IT WAS only last year when Stefan Caliaro was uncertain about the future.
But the university student who is on a scholarship worth almost $50,000 is now helping other students who might feel lost.
The Marist College Kogarah graduate, 19, worked hard before the HSC to get an Australian Tertiary Admission Rank of 90.05.
"Although I knew I wanted to do something in computing, I didn't know what degree to do," he said. "So I applied for scholarships, and got lucky."
Mr Caliaro of Hurstville is studying a Bachelor of Information Technology at the University of Technology, Sydney.
He decided to fast-track the four-year course and is cramming the work into three — all while doing an internship.
He also volunteered as a student guide for the university's Discovery Days.
"I introduced students to different courses and showed them around," Mr Caliaro said.
"It's good for them to have that interaction. I was in the same situation a year ago, but I felt lost."
He said students should attend university open days and do their research.
Details: uac.edu.au.