My Purpose to Study Information Technology in Australia

Introducing myself, I am Aastha Bajgain, born in 4th of June 2000, I am a permanent resident of Sundarharaincha Municipality, ward number 12, Morang, Nepal. I belong to a nuclear family with four members: Father, Mother, Elder brother and me. My brother has currently completed his BE and is planning to join his masters here in Nepal. My father is working with a private industry named, Swagat Computer Centre as a senior supervisor and my mother is working in same industry as a junior supervisor. I currently hold the passport with passport number 11001077 and willing to pursue further studies for my Bachelor degree in IT (Networking and Security) from Southern Cross University, Perth, Australia. Through this statement of purpose, I got an opportunity to describe about my education background and about my career objective.

Talking about my academic background, I was always a bright, studious and motivational student throughout my school and high school, which always helped me to remain amongst the top 5 students. I finished my school level education (S. L. C) securing A Grade with 3. 45 GPA in 2016. The expectations of my parents, peer pressure and my ability to identify a suitable career path led me to study management (especially computer science) during my High School (+2). Taking computer science as a major subject always made me more curious about the different technologies developed in the world. My parents, who always believed in quality education helped me get admitted into the then top High Schools i. e. Bright Future Secondary School. But, I regret till these days for not being able to achieve the expected outcome since I had to settle down with B+ Grade (2. 95 GPA) in my +2 (2018). After completion of my high school degree, I made a mind setup of completing my bachelor degree in IT without any gap. It has always been a fondest dream of mine to go overseas, pursue my education in one of the most prestigious universities/colleges of the world, and achieve my career goal and aspirations. So that, I went through a research for finding the best country for my studies on Bachelor degree as per my preference i. e. Bachelor in IT (BIT). I finally concluded to pursue my further studies in Australia amongst the USA, the United Kingdom or other countries. As IELTS was a must for studying in Australia, I dedicated the most crucial 2 months of my time for it. I gave my IELTS examination on 25th AUG, 2018 from British Council. The end result was satisfying compared to the gruesome and tiring 2 months of preparation. I ended up achieving an overall 6 on the IELTS examination (Listening-6, Reading-6. 5, Speaking-6 and Writing-5. 5).

Talking about my home country Nepal, the degree that I gain in Nepal won’t be applicable in worldwide context due to the problem of limited seats as well as existance of nepotism in Nepal, so only shortlisted candidates get admission. Another problem with education system of Nepal is time consuming. Even though the course is designated for 3 years, it takes more time than to complete the course because of strikes and political instabilities. Furthermore, the education system in Nepal is theory based even the practical subjects related to IT (Networking and Security) has few practical classes. As I already mention above that I want to persue my undergraduate degree from International level, I choose Murdoch University which is in the list of World University Ranking. After completion of my study, my degree will be recognized in worldwide which will help me in my country for career.

Before going for Australia, I compared Australia with different possible alternative countries. I compared Australia with UK, USA and India. Before going for abroad study climatic condition must be analyzed thoroughly. I found that most of the countries in United Kingdom has excessive cold climate which will be very difficult for me to adapt. Australia has climatic condition similar to Nepal in which, I can study properly. Talking about USA, USA is not suitable for international students as Australia is because Australia has the provision of ESOS Act 2000 for overseas students. Likewise, the immigration process of USA is very complex and complicated and it requires other test formalities to be done like GMAT, GRE which makes it quite time consuming. As IELTS was sufficient for Australia. India was our neighbor nation but I preferred Australia over it. Academic practice in India is quite similar to Nepal. Actually India has got some of the internationally recognized Universities but it consists of limited seats. India itself is a populated country; therefore there is a hard competition for those seats. Australia was easier comparing these aspects.

Australia, officially known as the Common wealth of Australia is a multicultural country where people from around the world have migrated for many years. The fact that Australia is the third largest country to accept international students also attracted me. Australia has 8 out of 100 top universities of the world; it is placed at 9th in the world keeping Australia ahead of other countries like New Zealand, Japan and Germany. The presences of world-class universities, inexpensive educational system, friendly and co-operative neighborhood, multi-cultural, peaceful and overall crime-free social environments are some of the reasons that fascinated me towards Australia. Therefore, Australia has the high standard of living despite low tuition fees and living costs. The tuition and living cost structure of Australia is affordable in comparison to other countries. International student safety, transportation, climate, affordability, ease of understanding and conversation, etc. are some other better reasons of choosing Australia. The weather and climatic conditions are comparable to that of Nepal. So, it would be easier to adapt to the environment. Unlike, the freezing long cold winter of Canada or the hassle of understanding German language, Australia has provided with the choice of both climate and language. Moreover, Australia has got ESOS (Educational Services for Overseas Student) Act, which protects the rights of international students.

Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth-most populous city in Australia, with a population of 2, 022, 044 living in Greater Perth. Perth has some of the world’s best beaches and most glorious weather. Perth is the most isolated city in the world. It’s quicker to fly to Bali than it is to Sydney. Perth receives moderate though highly seasonal, winter based rainfall. Summers are generally hot and dry, lasting from December to March, with February generally being the hottest month of the year. Winters are mild and wet, making Perth a classic example of a hot-summer Mediterranean climate. The highest temperature recorded in Perth was 46. 2 °C (115. 2 °F) whereas the lowest temperature recorded in Perth was −0. 7 °C (30. 7 °F). While snow has never been recorded in the Perth CBD. Tourist attractions are generally focused around the city centre, Fremantle, the coast, and the Swan River. In addition to the Perth Cultural Centre, there are dozens of museums across the city. Kings Park, located in central Perth between the CBD and the University of Western Australia, is one of the world's largest inner-city parks, at 400. 6 hectares (990 acres) also there are many landmarks and attractions within Kings Park. Overall, Perth is some of the best place in Australia for me as it resembles me about my hometown.

Southern Cross University (SCU) is an Australian public university, with campuses at Lismore and Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales, at the southern end of the Gold Coast in Queensland, at Melbourne, at Sydney and at Perth. The initial predecessor institution to Southern Cross University was the Lismore Teachers' College, which commenced operation on 23 February 1970, at what is now the Northern Rivers Conservatorium site. In 2010, Southern Cross University opened a new campus in the southern Gold Coast area of Queensland. SCU is ranked among the world’s top universities by QS World University Ranking (2018). SCU Perth offers the chance to study in the more calm and laidback environment Australia is known for. The campus is located on 297 Hay Street, Perth WA 6004, Australia (in the central business district in East Perth). SCU Perth provides students with modern well equipped teaching spaces such as lecture theatres and classrooms, tailored to meet the needs of specific study disciplines. Contemporary audio-visual equipment is standard in most teaching venues, and students have access to computer labs for individual study purposes. I also compared the fee structure of different universities of Australia. The annual tuition fee (2019) of BIT for Bachelor of Information Technology is 27, 600 AUD per year. While the tuition fees of other Australian universities are expensive. The annual tuition fee of BIT in Curtin University is 33, 600 AUD. So, I found Southern Cross University more affordable for its comparative low fee structure with top quality education.

I have always preferred management stream since my higher secondary level education. I have a dream to work for my government in its financial sector. I have always been inspired by my mother to work for the country. This is the course I should be enrolled in to make my dream come true. BIT provides depth knowledge of Computer. Similarly, BIT will help me to equip with and economics. Course duration of BIT in SCU Perth is 3 years with the CRICOS Code 086031D. My Tuition fee in SCU is 27, 600 AUD per year and my commencement date is February 2019. A degree in information technology can be expected to concentrate on the business and commmunication applications of computing. There is more emphasis on these two areas in the e-commerce, e-business and business information technology undergraduate courses. Composition of various subjects of BIT will prepare as well as train me to pursue my career in the public sector. I want these to be implemented in some extent for well being of the governance system in my country. Moreover, I need to be strongly competent in order to place myself in future job. Hence, I believe BIT is the perfectly matching course for my career goal.

As I have mentioned earlier, I would like to pursue my career in government or private sector here in my native country. I would like to work in Nepal for different private or government organizations such as Nepal Telecommunication Authority, Ministry of Information and Communication, Computer Association of Nepal, National Information Technology of Nepal, and many more in a position of IT specialist, IT consultant, and Cloud architect. Nepal lacks efficient manpower in the public sector. Thus, I would like to mould myself competitively and work for the public interest. After completion of my BIT, I would be back to my country and fight for government job. I have expected salary ranging from NRs. 45, 000-115, 000 after completion of my BIT course.

Moreover, money can’t buy us all the happiness. For us to be happy, we need to be surrounded by our loved ones i. e. our family members. Also, Nepal is a developing country and thus more opportunities are here, and my knowledge and qualification would help me to grab those available opportunities and secure my future. To sum up, I am a hardworking, optimistic, creative honest student and I would be very glad to be a part of your institution. Even though I am applying for abroad studies, there is no doubt in my intentions. I am clear about the obligations of a student under higher education visa subclass 500.