Careers with STEM: Code 2019 (NZ Version) by Refraction Media

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TERM 4, 2019

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Security engineer

Meet the team behind Google Photos

FIND YOUR DREAM JOB IN TECH

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How to score a gig in gaming p12

CAREERS with STEM.COM >GAMING<

>CULTURE<

>EDUCATION<

>WELLBEING<

>SPACE<

>BUSINESS<

>FOREWORD<

w e n g n i y l p p A skills to tomorrow’s challenges can give you How computational thinking ur ideas a reality the framework to make yo

SAM VENN

come from any where e know a good idea can help to solve or anyone. Technology can allow everyone and problems, big and small, to make their mark. h crop health in rural based apps assisting wit AIm Fro nce to le information and assista Africa, to providing credib ont efr for the at is gy , technolo refugees around the world m an fro m ste s tion ova inn These of solving global issues. blem ational thinking and pro put com of ing nd sta der un too late to learn. solving, skills it’s never s that in ng Australians estimate You for n atio The Found e problem nd almost 100% more tim 2030 Australians will spe e in jobs enc sci e using maths and solving and 77% more tim – the ay tod ts den ential that stu than they do now. It’s ess to help lls ski se the h wit ed equipp workers of tomorrow – are ong economic future. ensure our country’s str a g and coding skills with Combining problem solvin and ms gra pro in s challenges result passion for those global es, pag se the In . ple peo millions of technology that impact applying mples of incredible people exa ess ntl cou d you’ll fin n and sio pas ys to pursue their these skills in different wa inspire s rie sto ir the rld. We hope ultimately change the wo you to do the same.

Technology is at the forefront of solving global issues ”

m Manager, Marie Efstathiou, Progra and Universit y ach tre Ou e Computer Scienc alia & New Zea land Relations, Google Austr

what is

careers with stem?

Order copies online from $1.95

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students he Careers with STEM magazines help year, we discover the careers of the future. Each STEM the of each deliver four magazines across eering and disciplines (Science, Technology, Engin rsecurity Cybe as such ns editio ial spec Maths), plus require will and Economics. While 75% of future jobs are uates grad ol scho STEM skills, just 16% of highthe of Many ralia. Aust in ees enrolling in STEM degr with skills STEM ine comb will ge emer careers that Computer other areas. We call it STEM + X. Like Maths + and ing Science + Education = tech learn STEM + X your find To ings. Design = smar ter build om EM.c ithST ersw Care and more, visit

>CONTENTS<

What’s inside? in P6 Closing the gender gap

computer science am P10 Meet the dream te Sydney behind Google Photos in P12 Pumped for a career in gaming? Start here nies are P24 How tech compa skills of harnessing the unique people with autism P47 How to get a career in code P6

P38

+ X = ith STEM ch (STEM) w

P12

P18

We need to target our youth, showing them the relevance technology has to everyone’s future, how it is revolutionising the future of work, and how exciting it is to be a part of this world” Mahsa Mohaghegh, computer scientist P8

Combine te your passion (X)! Computer science + … P18 Cybersecurity lture P25 Connecting with cu

P27 Education P34 Health & wellbeing P38 Space P44 Business

and Katie Walker, soccer fan gle Photos (right) with soft ware engineer at Goo Kathy Zhu Google securit y engineer

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Tech gender gap: state of play Computer science is still grappling with a diversity problem – here’s your low-down on the current situation and how we can fix it

omen represent ha lf of the popu lation, but you wouldn’t know it if you looked at your average computer scien ce (CS) classroom. On ly 16% of Australian an d 36% of New Zealand ICT university graduates are women. In the workplace, on ly 28% of IT workers in Australia an d 23% in NZ are female. Then there’s the gender pay gap , currently sitting at aroun d 20%. It’s a lot to tackle . The first step in closing the gender gap is establ ishing that it is a problem. Shock ingly, one recent report showed on ly 21% of NZ businesses believe gender diversity is important to their business, while a sur vey

Top 3 apps for women, by women In an industry where a minority, these femawomen are apps are addressing le-driven needs through the firwomen’s experience of the founst-hand ders.

found a quarter of of Australian IT workers s to combat gie employers lacked strate diversity. e sur discrimination and en

Shebah is an Australian fem ale-friendly ridesharing app. CEO and founder Geo rge McEncroe was concerned about the danger s female drivers (and passengers) can face, so she founded Shebah to connect women on the roa d. shebah.com.au

s Removing virtual barrier hnology senior

Tec Auckland University of ghegh says that ha Mo hsa Ma lecturer Dr gender imbalance is while awareness of the l like an uphill battle”. increasing, “it can still fee quickly and impacts “Technology changes so s Ma hsa. “It’s relevant multiple industries,” say to everybody’s fut ure.” dicted to be home By 2023, Australia is pre professiona ls, but to more than 750,000 IT ge of work. In fact, it’s there’ ll still be no shorta 3.5 million job openings estimated that by 2021, rity alone. will appear in cybersecu n’t miss out, we need do To ma ke sure women calls “virtual barriers”. to remove what Ma hsa

Menstrual cycle tracking app s have grown in popularity, but Clue is one of the few apps with a female co-founder (Danish entrepreneur Ida Tin ). It empowers women with me nstrual health information that’s empathetic and acc urate. helloclue.com

Spotlight on diversity

ive is about much more Ma king CS more inclus al numbers. Gender than just achieving equ many more elements isn’t binary and there are nicity, age, sexua l to diversity, including eth ity. ers div orientation and neuro – companies ble fita pro n Inclusivity is eve more likely to have with greater diversity are

Only

3% of

15-year-old girls in NZ are thinking about a career in the tech sector

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financia l ret urns above industry averages, accord ing to economics and business consultan cy McKinsey & Compan y. “No one can ignore the evidence of the benefits that a balanced , diverse workplace brings, such as increased productivit y and en hanced innovation,” says Ma hsa . But we still have a long way to go. Sad ly, 25.9% of IT workers have experienced bias or discrimination. “Our bu sin ess leaders need to get on board wi th advocating diversity and equality – initiating diversity progra ms and ma king a consci ous effort to change employee mind sets will have a big positi ve impact,” says Ma hsa. – Larissa Fed unik

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Spitfire Athlete aims to tap into a market where gym sexism is prevalent: stre ngth training. Designed by two female eng ineers Nidhi Kulkarni and Erin Parker (Erin competes at Olympic-level weightlifti ng so she knows her stuff!), it allows women to design their own workout plans insp ired by female athletes. spitfireathlete.com

