Feba Philip
Feba Phillip - Bachelor of Laws and Information Technology
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO STUDY LAW AND IT?
Law was something I wanted to do for a while, but I wasn’t exactly sure where I was going to go with it. Suits was a massive influence for me, and I absolutely loved it. I just thought Harvey Specter was incredible and I just wanted to be him or really any of the characters. They were just so badass, and I loved what they are doing.
At that point, I did not exactly know where I wanted to go with law, but then it just clicked one day. I remember when I was in Year 5, I first heard about human trafficking and, as a child, I didn’t quite understand how something like that was happening. Why wasn’t anyone doing anything about it? I was blown away. As the years went on, I kept hearing things about it, but it didn’t seem like the story was changing. One day, we had a police constable come to our school to talk about safety and in particular, being safe on the internet. I remember asking a question about human trafficking and if it happens in Australia. I just couldn’t comprehend something so inhumane yet often glorified in movies, occurring here. She responded that it does happen, and how even though it might not be talked about often, it is very much prevalent. At that moment, I remember being taken aback thinking, “wow, it really is real”. It was something I kept hearing about over the years, and I just thought that there was no point just sitting there being upset, I had to do something about it.
So I figured law degree would be the best approach to do something about it. With that in mind, I didn’t really consider IT as my second pick to go with my double degree. I thought it was interesting, and I had done it at school, but I never thought that it would be a career path I would pursue. That, however, all changed when I heard one of my teachers talking about how it was a great way to get into the real world: it’s the way of the future, and it couldn’t be any more relevant right now. Mr Wroe was a big influencer of mine, and he made me think that IT was something I should look into.
HOW DID YOU ADJUST TO UNIVERSITY LIFE AND STUDY?
University was very different to what I thought it would be like. I was told that it was really challenging, that you would need to be very independent and that you practically wouldn’t get any support. But I now know there’s lots of help out there and so many resources for us students, so it’s been a positive turnout.
Coming from a tiny little girls’ school where you practically know everyone and then going to QUT where you practically don’t know anyone was daunting and something I had to get used to. It was something I definitely took for granted at school, but this change of scenery made me grow and realise many things.
Another thing I found challenging was studying, in particular how to do it, especially when you had no idea what was happening. I found myself constantly behind and there were no teachers pushing me or telling me that I have to do something. Finding the motivation to do my work was the main obstacle, and waiting to be in a better mood wasn’t always an option, especially after we went into lockdown.
I guess being in lockdown made me realise the importance of prioritising my happiness and my goals. Doing things every week and breaking down the content rather than having a breakdown and doing everything last minute was something I had to adapt to. It was later on in the semester that I realised how much this change in mindset could help me. I came to realise that I could change my behaviours and attitudes. I used timetables to make sure I used my time wisely, that I was accountable for my actions and to make sure that I had time for study, for Netflix, for work, for a quick guitar jam sesh and even for having a quick Zoom call with a mate. I started using the resources available to me and getting help when I needed it. It was this change that helped me get through my first semester at university.
WHAT IS YOUR DEFINITION OF SUCCESS?
If I had to define what success is to me, I would have to say it is being content. While I can’t deny being rich or famous wouldn’t be nice, I don’t think they can solely make you content; money can’t buy happiness. For me, it is important to feel content. It’s something you have to feel yourself, and you can’t find it in something or someone else; it must be found within, and I think that’s why being content is so important.
Feeling content for me is one of the main things that gets me through life. It’s finding those little moments, those little conversations and those little memories in life that make you feel whole. I think that is what success is – it’s not just about the money, or awards, or diamonds and all the others the things that are temporary and don’t extend to who you truly are.
In terms of what I would do differently in my first semester, I would have done many things like reaching out and getting help earlier, but most of all just preparing myself and putting things into perspective would be the two main things. When I went into uni, I thought I could wing it and that it would be fine. But there were times when it felt just too much, and uni became this massive thing I thought I couldn’t conquer. Then I came to realise that this is what I want to do, this is the path I want to take, and there are going to be challenges, but I will get through them. That is something I wish I had learnt earlier.
Humans of Lawbry interview conducted by Gideon Caturla
This interview was conducted in the 2020 series of Humans of Lawbry.
Humans of Lawbry was created by Helen Driscoll in the 2015 Torts Illustrated.