Where do students get their income from?

Most students survive on two or more sources of income. It's up to you to work out which will apply to you. Students get their money from various combinations of the following:

• Jobs: Most mature age students continue to work full or part time when they return to study. Many are able to remain in the same job or field while they complete their degree. On the upside, they can usually command higher salaries and more interesting positions than school leavers. The downside is that these jobs typically involve more responsibility, stress and overtime than the bar and retail work favoured by younger undergraduates. Other mature age students may want to leave their present occupation for a position more closely related to their field of study or one that offers more flexibility. The student careers and employment office on campus can help you find off-campus vacancies or suitable work experience. For many students working during semester time is a necessity but all jobs take time and time is scarce. Remember that working too hard can affect your grades.
• Cadetships: These are a great idea and as rare as hens' teeth. The basics are that you sign on with an employer, usually at the beginning of your course, and get some combination of a living allowance and / or vacation employment, and a job at the end of it if you do well. Many of these are available with the armed forces.
• Work required as part of the course: Australian Apprentices and trainees are obviously able to earn while they learn, with part-time work forming a part of their learning program. Integrating paid work is a newer idea in VET and especially higher education, but it is slowly catching on. In some VET courses and at degree level, you will find an increasing number of 'co-op' courses which include months of supervised (and paid) work practice as part of the course. (These are strongly recommended as a way of building up your marketable skills, by the way.)
• Scholarships: There are now more of these at undergraduate level for higher education students, particularly those who are disadvantaged or from rural and remote areas. A small number are also available to Australian Apprentices.
• Government allowances/payments: Full-time students may be able to claim Youth Allowance, Austudy or Abstudy (for Indigenous students). Contact Centrelink for further details.
• Savings: Adults returning to study often depend on them. They rarely last as long as you expect.
• Loans: Most campuses have schemes which will provide small amounts (a few hundred dollars, usually) for emergencies. Some banks will lend larger amounts over longer periods, but these are (a) hard to get and (b) expensive to re-pay.