Find your job passion and more female role models in STEM: bit.ly/CWSWomenInSTEM

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>UPFRONT<

s u c o f n i n e m Wo coders y for the next generation of wa the g vin pa en m wo o tw t Mee

Academic Mahsa Mohaghegh is a mentor and diversity advocate for computer science students and young coders

e her first experience a fascination for tech sinc r Mahsa Mohaghegh has had isioned that it was dad. However, she never env building a computer with her iting future in technology”. the start of a “long and exc sity of Technology, began lecturer at Auckland Univer Her Mahsa, who is now a senior in Computer Engineering. a Masters degree and PhD . ngs Thi her academic career with of t rne the Inte ude AI, machine learning and current research areas incl rs and she loves being ste Ma her e sinc ts den uni stu Mahsa has been teaching ere’s a great degree of “Th . and knowledge to others ls skil art imp and re sha able to mentoring them,” she says. others, or in supervising and ing help ugh thro tion sfac sati since she was a student, is nge over the last 15 years, them What Mahsa hasn’t seen cha target our youth, showing her classes. “We need to k uni Fed the male-to-female ratio in issa she says. – Lar has to everyone’s future,” the relevance technology ering), PhD (Computer Engine Engineering, Zealand New of ity rs Master of Computerof Science ive Un ey Mass iversity Un n , Ira ng eri ine Eng r and Technology Bachelor of Compute ity Tehran Azad Univers hool of Computer, , Senior Lecturer, Sc matical Sciences the Ma d Engineering an rsity of Technology p ar Sh e Sh ive r, Founde Auckland Un

We need to ta et our youth, showingrg them the relevance techno has to everyone’s fu logy ture”

2 # M

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We need to live in ely in a world where we gewnu ithout choose our passion any discrimination” Bachelor of Applied Mathematics / Engineering (Mechanical) & Studio Art, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago Insights Manager, Microsoft, Sydney

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

onmayuri Ray (Mon) did n’t choose a career pat h in tech. She says she chose a peo ple-focused career, and tech was just the medium. “M athematical storytelling passion,” says Mon, who was my studied the “strange com bination” of applied maths, engineer ing and studio art. Mon has worked as a dat a scientist for the “who’s who” of the tech world – think com panies like eBay, tech ser vices firm Quantium and now Deloit te, where she’s a specia list manager. Ma king tech work for cu stomers and clients throu gh new innovation is what she loves most about her job . “We now have the capability to solve thi ngs that we cou ldn’t bef ore through the lens of Ar tificia l Int elligence,” says Mon. Mon believes the answer to more diverse gender representation in tech is to focus on pa ssion and talent, rat her tha n gender. “We need to live in a world wh ere we genuinely choose our passion without any discrimina tion,” Mon says. “Rather than promoting women in data and men in ballet, we need to do a better job of promoting ALL in data – or ballet!” – Larissa Fed unik

Masters of Philosophy (Biomedical Engineering), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Data Scientist, Quantium, Sydney

Data scientist Monmay believes gender is irr uri Ray you have a passion foelevant if r tech

Data Scientist, eBay, Sydney

Smart Prosthetics Research Engineer, Northwestern University Prosthetics-Orthotics Centre, Chicago Specialist Manager Data Scientist, Deloitte, Sydney

>CS+GOOGLE<

Kicking career goals at Googleware engineer n landed soft Grit and determinatior dream job at Google Katie Walker he

at – g hard and breaking a swe atie’s no stranger to workin cer re time on and around soc she spends much of her spa tion lica coach. So when her first app fields, both as a player and d mu the off uccessful, she brushed for a job at Google was uns try again. and got back on the field to sity of science degree at the Univer er put It was during a com inee Tra er mm (Su P a 12-week STE Adelaide that Katie scored ught, tho “I . ney Syd in gle rnship at Goo Engineering Program) inte says. I want to stick around,” she this is actually pretty cool, re twa sof k wee 12r the ano She followed that up with t year – but when a soccer nex the hip rns inte ring enginee d she tes fell through, Katie realise scholarship to the United Sta ting ver con in the process involved hadn’t properly prepared for to k bac t wen ie a full-time gig. Kat her Google internship into loads of ours year, and applied for Hon an te Adelaide to comple a for self her e par pre – mainly to sof tware engineering jobs her And gle. Goo at job that dream second attempt at get ting off. d pai k hard wor re gle Photos team as a softwa Katie now works in the Goo

LAUREN TROMPP

CWC19

Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours), University of 143.5x205mm 1.1 P.pdf 1 7/8/19 Adelaide

1:03 PM

engineer on the Application Programming Interface (AP I) which, she explains, “with users’ consent, gives third-p arty developers access to Goo gle Photos to do even more coo l things with them” such as digital photo frames. Katie reckons “everyone sho uld get into tech !” – especially more women. “Th ere’s always something exc iting happening,” she says. – Gem ma Chilton

STEP Intern, Google

Software Engineering Intern, Google

Software Engineer, Google

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m a e t m a e r The d e women working behind th Meet some of the wonder Sydney scenes at Google Photos in

K LE SITE RELIABILITY ENGINEER Loves: Games Career tip: “Understand you r strength, your weakness and what you enjoy in tech (it’s a big area!)”

FEIFEI MU PROGRAM MANAGER

KATIE WALKER SOFTWARE ENGINEER Loves: Soccer On diversity: “For me, diversity in tech is about giving as many people as possible the opportunity to find joy in something that I find so much joy in.”

PRASADI PILOSOF TECHNICAL PROGRAM MANAGER ch Loves: Cooking and the bea bt dou n’t “Do : Career advice h jobs yourself or your abilities. Tec e.” cod ting wri ut abo are not just

Loves: Time with her son ting Job highlight: “Collabora nt ere diff from ple with peo teams, with different skills.”

ROCHELLE ESTERMAN ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS PARTNER Loves: Arts and crafts Job highlight: “I love being the person people come to when they don’t know where to begin.”

LAUREN TROMPP

SHENLU WANG SOFTWARE ENGINEER Loves: Changes all the tim e! Job highlight: “The people I work with are intelligent and nice . Well balanced work and life.”

