Student Q&A: Dance Marinopolous

Editor's note: Dance successfully completed her studies with Upskilled in December 2020.

Dance Marinopolous is currently studying the a qualification in Case Management with Upskilled. Having a background in event management and floristy, she decided that she wanted to take a different career pathway because of her strong desire to help others in the vulnerable community.

In this Q&A, Dance shares why she chose to study with Upskilled, her experience with online learning and what she hopes to achieve after she completes her qualification. 

Why did you choose to study Case Management with Upskilled?  

I wasn't 100% sure what course I should do so I did a few online job skills assessments to help guide me. My friends and family have always told me that I'd be good at helping and listening to those that need to be heard, which is why I decided to go down the case management path.

I felt that it fit in well with my personality and how I can connect with people all the time. I also wanted a course that would give me a broad overview of aged care, mental health, youth, disability, drugs & alcohol. I want to help in every way so my main thing was to make sure that the course I did was enjoyable and that it made me excited to take the next step and make a difference in someone's life.

You have qualifications in both event management and floristry. What motivated you to make a career change?

I always loved organising events and seeing people's faces when they had something fun and exciting to go and do. The change came from me working in youth events, children with disabilities and abuse - having this experience made me want to be a part of their lives more.   

I'm a positive and happy person and I felt it was time to make a change in my career where I can be involved with people in a time of need in their lives. I want to show them that we're amazing and that we should be happy within ourselves - this is what prompted my career change as I really felt I needed to make a difference in a bigger and better way. 

You completed work placement as part of the course and was offered a role in the field. How are you finding the role?  

I started my placement just before COVID-19 made an impact and was offered the role as Lifestyle Coordinator to commence mid-year. However, due to the impact of the virus, I have not been able to pursue this since we're waiting for things to slow down. During the start of COVID-19, I was approached by a company to organise a Mother's Day Charity event, which was a food drive for people in the outer east of Melbourne who were in need of food. 

I worked with a charity and organised some of Melbourne's top chefs to cook some amazing meals. We had over a thousand meals prepared to be given out to vulnerable families and the homeless. I have made many contacts with media and charities to keep this going as an annual event. The event was also reported on Channel 10's weather segment with Mike Larkan. 

What parts of online studying do you enjoy?

 I really loved learning more about the Indigenous Australian culture in the community services industry. I remember when I was at school, we never really did anything like this and I felt that I needed to learn more. In some ways, I felt a connection with what Indigenous Australians have gone through.

I really want to work with Indigenous Australians and learn more about their culture. I also like how the course explores mental health. Reading through some of the case studies and also speaking with people in the industry has made me realise how important these things are. 

Why did you choose to study with Upskilled?

 When I was doing research, I wanted to join an organisation where I could study and work at the same time. After looking into the reviews of Upskilled, my main concern was getting help and teachings from people in Australia, not overseas. It took me a good 12 months to find an education institute I wanted to study with.

I did a pros and cons list to see if my studies would work best for me and my family and Upskilled ticked those areas. Not only did the timeframe of completing the course work for me but I also knew what I had to do to make sure I was able to achieve my study goals. 

Once you complete the course, what goals are you hoping to achieve afterwards?

My goal is to get into case management for mental health or drugs & alcohol. I am even looking at doing a short cultural course on Indigenous Australian culture as I'd really like to work with them and be aware of their culture and traditions. 

I feel mental health and drugs & alcohol is something I can relate to as I have family members with mental health conditions and I always love helping them. I would also love to work with youth and possibly continue my studies to help gain the best knowledge and experience working with these individuals. 

Work towards an online qualification in community services 

 Interested in a career in community services? Upskilled's Case Management course runs for a duration of 24 months and its well suited for individuals looking to developing skills in managing, coordinating and delivering of person-centred services to individuals, groups and communities.

The subjects this course focuses on includes recognising and responding to crisis situations, coordinating complex case requirements and more. Get in touch with the Upskilled team on 1300 009 924 and express your interest today.