By Laura Michell
Julie Harris regrets not pursing her passion for baking and cake decorating sooner.
Two years ago, Ms Harris decided to reinvent herself and head back to school at 59 years old.
Now 61, she has three certifications in baking and cake decorating under her belt and is currently completing two other courses.
Ms Harris, who worked as an area manager for BOC Gas for 25 years, said she often thought about doing a short course while working but could never find the right one to fit her schedule.
In 2016, she left work to care for her mother who was suffering Alzheimer’s and began researching courses again.
Ms Harris said she visited the Melbourne Polytechnic skills and jobs centre at Westfield Plenty Valley were she found out about courses in retail baking and patisserie.
“[Studying] is such a positive and purposeful experience. It gives me back my sanity during a hard and stressful time,” she said.
“I’ve always had a strong passion for cooking and cake decorating and regret that I didn’t do it sooner. There are absolutely no boundaries when it comes to age.”