FLORENCIA IRENA SOFTWARE ENGINEER TV series Loves: Bingeing on a good work nt, Career tip: “Be confide lf!” rse you hard, and believe in

Meet more amazing Googlers online at bit.ly/CwSgooglers

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CLAIRE LEONG SOFTWARE ENGINEER Loves: Arts and crafts and fashion Career tip: “It’s never too late to start! I had never considered coding before trying out a course at uni, and I loved it enough to switch deg rees.”

don’t doubt yourself... tech jobs are not just about writing code”

RACHAEL MORGAN SOFTWARE ENGINEER Loves: Anything outdoors On diversity: “You can’t solv e the world’s problems if you don ’t have a good representation of the world in the room.”

prasadi pilosof

KRYSTAL HIGGINS UX DESIGN LEAD Loves: Scuba diving and painting On diversity: “Diversity makes for more thoughtful and creative design solutions!”

LAUREN MANZO SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER dogs Loves: Cuddle time with her rt. hea r Career tip: “Follow you t wha not do, to Do what you want do.” uld’ you think you ‘sho

STEPHANIE BORGMAN GOOGLE SYDNEY CHIEF OF STAFF / PROGRAM MANAGER

AMY LO TECH LEAD MANAGER Loves: Swimming and reading Job highlight: “I mentor a lot of people and it’s always great to see when they grow or take the next step in their career.”

Loves: Travelling On diversity: “Women use technology, why shouldn’t they be creating it too?”

HANNAH SAMPSON SOFTWARE ENGINEER Loves: Video games and art Career tip: “People will be far more willing to help and give advice if you offer to buy them cof fee.”

TANVI JINDAL SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER

SARA SCHAARE-WEEKS SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER Loves: Making things Job highlight: “The best part of working as a software engineer is that you can choose your own adventure – there are so many different types of work involved that you can try things out and figure out what you love to do.”

cooking Loves: Yoga, reading and k with smart, amazing, wor to get “I ht: Job highlig ry day!” nice, respectful people eve

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>UPFRONT<

Game on!

Match your electives

Programmer: IT, science, maths Designer: IT, art, graphic design, media studies, computer science Story planner: English, literature, design, languages

ing? Start here Dreaming of a career in gam ltidisciplinary by he gaming industry is mu elling, technology nature – where art, storyt ether in the name and science all come tog d the perfect look, feel an of entertainment. To get bring to ed ne s per elo e, dev player experience in a gam d an l ica hn tec of ge st ran together people with a va . en pp ha creative skills to ma ke it work out how the game le, mp exa for rs, ne sig De r will experience it, while will look and how the use of the game, and artists writers develop the story tures the characters’ facial fea create everyt hing from in. st exi y the or cit yscape and clothes, to the forest ing om bec , ng thi your But if maths and tech is pat h for you. Game the be ght mi er a programm e cod – like invisible programmers write the ay ls the game. From gamepl instructions – that contro are tw sof and interaction, to character intelligence lity programming, coding rea l tua management to vir rt of development. is across every single pa

Pathways to gaming

Some people come to the games industry from an unexpected direction – for example after going to art school or working as a wr iter or IT specia list. But for programmer Sam Crisp, it all began when he was 10 years old and started exp erimenting with online tools. Sam played and created games throughout school , but it was connecting wi th like-minded game ma kers on line that encouraged him to take his skills fur ther. “Finding other people to share my creations with was the driver, and being abl e to be creative,” he says. “Back then it was about all the fantasy and sci-fi stuff that I liked as a kid, but now it’s the problem-sol ving element that is more app ealing.” If you’re interested in the gaming industry, Sam reckons experimenting with your own games an d meeting other people is the best way to start.

Where could you work ?

Here are some of the in Australia and New biggest game-developing companies Zealand

nz PikPok (Wellington) pikpok.com

Games: Flick Kick and Into the Dead 100+ employees

Grinding Gear Games (Auckland) grindinggear.com Game: Path of Exile 100+ employees

Ninja Kiwi (Auckland) ninjakiwi.com Game: Bloons TD 20 to 50 employees

aus Big Ant studios (Melbourne) bigant.com

Games: Big Bash Boom, Cricket19 – The official game of the Ashes 50+ employees

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Torus Games (Melbourne) torus.com.au

Games: Beast Quest 20 to 50 employees

Krome Studios (Brisbane) kromestudios.com

Game: Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 400+ employees

Bachelor of Information Technology (Games and Graphic Programming), RMIT University

Media and Communications (Honours), RMIT

Programmer, Mountains Studio

finding other people to share my creations with was the driver” sam crisp programmer START Y OUR CAR EER HER E cs

gra After finishing his under phics programming, Sam gra d an majoring in games es sidestep and study gam decided to take a slight thesis. urs no Ho his ctive for from a humanities perspe k and think about games “Researching how we tal e lly helped my creative gam and rea lism in games rea ed en s. But while research op ma king as well,” he say ing perspectives, he gam Sam’s eyes to different ly wanted to ma ke games. always knew he ultimate grammer at Mountains In his current role as a pro p the tools using code that hel Studio, Sam is creating o int rk wo ir the rt ers impo team’s artists and design e cod use to job m’s Sa rk. It’s the bigger game framewo rs user interface, characte to help the art, gameplay, in the game. – Jo Khan and story all fit together

cs+gam ing JOB Video ga S me progra A$

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CTIVES CREATING NEW PERSPEduate degree in IT,

+gaming STUDY

Bachelor of Graphics Information Tech Program ming), RM nology (Games an Bachelor d IT bit.ly/B of Compu achITRMIT ter Scien New Eng c e, Univ land, bit.l y/UNEBac ersity of Diploma hCS of Digital and Box Hill In stitute, b Interactive Game it.ly/BHDip s Bachelor DigGame , of Design s Design), (Visualisa Griffith U tion and niversity, Immersiv bit.ly/Griff e ithUniBac hDesign 36K–A $7

7K / NZ$4 mmer: 3K–NZ$7 1K Software develope A $ 50K–A r: $ 9 9 K / NZ $48K–NZ $ 91K D A $45K–A igital designer: $ 82K / NZ $ 39K–NZ $ 8 0 K* *Source: salaries a to paysca ccording le.com

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>UPFRONT<

Meet the women shaking up the gaming industry bit.ly/WomeninGaming

Everything I enjoyed at school makes perfect sense now that I’m making games”

