Nikki's TAFE course let her explore a new passion

Already working full-time for the NT Government, Nikki had an ‘aha moment’ when she was training for a coaching role at F45 Darwin. She discovered a growing passion for fitness and started thinking about how to explore it. 

“I was thinking wow, I really enjoy this. I think I want to study something around fitness and the human body.”  

As a Darwin local, CDU was the obvious choice.  

It didn’t take me long to decide on the Certificate III in Fitness because the University made it so easy and has so much information on all the different courses.  

“When it came to questions I had they were so helpful, and the sign-up process was smooth without any worrying,” she says.

Balancing work and study 

As many students know, studying can be a full-time job in itself.  

Fitting in study with a full-time job was challenging, but my instructor has been super helpful.

To anyone else out there contemplating adding study to their plate, Nikki says there’s no need to be scared.  

“People are there to help you along the way,” she says. “You can only grow from taking the plunge and learning different skills like leadership, confidence and public speaking.” 

Nikki overcame her competing demands of work, learning and everyday life by taking advantage of group study sessions – which have become a real highlight of her week.  

She was able to meet and work with new people through these sessions, which only adds to the overall learning experience.  

“I’ve learned that everyone has a different way of doing things, and I’ve been learning from others.” 

“I also made my family aware of the times I don’t want to be distracted when studying,” she adds.  

A fit future 

Nikki plans to continue working for the government and as a group fitness coach at F45 Darwin while finishing her Certificate III in Fitness. Eventually she’d like to perform a more full-time role as a fitness instructor.  

“I want to help people find what works for them,” she says.  

Contemplating a TAFE course to pursue a new passion or side hustle like Nikki? 

This is what she recommends: 

Talk to the experts, research your desired subject on the CDU website and write a pros and cons list for studying/not studying.

“I think you will find lots of pros!” 

Explore Exercise and Sports Science courses at CDU or pursue a new passion with our hundreds of certificates, diplomas and degrees.