Decision time for Ella 

Ella went to university straight from school and spent four years working towards a Bachelor of Management Studies degree. She was a highly motivated, ‘go-getter’ student, Dux of her school. At university she set her sights on getting First Class Honours. From the first semester, she looked for every opportunity to gain experience both on and off campus. She got involved in research for a lecturer which led to a co-author paper. She worked part-time in a fashion outlet in the city (where she also spent most of her salary!). Ella believed that the key to success was to differentiate herself from other graduates. She set out to dress ‘business-like’ which did not always endear her to her peers. Looking good, travelling and studying meant that by the end of her third year of study she had built up a student loan of $50,000.

While looking for full time positions at the end of her third year Ella came across a one year, fully paid graduate internship with one of the world’s leading software companies. Ella thoroughly researched the company and applied for the position and as the candidate list dropped from 48, to six and finally to two, her optimism increased. Within an hour of the final interview, she received a call offering her a marketing internship with the company.  

The decision however was not straightforward. Taking up the internship meant abandoning, even temporarily, her Honours study. This meant that at the end of the internship she would not have completed all the papers for her degree. She was also concerned about whether she would ever complete her degree after experiencing the financial freedom of working. She was also worried about the high level of specialization that went with the internship in the IT marketing field which might narrow her prospects and wondered if she would be better to maintain a broader approach to developing her career. On the other hand, given the competitive nature of the graduate market, such openings were few and far between. Ella decided to take the plunge, leave university and take up the internship.

One year later Ella had another major decision to make when she was offered full time employment with the company including six months further training in Sydney. Ella was in a quandary; should she take up the permanent position with the company or return to university? She had enjoyed being a well-paid employee and the prospect of again becoming a penniless student again did not appeal. On the other hand, the unfinished Honours qualification would help her leverage the years’ work experience and create options. 

But how should she weigh up the options? Return to her studies? Stay and gain more valuable experience, building a career in a top company?  What other

options might there be? 

Task

1. Put yourself in Ella’s position; how would you go about making the decision? What would be the key issues for you as an undergraduate student?  How would you identify them? How would you weight them?

2. Using this information, create a decision tree to help Ella reach a decision.

You have a maximum of 90 minutes to complete and post this task