Big player

w r career in gaming – but no he to e ut ro g lon the k too o Maru Nihonih ntial people in the industry lue inf t os m the of e on d re she’s conside t game, th a publisher for her firs

resulted in signing wi e game. Cube – a 3D mobile puzzl kids like me who need “Now I ma ke games for ludes ng,” Maru says. This inc a different style of learni ed to ign des e ing desktop gam SPAR X, an award-winn sion res dep th wi skills to cope help young people learn to s ate nsl tra ly ral (which lite and an xiety; and Tā karo ts. cep con ing cod teaches ‘game’ in Māori), which es into something more gam g kin ma d ne “I’ve tur or put educational themes meaning ful, where I can w,” no p elo gh the games I dev learning objectives throu .” ess sin bu s rpose within thi says Maru. “That’s my pu ve, cti era or of Metia Int As the managing direct th game design and wi h n tc s-o ra nd Maru remains ha Starting from sc area of gaming (except as ing and erseeing the programm y development, before ov With no experience in an lture to ’s cu rld ori wo Mā the to ing ng off f taking hersel on. Maru is also bri cti du pro al fin a player), Maru started by d Los bile game Guardian ces in San Francisco an with the launch of the mo h, tec her biggest gaming conferen of Māori cu lture – a elopment on the go. “A nd wing on the my tholog y dra ia, Ma Angeles to learn game dev s. say n stepping foot on her r to pitch my idea to,” she she envisaged before eve t jec pro I needed to find a publishe nt an own game-developme gaming journey. – Jo Kh In 2003 Maru started her eas ers ov trip xt ne r He ve. Merit, for company, Metia Interacti

games as a young girl, hen she started playing ught she would end up Maru Nihoniho never tho evelopment business. starting her own game-d ing e a straight pat h to the gam In fact, Maru didn’t tak 14 er aft re ding her way the industry at all, instead fin she ief bel ng ity, and a naggi years working in hospital ying. spent her weekends pla she es cou ld ma ke the gam and s ter pu com , ng ica l drawi “I rea lly did enjoy techn she ” us, rio cu so d an n hands-o science at school, I was fect ed back then ma kes per oy enj I ng thi says. “Every g games.” sense now that I’m ma kin

g Director, Founder and Managin Metia Interactive

land Order of lth Member of the New Zea ustry and mental hea ind g min ga the to services

First game Cube published

c Institute gical Futures, Uniteland Zea Masters of Technolo New nd, la of Technology, Auck

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Top 50 2018 Forbes World’s Women in Technology

>CS+QUT<

Building worlds Lexi Townsend combines her love of maths and art to create virtual reality experiences ngs nd had more than a few stri s a teenager, Lexi Townse ing pos com yed ths but also enjo to her bow. She loved ma lly rea a had “I es. ing video gam music, making art and play she says. ls,” skil of n weird combinatio helor e a per fect fit for QU T’s Bac wer ts res inte e But her wid ironments degree and by the of Games and Interactive Env y fledged video game for her end Lexi had created a full are . (These capstone projects third-year capstone project ether tog g brin of some degrees to completed towards the end m tea to nity ortu gave Lexi the opp what has been learned.) It . ign des nd sou er courses, like up with students from oth g n how the process of creatin lear to tic tas “It was fan s. say she finish,” a game works from start to been busy running her own has i Lex , ting dua gra Since ss and says studying at ine virtual reality technology bus ge of skills to tackle a broad ran QU T equipped her with the ly app to at at teaching you how client projects. “QU T is gre ’re you t tha ry have to an indust the skills that you already i. Lex s say in,” really interested you experience is, Lexi says, “if of l leve r you t wha No matter roy Con ma Gem – . off” s , it pay can push yourself to commit

Bachelor of Games and Interactive ENVIRONMENTS (Animation), QUT

Lead Artist, MAX ART

Junior Generalist, Liquid Animation

Founder, Lexi Townsend Art

The world needs digital innovation. QUT Information Technology

CRICOS No: 00213J

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>CS+ATLASSIAN<

Atlassian is an Aussie software company co-founded by two UNSW grads in 2002. It builds platforms and tools for other businesses, and has more than 3000 employees.

Team players

Meet three Atlassian employees working together to make great things happen

Kristy Hughes loves solutions to difficul finding elegant t problems

rist y, a senior engineer at Atlassian, is par t of a team that helps other teams bui sof tware. She works on one ld of Atlassian’s products call ed Bitbucket, which helps businesses to plan project s, as well as collaborate, tes t and roll out new code. Kristy works with designers , product managers, other developers and the custom themselves to improve Bitb ers ucket. “I enjoy developing features I know our custom going to love and will make ers are their job bet ter,” she says. The team even uses Bitbuck themselves, a practice call et ed ‘dogfooding’ (as in, eat ing your own dog food to ma it tastes good!). “By using ke sure the product I’m developing every day, I get to feel the pain many customers feel same and that helps me solve the ir problems,” explains Kris But not all of Kristy’s work ty. life is about Bitbucket. Atla ssian employees get five day ‘foundation leave’ a year to s of give back to the community . “I’ve previously used min tutor at the National Comput e to er Science Summer School for high school students,” “I’m so glad to be in a job she says. that’s fun, challenging and rewarding… I’m never bor ed! ” Bachelor of Science (Mathematics)/Bachelor of Information Technology (Computer Science), University of Sydney

LAUREN TROMPP

Bachelor of Engineering (Software Engineering), UNSW

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Software engineer, Atlassian

Senior software engineer, Atlassian

as tech careers can be Victoria Skalrud saysation and creativity as code much about collabor footsteps as a sof tware

r’s going to follow in her mothe ictoria says she was always m’s work playing computer mu her at she would hang out solving, engineer. From an early age in tech meant fun, problem osphere. “To me, a career to study her ired insp games, soaking up the atm s she says. Thi learning something new,” n. ssia Atla being challenged and always at k her to wor ore a series of tech roles led ch as sof tware engineering, bef sn’t get to code quite as mu doe a tori Vic d, Lea m Tea nt me elop Dev ior ers Sen Today, as er her team memb to ger responsibility – to empow big a has she , ead Inst . did she once work to be extremely their full potential. “I find my ock unl and ls goa uals, ir the achieve ching and growing individ she says. “I really enjoy coa e,” ativ cre and re. ve twa rati sof abo coll g we produce quality with my team and ensurin “There’s sparring technical options ible space,” Victoria adds. ess acc aborative and learning ous tinu “Tech is such a creative, coll con , think differently hy, challenging yourself to a high value put on empat iterate and improve.” and using those lessons to

