I think you have your answer right there. I started working full time my first semester in college, but was very fortunate to work for two different police departments with liberal time off policies and got quite a bit of travel in (like 12 weeks a year).

Don't you get pretty liberal vacation allowance in Australia, too, unlike here in the U.S. where you typically start with 2 weeks? Just gives you something to plan ahead for. Why not plan on joining us at OzFest in Adelaide in May if you elect to continue working? I'll be in Melbourne for a few days after that.