Postgraduate Spotlight: Kim Maksimovic

We warmly congratulate Pymble’s Director of Futures and Partnerships, Kim Maksimovic, on completing her Masters of Education Learning and Leadership at the University of Technology Sydney. In December, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences is recognising Kim with the Sydney Mechanics’ School of Arts Award for Achievement in Adult Education and the Outstanding Student Award for Postgraduate Students – Master of Education (Learning and Leadership) (MEDLL) – an excellent achievement on top of completing the course and managing full time work and parenting two small children.

In this interview, Kim shares insights into her decision to enhance her skill set with a Masters Degree.

You already have many years’ experience as a leader. Why undertake educational leadership studies? I wanted to understand the role that research plays in forming approaches to practice, as well as experience the application of research and theories to different industries. I could also see ways that tertiary study could reinforce professional learning done in the school, such as the NESLI (National Excellence in School Leadership Institute) course we had done at Pymble. My studies helped me to further apply those concepts.

What were some highlights of your course? I gained exposure to the perspectives of learning and development professionals within a range of sectors, including law, health, government, education and technology. This came via interaction with my peers in the course and some fantastic case studies. These gave me transferrable applications of learning to my daily work, and it was easy to see how I could apply learning from my Masters to my role at Pymble. Conducting action research and looking at change theories and models really helped me to grow in my confidence to be more analytical about my approaches to projects and initiatives.

Did you experience any challenges in studying at postgraduate level? I was very well supported by UTS and, in particular, Ann Reich, the Coordinator of the MEDLL course who encouraged me throughout my degree. I worked full time and had two babies in the time it took me to complete the course. I first exited with a Graduate Certificate after having my first born and then, I re-entered the course to complete it at Masters level whilst on maternity leave for my second born. Although it took me longer to complete the course, I did it in a way that was suited to my lifestyle. The support of my husband and in-laws who stepped in when I had weekend or evening classes was pivotal. I’m very grateful to my family for their encouragement of my studies. It does take a village!

Can you share any helpful approaches to postgraduate studies that you discovered? When work commitments conflicted with webinars or assignment deadlines, the university teaching staff were always flexible, empathetic and easy to access for assistance. I could see they were realistic about the demands of postgraduate study and supportive to help their students succeed. They walked the talk! I also tried to apply what I was learning to my work to provide further meaning and to keep me motivated. I found that sharing my learning with my colleagues also helped to refine my ideas and responses in assignments. Some Pymble staff also completed the course with me so it was great to bounce ideas off each other for assignments and to contextualise how we could apply our learning to the College context.

You’ve received recognition through two Dean’s Awards. What do the awards mean to you? They were definitely a surprise. I never win anything! It means a lot to be recognised for my efforts. I am truly humbled and appreciative of the learning experiences within the MEDLL course. The connections I have made with the academics and my peers are ones I very much value.

Do you have any advice for people considering postgraduate study? Adult learning is so different to doing an undergraduate degree. It gives you further purpose and can help grow your curiosity with new skills and perspectives. I found it also gives you confidence to network and build connections with others within and external to your industry and this helps to highlight the skills you have that are transferable to a range of leadership and diverse career pathways.

You can also see Kim and fellow MEDLL graduates in this short clip from UTS where they discuss the course.