Course sparks interest in PhD

March 27, 2015, 4 a.m.

ALEX Pearse has his sights set on a PhD in marine biology an unlikely career goal for someone who didnt finish high school.

ALEX Pearse has his sights set on a PhD in marine biology an unlikely career goal for someone who didnt finish high school.

Alex Pearse: from electrician to marine biologist. 150326LP30

I left school after year 10 and started an apprenticeship with my uncle as an electrician, Mr Pearse said.

Five years on, his uncle decided to close the business and Mr Pearse was forced to reassess. He told me to either take over it or do something else and I decided I wanted to do marine biology, he said.

It was the path I wanted to take if Id finished high school and Id been thinking about it a lot in the year leading up to it.

Having not completed school, however, Mr Pearse did not have an ATAR and the pathway to study was not straightforward.

I looked at my girlfriend at the times coursebook, actually, and I saw Deakin and I saw the associate degree and that offered you a pathway to get into marine biology if you didnt have an ATAR. So I came down here and did the associate degree for two years and then transferred into marine biology.

The 25-year-old graduated yesterday and still cant believe his luck. If youd told me this would happen six years ago I wouldnt have believed you.

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Course sparks interest in PhD