Senior Analyst Programmer, Tourism Technology

Consultant, The Enigma Room

Senior Development Team Lead, Atlassian

#3 ed a world of Programming has open no Julio Costa opportunities for Julia

its wildlife and Grosso is best known for he Brazilian state of Mato abá and the Cui e to the remote city of rainforest. But it’s also hom learned “the he s say Grosso – where Juliano Federal University of Mato ortunities. opp of ld wor mming”, opening a universal language of progra nt skills took me elop dev re twa rs, Juliano’s sof Over the course of 15 yea bec and Montreal in robi, Kenya, and later Que him to Rio de Janeiro, Nai g website Expedia rs working at travel bookin Canada. But after five yea dy for a fresh challenge. in Montreal, Juliano was rea e the change love the Atlassian value: b He found it at Atlassian: “I you seek!” he says. nothing, solving e to create something from “I feel empowered to be abl .” nce erie ers a delight ful exp problems or offering custom Per formance r working in the Jira Cloud inee Eng Juliano is a Senior improving the t of a team responsible for Team. This means he is par elopment most popular sof tware dev per formance of one of the applications in the world. customer’s have a direct impact on the “It’s a great opportunity to rove the imp I reciated and recognised as experience, and I feel app se ts,” he says. – Ben Sku per formance of our produc

LAUREN TROMPP

Bachelor of Science (Computer Science), Federal University of Mato Grosso

Master of Science (Computer Software Engineering), Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Senior Software Developer, globo.com

Senior Software Engineer, Expedia

Software Developer, Fundacao Coppetec

Senior Engineer, Atlassian

To get there: bit.ly/AtlassianGrads

I love the Atlassian value: be the change you seek!”

Get even more Careers with STEM online! CAREERSwithSTEM.COM Find quizzes, news, STEM profiles and heaps more. Plus, you can sign up to receive Careers with STEM emails every week!

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>CS+CYBERSECURITY<

E R U T U F T R A M CYBER S Cybersecurity is a booming career area that helps us stay safe online. Here’s why it’s such a big deal right now

Cybersecurity is everyone’s business stralia about $1 billion d on line fraud – cost Au up LandMark Cyber crime – hacks an ny, proper ty va luation gro pa com e on 9, 201 y Ma last year. In a cyber attack. ult of a data breach from res the as n llio mi $7 t White, los victim of an online re than money. Being the mo ut abo is ety saf er cyb But e woman was jailed for . In June 2019, a Melbourn ng ati ast dev be can m sca r Lincoln Lewis, faking to be Australian soap sta g din ten pre for rs yea o tw gh social media. One n sta lking people throu his identity on line and the hing) committed suicide. m (which is called catfis of the victims of the sca out trusted on line about cyber safety, check If you have any concerns stralian Au te Stay Smart On line, the ber Security sources such as the websi Cy s ool yber and the Sch stC Au n tio isa an org nt governme O. lle Price, AustCyber’s CE Challenges, says Miche about the economy has ng thi ery sted adu lt. “Ev tru or r che tea a ask o, Als rk or school, or the local ether we’re at home, wo a digita l component. Wh of being on line. of the risks and benefits cafe, you need to be aware e and being aware to defend yourself on lin Ma king sure you’re ready s Michelle. is critical right now,” say of careers in cybersecurity

2026

By , Australia will need 18,000 mor e

cybersecurity workers

Your 6-day plan to staying safe online urity Centre The Australian Cyber Sec ying safe sta recommends six steps to e: on line, one day at a tim

Day 1

password Create a strong, unique hentication aut or and turn on two-fact ng asi rch pu for your ban k and ount acc e ogl Go ID, accounts, Apple nt. ou and email acc

Day 5

Day 2

password and Create a strong, unique tication for turn on two-factor aut hen g apps. your social and messagin

Day 6

Day 3

Turn off automatic conne ction to wi-fi and on ly conne ct to trusted wi-fi networks on your mobile phone, device, home com puter and laptop.

d turn on Add a PIN/password an r mobile phone, automatic updates for you d laptop. an device, home computer

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Day 4

on your Install security software me ho , mobile phone, device computer and laptop.

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Complete the security check-up for your Gmail, Facebook and Lin kedIn.

what jobs are there in Cybersecurity?

r social posts, Data is all around us – ou ases, music and rch pu e search histor y, on lin ces leave a stream entertainment preferen ita l footprint. So, of data that forms our dig s work everywhere. cybersecurity specia list ty – there are 52 There’s also a wide varie from, according to different careers to choose of the main ones... AustCyber. Here are a few

Major cyber industries

•Defence/governmen t •Finance •Telecoms •Large tech compan ies

Application security

Computer forensics analy sts

Work with law enforcem ent agencies to track cybercrime and with wo rkplaces to investigate after a major cyber incide nt.

Cyber intel analyst

Study the latest cyber bre aches and attacks, monitoring communicati ons on the dark web in order to develop a pic ture of the current cyber-threat landscape.

Pen (penetration) tester

elopers to ensure Work with application dev software. they’re creating secure

Tests electronic and com puter systems on ly (occasionally hardware). They have a more restricted scope of what they are allowed to test than the Red Team (see below).

Bug bounty hunters

ncers work outside These independent freela lnerabilities in the vu companies and search for h companies. tec by d software built and owne

Red Team

Medium cyber players

re •Major in frastr uctu) (electricity, water •Insurance nt ns •Tra port/govern me •Sma ller tech compan ies

The Red Team tests the readiness of a company by looking for weak point s in computer systems, networks, staff and/or pro cesses. They attack systems, bad processes and procedures and people’s bad habits (such as opening/clicking on fake emails).

Security engineer/cyber detection engineer

Write code to automate detection of cyber threats by looking at tho usands of computer logs to detect anomalies.

Where to study?

RE START YOUR CAREER HE

STUDY cs+CYBERSECURITY ersecurity, UNSW

Cyb Bachelor of Computing and berraBachCCS Canberra, bit.ly/UNSWCan Science specialising er put Com Bachelor of Science, IT or inBachCyberSec in Cybersecurity, bit.ly/Deak urity, TAFE NSW, bit.ly/ Cer tificate IV in Cyber Sec TAFECertIVCyberSec hnology (Cybersecurity Diploma of Information Tec bit.ly/DipITCoderAcademy y, Bootcamp), Coder Academ

TY JOBS cs+CYBERSECURIana lyst: Business intelligence 98K AU$ 58K–$122K / NZ $58K–$ : lyst ana rity ecu Cybers 87K AU$49K–$119K / NZ $53K–$ r: inee eng Security 104K* AU$ 58K–$137K / NZ $43K–$ to ng ordi *Source: salaries acc payscale.com

y and , as well as law, psycholog Students skilled in STEM a to are h wt gro ess this new job communications can acc FE TA s. eer car g ging and excitin find rewarding, challen rity, ecu ers cyb in up ll ski ways to and unis are offering new ate xim ly up for graduates. Appro and employers are lining rity as alia now offer cybersecu ha lf of all unis in Austr degrees. IT or computer science a degree or as a major in

How can I prepare now?

