Building a career in the rapidly changing world of IT

Ka was always passionate about expanding on his Information Technology (IT) skills. Studying at CDU helped him achieve this. He currently works as a data management officer at the Northern Territory Government and he is a franchisee of a sushi bar. 

Choosing Darwin

Darwin has quickly become a much-loved home to Ka and his wife.

“We love Darwin as it’s such a comfortable environment with a friendly community,” says Ka. “People here are extremely friendly, and the lifestyle is slow paced and less competitive than other states we’ve been to.”

The future in Darwin for Ka and his wife looks positive.

“My wife earned an opportunity to franchise a sushi bar in Woolworths and we’ve started to learn how to run the business,” he says. “By assessing different criteria, we’ve more great opportunities in Darwin, and we’d like to stay here.”

Preparing for the workplace

Studying at CDU prepared Ka for the Australian workplace.

“CDU’s master’s degree provided most of the IT theoretical knowledge with different aspects on viewing data and business structure and some practical examples on how to use it,” says Ka.  

“I learnt team working, communication and networking skills ready for the workplace. The IT Code Fair provided real IT business challenges, so we learnt to apply the knowledge practically.”

Highlights

Ka’s volunteering roles at CDU helped him build professional relationships which have helped kickstart his career.

“The first volunteering experience I had I met my manager who works at Department of environment, parks, and water security in NTG,” says Ka.

“Both of us were studying a unit about entrepreneurship and we had a chance to become teammates. I impressed her with my IT projects and so I started to volunteer in her workspace in the second semester.”

This experience gave Ka the perfect platform for his next career step.

“I began working in the NTG vacation program in the same department as a developer programmer and now as a data management officer.” 

CDU IT Code Fair

KA joined the CDU IT Code Fair in 2020 where he won the poster competition, came runner up in the business innovation challenge and was IT Code fair’s outstanding entrant.

“In the CDU IT Code Fair 2021, I became a poster judge and left my comfort zone. I was 1 out of 4 panel discussion members to share my experience about transitioning from graduate into the IT workplace,” says Ka. “I returned as a poster judge again in 2022.”

Ka notes that the CDU IT Code Fair is very professional with a variety of events and talented CDU staff, IT Code Fair ambassadors and volunteers.

“It helps the IT students a lot for getting potential opportunities,” he says.

If you’re keen to learn about what opportunities await you in the IT world, contact us today. We can’t wait to chat.