doing to try and - I was always trying to fast track things as much as possible. Which is kind of weird cuz it's kind of filtered back to how I do things professionally. It's like what's the end result? How do I get there as slick as possible? You know, so for me it was like a case of I don't want to be doing the rounds looking for a job after this. So how can I make the situation work better now? And I'm like, well, there is a design need in this place, obviously. Why don't I just see if I can get some experience now so I can walk out of this degree ahead of the game with a bit of a working portfolio and a degree and it just so happened they had a need for me there and then. It was like they were just waiting for someone to stick their hand up for it. So, I mean, never be afraid to ask. You never know unless you ask. The worst I can say is no. Thankfully they just said yes.
Donna 15:11
So when did you decide to leave Panthers and make the transition away from the city? What what brought that on?
Meredith Paige 15:18
So take a step back. So the game plan that my husband like came up with is, because he's a little bit older than me, he wanted to have kids by a certain, be married and set on having kids by a certain point. And I said, well that's fine. I need to have a degree and about a year or so experience before I'll be confident to make them move. So okay, great. So we had a bit of a time in our head. So I think I've been at Panthers about 12 months in the marketing role. And I started looking for opportunities to get a design role up here. And one came up. And it was actually like the most chaotic three or four months of our life because the job opportunity came up. So I moved up and stayed with his parents who retired and live up here to take start the job in the November. In the March following that we got married in Vanuatu, in the middle of a cyclone. So in that space between November and March, we sold our house, did some mad renovations to the shed essentially we were living in Sydney to get it to sale point. We were living like three and a half hours away, my husband was trying to secure employment up here. And then we were trying to sort of buy a house up here. And then the place I was staying at actually closed because unfortunately either passed or like got really sick and passed away got cancer. And he was a lovely guy was really, really awful. So I then had to find another job, another design gig. So I'm sending away resumes trying to get patchy reception in Vanuatu, because I'm doing this job transition.
Donna 16:51
This is on your honeymoon?
Meredith Paige 16:51
I'm sitting in the restaurant in Vanuatu. There's like screaming winds. And I'm like, please just hang on while I send this resume away!
Donna 16:58
You did say that you always try to get from one point to the next point as fast as possible. So that's pretty quick. Planning ahead while you're on your honeymoon, "I've got to get this job!"
Meredith Paige 17:06
Yeah, so we're doing all that! We're buying and selling houses. And then we fell pregnant with our first one by I think the April. The doctors are like "look, it'll take a couple of months. It's fine." No, it was pretty much straightaway.
Donna 17:17
Well you do like to fast track things, right?
Meredith Paige 17:19
Yep. That's been pretty much a recurring theme. And it's just "How can we squeeze as much stress, trauma and growth into the shortest timeframe and come out the other side kind of semi normal?"
Donna 17:28
So thinking back on all of that - the wedding in Vanuatu, the cyclone - if you hadn't had the vision of where you are now back then what do you wish someone had have said to you to get you through all of that to this point now? Where you said at the start, "you know, I'm feeling really comfortable. I'm in a really happy spot here." And you've been through all of that, what would you have needed at the beginning to go, "I can get through all this, it's going to be alright." Your words of wisdom!
Meredith Paige 17:56
You can have it all, you just can't have it all at once. And you've got to really be in tune with, what does success look like for you? Like I think so often we prescribe this idea of success is like money, massive house, nice car. And it's got to be more than that. Because like, for me, I'm living success now. Because success for me is a house that is - it's not huge, it's only a little three bedroom brick home. But it doesn't cost us so much that we don't have the flexibility to change gears and try things. We're not so enslaved to a mortgage that we can't shift. Like it's about giving yourself the breathing room to shift when you know something's not right. And for me, it's so I've got two little boys. And this is no shade on anyone who's had to rely on daycare because I realize everyone's just trying to make it work. Before all this happened, I had a really clear idea of the kind of mum I wanted to be, and the degree and the career had to facilitate me being a parent. The kids were never engineered around the degree, it was always the degree and the career need to be engineered around the family. And I've got two kids that have never been in full time daycare. My son - the longest they've ever been is four days. And that was even for a brief period of time. I've never had to put them in full time care where they've been morning till night because I know that breaks a lot of parents hearts when they have to do that. I've been able to create a career that has meant that I can still have at least one day a week if not two where it's me, my son, whichever one it is, we're hanging out. We're going swimming lessons, we're going to the beach, we're going to get ice cream. We're going to cafes eating milkshakes, like I can still have the career and the fulfillment and the one-on-one time with my kids and the time with my husband.
Donna 19:31
And do you think that is something that's a little unique really about being in a regional area because you don't have to have a massive mortgage to have somewhere to live? It then gives you that freedom with your time.
Meredith Paige 19:45
We say that all the time too. It costs you nothing to have a good time here. You take your kids to the beach, cost you nothing and they've had an amazing day. You can take them for five bucks worth of ice cream. They've had an amazing day. Like when we're in Sydney, it costs 50 bucks to leave your house.
Donna 19:58
I can't believe you've got to pay to park at the beach!?
Meredith Paige 20:02
Everything is so expensive. Whereas here, it's just like you go for a walk on the river. Or your kids ride their bikes along the river, you're gonna get hot chips or something like it's a $20 day, and they love it. That's all they need. That's all you'd need to keep a family happy up here is just doing stuff like that. So being able to have that life with our kids, where we just so we're such the four of us are such a team. And I've got a career that I love. And we're in a community that's just full of amazing people like I couldn't - that success for me. It's not the big house, it's not the fancy car. It's not the million bucks a year because sometimes earning a million bucks a year will kill you. It just flat out will. So yeah, I think that's it. It's being really clear on what does success actually look like. And you can have it all as long as your realistic about what really is going to make you feel fulfilled.
Donna 20:45
And I think having young families like yours in this area now is why it's so important to have the university's campus here. So that there is that next level, so that, you know, you don't have to go through that idea of your kids having to leave home to go and study.
Meredith Paige 20:57
Well, that's also knowing the connections that are there through the university, like knowing that so many people invested in this project that there is a lot of career opportunities woven into it in all these different stages. Like if I'd known that this was if this had been here, and I knew this facility would have been here, I probably would have moved up here that much sooner and started living this life. I mean, I don't ever want to say I regret anything because I feel like so much of what I've been through is built me to this person I am today. But I feel like it would have meant moving up here might have felt that much more viable. Because it's like, "oh, no, there are education and work opportunities up there. They've got this thing where I can do my study through them, and then they'll tee me up with an employer." And it's this whole pathway that's kind of been paved for you where you're not beating through the bush doing it first go.
Donna 21:40
Yeah, that's why it's so important now, I think to really, to get this up and running and to get it embedded into the community to give that opportunity.
Outro 21:48
Thanks for listening to today's episode of the Six Degrees Podcast. This podcast is produced by UpBound Business Consultants and is brought to you by Taree Universities Campus. Based on the New South Wales Barrington Coast, TUC a hub for supporting Distance Education study for university students with campus facilities, mentoring, post grad career opportunities, and more. If you'd like to share your story, you can send us an email at podcast@tareeuni.org.au and let us know your unconventional road to a degree. Until next time.