There’s plenty of ways to get inv

olved in cybersecurity. Start here: The Schools Cyber Secu rity Challenges provide high school teachers with resources to support the teaching of cybersecurity concepts and inform stu dents of career opportu nities in the field. Check out: aca.edu.au/ projects/cyber-challenges The Optus Cyber Securit y Experience takes the students into an interactive cor porate cyb ersecurity situation where key roles people from the cybersecurity team are introduced as the situation unfolds. Check out: dayofstem.co m.au/optus.html If you’re at uni, the Cyber Security Challenge Au stralia is a ‘hacking’ competition run by an alliance of Au stralian Government, business an d academic professiona ls. Check out: cybercha llen ge.com.au – Heather Ca tchpole

CODE

>CS+CYBERSECURITY<

Test your cyber skills!

think like Do you have what it takes to

a cybersecurity professional?

TIME TO CREATE A NEW PASSWORD. DO YOU:

A Accept – the more the merrier

e with A Combine your pet’s nam ate thd bir your lly B Use something that’s reaused ’ve you t tha hard to guess somewhere else sword C Make a new, strong pas tor era gen ord sw using a pas

NEW FRIEND REQUEST! DO YOU:

B Only accept if they know someone you know C Don’t accept unless you know them personally

Mostly As You’re cyber sorry You gave your best ‘friend’ on Facebook your password and now you’ve been hacked across all platforms – someone’s stolen your mum’s credit card details, the school’s computers have all been frozen and worse, there’s someone pretending to be you online! The consequences of not staying secure online can be pretty devastating. Luckily, you can improve! Start by using strong passwords and never sharing personal information. Then check out the cyber security information provided by the Australian Government or the Australian Computing Academy – you’ll not only keep your personal information safe, you’ll also find out a tonne about being a great cyber citizen.

Mostly Bs You’re cyber savvy

YOU RECEIVE A LINK IN A TEXT MESSAGE FROM A RANDOM. DO YO U:

A Open it quick! Might be

important B Don’t open it but leave it on your phone just in case C Don’t open it and block

results

the sender

YOU LEFT YOUR SPORTS BAG WITH YOUR PHONE ON THE BUS. DO YOU:

A Deal with it later

You’re halfway to becoming the cyber savvy citizen you need to be. Keep these cyber tips in mind to stay safe at all times: 1. Don’t lose your phone/iPad/laptop – there’s a mine of personal information in there. 2. Don’t share passwords. Like, ever. 3. Don’t click anything suss – in emails, chat rooms, social posts or texts. ‘Phishing’ is the name for someone sending a link that can literally expose you to identity theft in one click. 4. Don’t friend people you don’t know – especially if you use location-sharing platforms like Snapchat. Keep in mind what you DON’T want people to know about you from social media (like your address and phone number) and stay safe. 5. Be wi-fi aware – if you’re not on a private network, you’re exposed to hackers.

B Borrow a friend’s phone and call the bus company C Launch your remote lock and location features you activated when you set your phone up

Mostly Cs You’re cyber smart

D OM A MATE’S PHONE AN FR S LL CA D IEN FR UR YO UR LOCATION. DO YOU: ASKS YOU TO SEND YO

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it be? tly. How dangerous could A Share with them permanen just for an hour B Share your location but ’t know. D’uh ation with anyone you don C Just don’t share your loc

*In 2017, the criminals behind the WannaCry cyber attack froze hundreds of thousands of computers across 150 countries – including those at hospitals, railway networks and government systems – demanding ransom in the form of cryptocurrency

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Congrats! You have the mindset you need to keep your own information safe – and others! Keep promoting privacy amongst your friends and family, and stay secure in the knowledge that you’ll never expose your study/school/work to a WannaCry-style cyber hack*. Bonus – consider studying cybersecurity to get in-demand opportunities for diverse roles across multiple industries! Or check out some more profiles of cyber specialists at CareerswithSTEM.com – Heather Catchpole

More tips: staysafeonline.org

>CS+CYBERSECURITY<

r e b y c e h t t e e M superheroes

Security Engineer, Google

rity mindset is important cu se a g vin ha d an fe sa r be Being cy rheroes are working round pe su r be cy few a t Bu . ne yo for ever d online the clock to keep us protecte

1 Hack-proofing Google

Security analyst, Westpac

For her day job, Kathy Zhu detects cyber criminals’ attempts to hack Google thy Zhu says her role hile she’s into coding, Ka the world ’s biggest as a security engineer at h company is about information-focussed tec ica techn l. way more than just being ff! have to do hands-on stu “It’s ver y practical – you g. hin ryt know a bit about eve For security you need to be can rt pa b activities... every Hardware, software, we hacked,” Kathy says. as a Google security Kathy’s pat h into her job jects” en interest in STEM sub engineer began with a “ke my ing do s wa I en wh o coding in high school. “I got int s. say she it,” ed lik I much degree and rea lised how m Westpac Graduate Progra the ed join she i un After d rte sta she , security team. Then and took a turn in their her t me d an ey SecTa lks in Sydn attending meet-ups like s like learned about what it wa “I re. current manager the s. say she ’!” job am at’s my dre in Google and thought ‘th ge. er challen But getting it was anoth s and for. It took me two month ly app to gh “It was tou HSC! There was a lot of I found it harder than the in myself at a fast pace.” information – I had to tra the d now it’s her job to keep Kathy scored the gig an the in “I’m . from cyber attack Google tools we use safe ’s ple peo ect e, so I try and det detection side of the rol she says. attempts at hacking us,” h know existed back in hig n’t did she It’s a career When oy. enj ls gir re mo n to see school, and one she’s kee , use t billions of people will you are creating tools tha lly rea is ht “diversity of thoug and that need to be secure Heather Catchpole important,” she says. –

