Canadian Carl Miller embarked on a journey to Australia to pursue his dream to earn his law degree

At 60, most Canadians are considering plans for retirement if they haven’t done so already. But Canadian Carl Miller took a different route, instead returning to the classroom halfway around the world.
Last month, Carl flew from his hometown of Barrie, Ontario, and walked on to the Bond University campus to complete the two-year Bond Juris Doctor degree.
OzTREKK spoke with Carl and found out exactly why he decided to pursue a law degree and how he finds the program, campus and life in Australia.

OzTREKK: Why did you decide to pursue a law degree in Australia?
Carl: For a mature student, I could do the law degree in two years instead of three in Canada, which makes getting back into the work force one year earlier. As well, the Canadian law courses here at Bond University are taught by Canadian professors, which is terrific. As well, it gives me a sense of adventure, as going to school in a different land with similar but different customs gives me the opportunity to see the world as Australia is so close to other parts of the world that I wish to visit, such as Taiwan or Hong Kong.

OzTREKK: What does your family think about you studying and living in Australia? What was their initial reaction?
Carl: I have two grown sons, and both are supportive and strongly agree that this is the best place to focus on what I need to accomplish. It would be so distracting back in Canada for me as to having family commitments, and I am single so that is not an issue.

OzTREKK: What do you hope to do with the degree once you’ve completed your studies at Bond University?
Carl: I may continue to add a master’s degree in law. If I do go on and complete a master’s degree in law, I might head towards the academic side and work for one of the law universities in Canada. If not, I will enter law with one of the large insurance companies back in Canada. With my personal background as a financial advisor, this degree in law leads itself to working along with other financial advisors as a law consultant.

OzTREKK: How are you finding the program? Is it what you expected in terms of workload and the overall school environment?
Carl: The program here at Bond is demanding. The expectation to participate and the skills learned are part of the overall scoring package and must not be missed. This approach really focuses on the reality of the workforce and prepares the student to enter the workforce most likely ahead of those from Canadian law schools. Bond is rated as one of the top law schools in the world for its moot court success. The uniqueness here is that it is a small university and the students really have access to the professors and the tutorial leaders. And, the university has a great gym which surely helps relieve the stress!

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