By Melissa Grant
Buddhini Wickramarathne was determined to finish university before having her second child and she did – with one day to spare.
The Cranbourne mother gave birth to her daughter the day after her final accounting exam.
She was actually driven to the hospital by her husband, Sajith, immediately after the three-hour test as she had been experiencing pains for days.
“He was waiting for me outside the exam and drove me to hospital,” Buddhini said.
“They told me I could go home, but the next day I was back in hospital.”
Tenuki Wickramarathne was born at Casey Hospital on 18 October 2018 – nearly a month before her due date.
The early arrival came as a bit of a surprise to Buddhini who had been planning on some down-time after spending three-and-half years studying, working full-time and being a mum to eldest daughter Chenuli.
It sounds like an impossible juggle, but Buddhini says the flexibility of online study allowed her to upskill while earning an income and balancing family life.
Although she admits she survived on little sleep.
“I did my studies at night when my daughter went to sleep,” Buddhini said.
“I started my retail job at 4am and I’d be up the night before studying.”
But in the end, the sleepless nights were worth it. Buddhini completed her Bachelor of Accounting and now has a dream job with better hours and pay.
She undertook her degree with Swinburne Online after looking at various options for flexible, online study.
Due to financial and family commitments, a traditional degree involving travel to tutorials and lectures wasn’t an option.
“I had to keep my full-time job and I wanted to finish my studies before I had my second one,” Buddhini explained.
“I was researching a few options and Swinburne was the most flexible option I got.
“It was all online, so I could do it whenever I wanted and at my own pace. Even the lecturers are really helpful – they reply to you any time.”
She had access to videos of tutorials and lectures, and was part of a group of student study group.
Buddhini, who moved to Australia nearly 10 years ago, was also given some subject credits for study previously completed in Sri Lanka.
She highly recommends online study to any mother who wants to upskill and achieve their ambitions.
“It’s really easy to be honest,” she said.
“If I can do it being a full-time mum and worker, and because of the flexibility, you can definitely do it.”