Technical graduate, Westpac Bachelor of Information Systems, UNSW

LAUREN TROMPP

CODE

>CS+CYBERSECURITY<

b Policing the wesetig ating

s is inv AFP agent Janis Dalinus safe online ep ke how AI can help

anis started out as a softwa re developer, before he made a career move. “Th e money was great and the job interesting but it wasn’t me,” he says. Janis joined the Australian Federal Police (AFP) before taking some time off to complete a Masters of Information Technology, qualifying him to become a digital forensic examiner. Janis’s job involves examin ing electronic evidence – sifting through a lot of dat a, including graphic and offensive material that can be distressing for officers tion Masters of Informaive rsity Un sh na Mo gy, Technolo

NG, Bachelor of COMPUTI Monash University

Cyber champion Michelle Price heads up AustCyber, the Australian Government’s cybersecurity champions

n. As ernment-funded organisatio ustCyber is a non-profit, gov ia’s tral Aus in wth to drive gro CEO, Michelle is on a mission ses s we need more local busines say she and y acit cybersecurity cap . and dem g win gro to meet the and a bigger local workforce in the Indo-Pacific region on ion trill $1 nd spe will “People t 10 years,” she says. cybersecurity over the nex online, is to ensure people are safe AustCyber’s broader mission ors act d “ba true passion lies, keeping and that’s where Michelle’s from doing harm”.

Bachelor of Arts / Eco Business Law / mark nomics / ng, Macquarie Universeti ity Director, Corporate Risk and Str ategy, Austr al Customs Service ian

“There are many job types that go after these people. It’s like the digital form of the police or the digital form of being a good neighbour – protecting each other helps protect all of us,” she says. Day-to-day, Michelle’s role is to speak publicly about why cybersecurity is an important business risk, making sure people buy Australian-made cyber protection and ensuring the Australian companies that work in cybersecurity are globally competitive. – Heather Catchpole

Bachelor of Design Visual Communicatio/ n (honours), UTS

Senior Advisor, Cyber Pol Department of the icy, Prime Minister and Ca binet

CEO, AustCyber

Peter Kydas was the president of a unique club at his uni, teaching students about cybersecurity careers

so new that schools areers in cybersecurity are ching up on creating and universities are still cat half of Australian und aro curriculum content. While private colleges) and Es universities (as well as TAF uni student , rity ecu ers now offer courses in cyb se in the erti exp y urit sec Peter got most of his . club RMIT cybersecurity learning from industry The club is more than just t). Members group together (although that is a critical par ges to learn how to problem on ‘capture the flag’ challen skills. They also take part solve and gain ethical hacking ge (see page 8). in the Cyber Security Challen Bachelor of Electronics Engineering / Computer Science, RMIT

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Senior Advisor, CyberSecurity, ANU

Cyber captain

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ic Ex aminer, Senior Digital Forens Police Austr alian Federal

AILECS Lab, Acting Co-director rs Monash Unive ity

tomation, PhD in Intelligent Au Monash University

to sort through manually. The work inspired Janis to start a PhD investigating how trawling the dark web could be automated using AI. He received an Australian Public Service data fellowship for his PhD, enabling him to collaborate with experts at CSIRO’s Data61. Janis says his PhD was a step towards fixing the “disconnect” between universities and police and he is now acting co-director of a new lab at Monash University looking at other ways AI can be used in law enforcement and community safety. “We do two very different jobs but we can learn a heck of a lot from each other,” he says. – Nadine Cranenburgh

Past president, RMIT CyberSecurity Club

The club also helped Peter (who is currently finishing up a computer science and eng ineering degree) get a foot in the door with global consult ing company EY. “The RMIT cybersecurity club does weekly meetings and presentations on cybers ecurity trends as well as technical workshops. This was a really good introductio n to the field,” he says. But the re’s work to be done on educating parents. “My mu m thinks it’s a fad and doe sn’t know why I’m going into it!” “Kids today are more prepar ed compared to the older generations. There will be a big shift in the way we thin k about cybersecurity in the future.” – Heather Catchpole Recruit, EY Graduate Program

>CS+AUT<

Screen time

bersecurity went far beyond cy d re ve co dis le tee -S ox nn When Ash Le otypes, she was sold the Hollywood hacker stere

To get there: aut.ac.nz

It’s impossible to describe what a typical day looks t like because I don’ have one”

and Steele was into gaming rowing up, Ash Lennoxs, “so say she ,” me to se ke sen computers. “They just ma get something out of a I was pretty sure I would at.” ce. I just didn't know wh degree in computer scien wanted she at wh ow kn n’t did ll In her final year, Ash sti what nd fou her degree. Then she to do when she finished . rity ecu lecture about cybers she was looking for in a but the l With the Dragon Tattoo Gir e “I’m a big fan of Th ng to thi no s ha ies hackers in hood Holly wood portraya l of e tur lec t tha m fro ch learnt so mu do with cybersecurity. I .’” ‘That’s what I want to do and I wa lked out thinking ing dy stu of lue va d the Ash says she also learne t. ght like and being patien mi u yo nk thi u yo something pretty t bu e tim nted to do for a long “I had no idea what I wa t tha st tru to same. You’ve got much everyone feels the you’ll work it out.”

Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences, AUT

After finishing a Maste rs of Information Securi ty and Digita l Forensics at Auckland University of Technology, Ash started working as a Security Analyst with New Zeala nd ’s state-owned TV network, TV NZ . “It’s impossible to descri be what a typica l day loo ks like because I don’t have one,” says Ash. “It’s a dynamic role that changes every day and I love that variety. Our team works across the TV NZ network and infrastructu re. Our goa l is to ma ke TV NZ as secure as possi ble from cybersecurity threats. I’ve never consid ered the dark side of hacking. Holly wood ma kes hackers look cool bu t my conscience is too ethica l for that.” – Rober t Tighe

Master Of Information Security and Digital Forensics, AUT

Security Analyst, TVNZ

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>CS+NEURODIVERSITY<

Harnessing hidden talent

Darren Hedley, an autism researcher at La Trobe University,

m can make a big impact People on the autism spectru lopment to cybersecurity in tech, from software deve ng their computer hile most kids grew up usi busy fixing them with to play games, Tim was vage old computers sal his fat her. “We used to I in,” he says. “Since then, and get them working aga d an are fig uring out how softw have been interested in hardware works.” 0 Australians who have Tim is among the 164 ,00 al er, a lifelong development autism spectr um disord iour, av beh e tiv eti rised by rep condition that is characte nno d an ech spe , on municati challenges in social com . age gu lan y bod g din rea such as verbal communication, y comes a unique wa But with these challenges d for a midable skill set, an of seeing the world and ped tap un to recognise this companies are beginning hnology. Tec C DX giants IBM and potential, including tech level r ate gre a d to detail an “I have a sharp attention a are ich wh ks, repetitive tas of patience when doing at rks wo o wh , Tim s say testing,” natural fit for software ys plo ser vice company that em Xceptional, a technology lls. on their technica l ski people with autism based

and logic-based games to recruit candidates instea d of interviews. “They can be ver y consci entious and thorough wo rkers, and they don’t like litt le errors,” says Darren. “If they’re unemployed or stuck in a job where they aren’t usi ng these skills, that’s a big waste.”

