Sure, it sounds simple. Leave your boss a sarcastic note, quit your job, start your own business, eventually sell to private equity and spend your days on a beach drinking out of a coconut. But for a lot of people, the idea of leaving stable employment and being their own boss is pretty scary. For Swinburne Online Bachelor of Business student, Chelsea Kirk, it came down to a simple question: ‘Is this it?’

Chelsea had spent most of her early 20s working as a customer service manager for a commercial gym. ‘I just thought, “There has to be more to life than this, you know?”’ she says. ‘Like coming in here, nine to five, staring at a screen and doing the same old thing.’

Chelsea decided to make a change. With two young kids, and a third on the way, she enrolled at Swinburne Online and launched her own brand strategy business: Content by Chelsea. We caught up to ask her how she did it.YOU CAN DO IT. SIMPLE AS THAT Chelsea never finished her first uni degree, but she didn’t let that stop her this time. ‘I just made a rash decision, to be honest. I was like, “I can do this now”. I knew the study with Swinburne Online was flexible, and I spoke to one of the intake officers. She was so lovely. She was like, “Yeah, you can do it!” And I was like, “Okay, she doesn’t know me, but she believes in me. Let’s go!”’ The moral of this story? Going back to study isn’t impossible, even with a full-time life. Anyone can do it.

IT’S NEVER A GOOD TIME TO CHANGE There will always be reasons not to start your own thing. And they’re really easy to find. For Chelsea, there were several nagging doubts that were tough to shake. ‘I had the kids, and working, and then you’re trying to balance your relationship and friendships. And because I dropped out of my last degree, I didn’t want to start something and not finish – again’. It comes back to one of those Big Life Questions: is doing nothing more painful than doing something? It takes a while for some people to reach that point, but when it comes along, you have to grab it.FIND FLEXIBLE STUDY With energy-packed toddlers and a full-time job, Chelsea needed a flexible option. Luckily, she found Swinburne Online, which allowed her to squeeze study around her other commitments. ‘It’s so flexible, you can basically study whenever you want. I would do my study on the train to work, or late at night when the kids were asleep.’ Chelsea even went camping for three months in Tasmania during term, doing her assignments from the road. ‘It was crazy, but super fun,’ she says. ‘I’d charge my laptop in the car and then study in the tent at night with my earphones in.’

LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT If you’re having doubts, just picture the life you want for yourself. What does that look like? Chelsea says the biggest perk of working for herself has been the flexibility. She wanted a job that a) excited her, and b) fit around her lifestyle. ‘I love business and being creative, so that was a big thing. But being able to walk my kids to school, drop them off and pick them up. I can go to their events. I just love the freedom of being your own boss.’ Chelsea’s big tip? Don’t overthink it. ‘Honestly, overthinking makes everything harder.’LEAN ON YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCE So you’re a mature-age student and you’re wondering if you’ve got what it takes to study. Are the young people still into Pokémon? Who knows. But think about this: you have so much more life experience than someone in their teens, or their 20s. And that counts! Kids, work, juggling financial responsibilities, organising an adult life, meetings, deadlines – they’re all skills that will hold you in good stead. ‘Honestly, with three kids under three, going back to study didn’t scare me,’ Chelsea says. ‘The trick is just to be organised. I’d die without my Google calendar.’

FIND A SUPPORT STRUCTURE Confidence comes from two directions: inside-out and outside-in. You need to believe in yourself, but you also need a good support network in place. For Chelsea, that was her husband, her friends, and the team at Swinburne Online. ‘I was saying to my marketing teacher: if it wasn’t for all the support, I probably wouldn’t have finished the course,’ she says. ‘There was some support when I went to uni the first time, but nothing like Swinburne Online. They tell you what you need to do to succeed. As long as you follow their advice, you’re laughing.’

These useful tips were brought to you in partnership with our pals at Swinburne Online. If you want to build your skills and career too, check out the range of courses on offer at Swinburne Online including the Bachelor of Business course Chelsea is studying.