M A N A G E M E N T, O P E R AT I O N S & F I N A N C E
Career in profile: Cameron Bestwick In this series, we focus on professional development strategies and spotlight the role of Accommodation Manager. What is it, how can you chart your career towards these type of roles and what to expect in a day-to-day context. We speak with Cameron Bestwick – Manager, Student Accommodation at University of Melbourne. How did you come to work in student accommodation? Like nearly everybody else I never had a plan to work in student accommodation – I fell into it. What might be a little different about my journey is that I started as a resident, rather than coming laterally from another industry. In the very beginning I was an eager first year, then I volunteered to organise an event, then took a volunteer role, then a part-time paid role, and so on. When I finished my studies, I entered a graduate program in another profession, but I came back to working in student accommodation the first time I was asked. After a few subsequent jobs, I’m now the Manager of Student Accommodation for The University of Melbourne. Where did you start? How did you progress?
My advice is to take every opportunity you can to get involved in the other aspects of student accommodation that don’t seem to be related to your day job!
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My first paid role was as a Community Coordinator for Kinloch Lodge at The Australian National University. The role was similar to what we think of as a Sub-Dean or an Assistant Residential Life Manager in the college and PBSA settings respectively. I worked half-time to oversee a team of other student leaders and manage a small suite of student life programs for 2,000 residents. When my boss left a year later, I was asked to take over! This was a fantastic opportunity for me, but perhaps more importantly, they were putting a lot of trust in me. I don’t think I nailed it, but I learned a lot anyway. Later, I learned about the business side of things while doing a project management role at The University of Sydney and while I was outside the industry as a management consultant. I think how people progress in this profession is somewhat unpredictable, but much of my progress so far seems to have stemmed from trying to engage equally with both the business and educational sides of student accommodation.
