Kerry Hume was always a hard worker, dishing up fish and chips, cleaning and waitressing after leaving school at 16 - even trying her hand at milking cows.
But she had no idea her limited experience on a dairy farm would lead to a career transformation after she had her three children.
Ms Hume was cleaning a farmhouse on a property in Colac, Victoria, two years ago when she was recognised from her time working at another dairy.
She was offered a job - which came with the house she was cleaning - on the spot.
"I was like, you know what? I'm going to say yes ... and we'll just see what happens," Ms Hume told AAP.
"And I'll tell you what - holy cow, this year has been massive for me, just the opportunities that have arisen ... basically from me saying yes."
From day one, her manager told her she would become his assistant manager.
"I said, 'nah, look, I'm not cut out to be a leader - I'm not that confident'."
He encouraged her to undertake a level four certificate in agriculture, and Ms Hume's confidence blossomed.
"I never had the best school experience and I thought this is going to be hard - there'll be all these kids and I'll be really old," she said.
"From the first day, it was great. The things that I was learning, I never ever thought in a million years that I'd be learning, like agronomy and everything to learn about pastures, nutrition, livestock, wellbeing and farm finance."
This year, Ms Hume won the the Great Southwest Dairy Awards employee of the year and became an ambassador for Adult Learning Australia.
She has also become assistant manager at the farm.
"(My manager) keeps saying to me 'right, next step, you're going to take over the farm'," Ms Hume said, laughing.
"How far I've come the last two and a half years - I've never been so proud of myself in my life."
Australians are being encouraged to consider returning to education to improve their job prospects and day-to-day lives as part of Adult Learner's Week.
Hundreds of events and activities will be held around Australia and online this week to promote the benefits of adult education and lifelong learning and connect people with educational facilities.
"Learning can help people overcome barriers created by not being able to read or write, use technology, or speak or write English," Adult Learning Australia president Kathleen Priestly said.
"The life-transforming outcomes can range from increased work satisfaction to managing necessities like understanding medication labels and simple joys such as reading bedtime stories to your children."
Education was a luxury Wiradjuri woman Emma Griggs could not afford when she was homeless at the age of 14.
"It was just too hard," Ms Griggs told AAP.
"You just prioritise other things - your safety, your wellbeing - and going to school was not a priority for me."
After working in hospitality, she secured a job in the NSW Police Force and later NSW Ambulance where she was given access to adult education opportunities.
She earned qualifications in counselling and mental health and immediately caught the bug.
Now aged 45, she said it had been a 20-year education journey.
"There haven't been more than six or eight months' break in between courses where I'm doing some type of accredited or non-accredited training to better myself.
"It's kind of a little bit addictive, to learn new things and meet new people."
Ms Griggs' education journey was so inspiring she found her calling and is now a community services and applied Aboriginal studies teacher.
"From having such a great experience from teachers and mentors ... it was kind of like, I think I want to be a teacher myself," she said.
Ms Griggs says people should never stop fighting for the future they want.
"I just had big dreams and no education, and it was ... if you want those dreams and you want to chase them, then you need to go back to school," she said.
"And don't be embarrassed. I think a lot of people feel that there's a shame that comes along with not being able to read or write."
Ms Hume agrees. Saying "yes" to opportunities such as education can take people places, she says.
"Just say yes, just do it ... at the end of the day, who knows where it's going to take you and how far you can take it."
