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In July 2005, i began to embark on a journey, a jouney that would impact and change my life, and allowing me to step into, touch and change more lifes. I took up the course in Social Work.

It began my 2years of self-discovery. What went through was not just the professional knowledges, there were discovery of strengths and weaknesses, of values and ethics, and most importantly, of knowing oneself.

It was a big risk. Even at the point when i was to put down my signature on the acceptance letter, i was still questioning myself. "Is this what i want?" "Will i regret my decision?" It seems to me that i have grown, from the day i stepped into the classroom, until today.

I remember, on my first day of class, my tutor, Kumar, asked the class "Why do you want to be a social worker?" I was unsure, i remember giving a vague answer, something like "Passion...". Today, if you asked me, i would have matured enough to tell you more than "Passion", its the belief in the "Worth of mankind" and its the "wanting, to be able to touch lives" that brought me here. If i am able to just impact one life, one soul, to live for the better, i would have succeeded.

I must truly be thankful, that although i have my ups and downs throughout my journey, i have not looked back upon and say that i would have chosen another path, for this is what i want and will do.

2 enduring years of night classes, and finally, we are nearing the end. What's left for me would be the 3-months long placement and the thesis paper. The modules, the theories are all done with, finished. So, theortically, i should be qualified as a social worker. I now looked back, and i asked myself "What have i learned that will be useful in my future work?" "Am i ready?" "Did Monash got me ready for what's to come?" I'm not sure. It seems that Monash prepared me for what to expect, and the basics of being a qualified SW, but it just seems that there are tonnes of knowledge out there that i am unsure of, how then can i be truly qualified?

I must be glad, again, that throughout my 2years, i discover, grown to like, the area that i truly want to explore into after graduations. Its amazing, working with youths was where i started from, from then, i moved on, to working with youth offenders, the belief in their capacity for change, and then discovering the niche area where i want to be proficient at, REHABILITATIONS.

Yes, Prisons work.

Although, after 2years of going through a Social Work course, i decided at the end of it that i shall not termed myself as a social worker, i am a social worker by training and i will continue to use my knowledges and skills to impact change (in my own way), to uphold social work ethics. And to contribute back to the field that made me what i am today.

People might say, if i am not to become a social worker, isn't that a waste of my education? No. How many social work trained people are not termed social worker? Are POs social worker? CPOs? Social Policy Offr? Indirect workers? Community workers? Rehab Offr? No, there are not termed social workers, but their social work backgrounds enable them to understand and function well within their fields. And i believe, by heart, they are still social workers, working with the marginalised lot and impacting change in society, in their own way.

It been a long long journey, of self-discovery, of pathing out a road unknown, of falling down and getting up, of pursuing what the hearts tell me to, of knowing so many great people along the way and while the educational road is ending, the real path has not. It has just began.