During this year’s National Careers Week, New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) is celebrating the importance of growing identities alongside sport, and how athletes continue evolving beyond competition.

While sport makes up a huge part of an athlete’s life, it is not the only thing that defines them. Studying, working, pursuing passions, and being part of various communities all help shape more capable, resilient, and well-rounded people.

The NSWIS Athlete Wellbeing and Engagement (AW&E) team – and others in the National Institute Network – understands that when an athlete discovers who they are beyond sport and connect with others, it can help build confidence, perspective, and purpose – both in and out of competition. Our AW&E team – Anthony Quinn, Cara Dobinson, Rachel Bailey, Lucy Green, and Danielle Spitty – bring a wide range of experiences and are always there to support NSWIS athletes through every stage of their journey.

NSWIS scholarship holder and high jumper Erin Shaw is an example of an athlete who balances elite sport while studying a Bachelor of Psychological Science online, at the University of New England (UNE). Erin shares her journey in pursuing a degree, what she enjoys doing outside of sport, and her advice on embracing career changes along the way.

NSWIS: So Erin, what’s something people wouldn’t know about you outside of sport?

Erin Shaw [ES]: That’s a good question! A fun fact is that I speak German. I lived in Germany for two years, and so now I can randomly speak German!

NSWIS: So you’re studying Psychology, how did you discover your interest in that field?

ES: I started uni studying sport and exercise science, and I thought I would really like it as I’m an athlete, but I just didn’t really love the content. It was very statistics and maths based. I moved into psych because I was more interested in the content, and I’ve been loving it. I’ve been really enjoying the different courses, and I’m doing it online as well, which has made my life so much easier as an athlete.

NSWIS: How was the experience of transitioning into a different degree?

ES: I was a bit hesitant at first because I had gotten two years into a degree, you get a HECS debt and you’re kind of almost [at completion of your degree], but I was really not enjoying it and I could tell that it wasn’t something I wanted to pursue later in life. So I just bit the bullet and decided to transfer to something I was actually passionate about, and honestly, best decision ever. Uni is now not a chore, it’s something I enjoy doing. So yeah, it was hard, but it also felt like a natural progression.

NSWIS: How have your sports strengths helped you with your studies?

ES: I think sport, and elite sport is a great environment. You learn a whole lot about yourself as a person – the way you work, the way you think, the way you cope with things, I think you learn lots of skills. Being a psych student, I focus on those mental skills that you learn, such as resilience. Adaptability is a great one that you learn in sport – you learn things don’t go to plan, and getting comfortable with that feeling and then being able to build and learn from that. I think that’s helped me for example, when I wasn’t enjoying my uni degree rather than staying in it, I just adapted and changed it to fit my new goals.

Whether it’s a hard subject that I’m studying, learning how I cope and using those mental skills outside of [sport] is helpful.

NSWIS: What keeps you grounded outside of sport?

ES: I love my friends and hanging out with them. We do everything. We go for walks, we go out for dinner, we do lots of stuff together. I have lots of friends that are not from sport, and I think it’s great to be in an environment where I can switch off from my sport and really just be “Erin the person.” I also love the beach. I love swimming in the ocean, and just walking and sitting at the beach.

NSWIS: And finally, what advice would you give to athletes who might still be figuring things out?

ES: I’d say don’t be scared to fail. If you find something that you don’t end up liking, that’s fine – you’ve learnt that you don’t like it and you can always pivot. I think there’s a lot of pressure, especially as a young individual coming out of school and going into uni, to know what you want to do and what you’re passionate about. But I think [it’s just about] exploring things and not putting so much pressure on how it has to work out; just give it a go.

If it works out, it works out. If it doesn’t, you’ve learnt more about yourself.

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