State heptathlon champion Jared Pacey of Maryborough is chasing a winning career built on getting the numbers to add up.

The OP2 student who graduated from Aldridge State High last year will major in Accounting when he begins a Bachelor of Commerce at USC’s Fraser Coast campus next week.

“I like working with numbers, so becoming an accountant would be the perfect fit for me,” said Jared, who received the school’s Allrounder Award and subject awards in maths A, business management and accounting.

“Studying Commerce will give me numerous pathways,” he said. “Business is a continually-evolving field with new and exciting careers being developed all the time, and with opportunities to be entrepreneurial.”

Jared’s interest in numbers has come in handy for the 2017 State Little Athletics Under 17 Boys Heptathlon champion and former captain of Maryborough’s Little Athletics Club.

With events including the 100m hurdles, high jump and javelin, heptathlon has a complex scoring system using three different formulas to calculate the scores for jumping, running and throwing events to determine overall placings.

Jared is already off to a running start to tertiary life after completing a university-level subject at USC’s Fraser Coast campus as part of the University’s Headstart program last year.

Open to Year 11 and 12 students, the program allows participants to earn credit towards their Queensland Certificate of Education and a USC degree at the same time.

“Headstart helped me to became more confident with research and referencing and my writing improved while at school,” Jared said.

“When you leave school to go straight to university it helps you to know what to expect, and it makes the transition to full-time study easier as I have one less subject to complete in my first semester.”

Jared said the benefits of staying home to study added up to an easy decision when choosing which university to attend.

“USC Fraser Coast has a good reputation, and I did not want to take a gap year to save sufficient money to leave home,” he said.

“I have a strong network of family and friends in Maryborough as well as a part-time job. I would also prefer to live regionally in the future, so it made sense to choose a regional university.”

This Thursday (22 February), USC Fraser Coast will welcome more than 280 new students to an Orientation day filled with social and academic activities to help acquaint them with university life.

Applications are still open to study at USC in 2018.

— Clare McKay