Employment and educati on

initiatives In 201 4, Hedley and his colleagues teamed up wi th DXC Technology to establish the DXC Dandelion Pro gram, which matches people on the autism spectr um wi th tech jobs, from cybersecurity to software development . Since its launch, 105 people wi th autism have been em ployed in the Federa l Government Departments of Defence, Human Ser vices, Home Affairs, and Socia l Ser vices as we ll as ANZ and Nationa l Austr alia Bank. The initiative also offers a paid work experience program for ter tiary stu dents, which includes a threeweek robotics software development course for primary schools that work with autistic children. When it comes to startin g a career in computer sci ence, Tim says it’s important for autistic students to exp lore how they can grow and best use their skills. “It’s helpfu l to understand your own strengths and weaknesse s, and consider ways you can develop the skills you ma y have difficult y with,” he says. – Gemma Conroy

¹SOURCE: AIHW / AUTISM NZ

Skills going to waste

for people on the autism The unemployment rate rate six times higher than the spectr um is about 32%, es are lac rkp wo lity. Alt hough for those without a disabi erview int job the st ma king it pa becoming more diverse, pite des , ism aut th people wi is often a major hurdle for es. abiliti their strong technica l cap researcher at La Trobe ism aut an y dle He Darren ess ferent approaches to ass University, says using dif . ion p in the right direct autistic candidates is a ste s on line questionnaires use le, Xceptional, for examp

164,000 80,000 About

Australians and

New Zealanders have au tism¹

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

>CS+CONNECTING WITH CULTURE<

h t i w ) M E T S ( Combine tech (X) here! your passion

Digital connections

unity ople raise children in comm pe ri ao M s let gy olo hn tec re Hinerangi Edwards says ections to language and cultu nn co s’ kid e nc ha en to ed – and can also be us

Hinerangi Edwards tions Director, AATEA Solu

Teaching tech in Maoriing a Bachelor of

tak Hinerangi is also under tration degree part-time nis mi Ad d an e Commerc es in the agricu lture, and holds governance rol d ter tiary sectors, aquacu lture (lobster) an her background in o where she’s tapping int w capacity in the career development to gro Māori communit y. important that Hinerangi says that it’s applications embrace education and computer egrate it into their Māori language and int t teaching technology programs, rat her than jus skills in English. of Māori Development New Zealand ’s Ministry ported the development (Te Puni Kōkiri) has sup Read more on CareerswithSTEM.com bit.ly/CwSPinkRobot

of a game-based e-learnin g app for iPads called Kaitia ki, which integrate s science and Māori cu lture to teach school kid s about marine biolog y. “This is a great example of a technology project that incorporates langu age in a way that conne cts back to an understanding and cu ltural interface rat her than just translite ration of English,” Hinerangi says. Māori language has a cru cia l role in education, she says. “Indigenous lan guages that are still in circu lation are importa nt points of wellbeing and we need to work to ensure they aren’t lost. Developing technology in Māori language helps our children to have cho ices, and to be part of creating the fut ure.” – Fra n Molloy

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Director, AATEA Solutions Leadership in Agri Sector, Agri Women’s Development Trust Careers Consultant, Careers NZ

Diploma of M aori language (Te Tohu PaetaHi), Western Institute of Technology, Taranaki

Employment Advisor, NZ Employment Service

Bachelor of Arts (M aori), Victoria University of Wellington

inerangi Edwards and her husband Kiwa Hammond head up AATEA Solutions, a professional training and communications business based in Taranaki. Hinerangi is also a Commissioner for New Zealand’s Māori Language Commission (Te Taura Whiri i te Reo Māori). Hinerangi completed a Bachelor of Arts in Māori at Victoria University of Wellington and worked as a careers consultant before she and Kiwa left their corporate jobs in the city nearly 20 years ago and moved back to Kiwa’s community near Wairoa on the North Island. “We wanted to raise our children amongst our elders,” she explains. The couple have been able to continue their professional careers and connections, while maintaining their heritage and language, and stay connected to their community thanks to technology, Hinerangi says.

CODE

Key to the IDX Flint worksh ops IDX Manager Grant Camero is to make technology fun for all involved. from Yirrkala Bilingual Sch n and Delilah MacGillivray with students ool during the drone wor kshop held on country

y r t n u o c r o f g n i Cod

nous Australians about tech ige Ind g un yo e pir ins to ot skills as a drone pil As manager of the Indigen Grant Cameron is using his ous Digital Excellence Pro gram restorer, Grant Cameron’s erer and antique furniture fter 20 years as an upholst skills as a cer tified drone rally. Now he uses his new career change took off – lite excited about tech. Torres Strait Islander kids pilot to get Aboriginal and

lia-wide Taking tech Austtrera IE) in Redfern, of Indigenous Excellence (NC

al Cen Grant works at the Nation community and try and help work within the Aboriginal to ted wan ays alw “I . NSW he says. make a positive change,”

(IDX ), a par tnership bet wee n the NCIE and the Telstra Foundation, Grant now trav els all over Australia introducing kids to a range of technologies including 3D printing, robotics, coding and virtual reality. Grant started flying drones as a hobby – to take photos and make videos. He added drones to the IDX program after running a wor kshop for the Gunbalanya community in the Nor thern Territory. While he was the re, the remote community was waiting for helicopters to check whether it was safe to reopen the roads after heavy rains. “I said, ‘a gre at way to save money wou ld be using a drone to check it you rself’,” Grant recalls.

Caring for country

IDX Operational Manager, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence

Remote Pilot’s Licence – Drone Operator (Civil Aviation Safety Authority)

IDX INITIATIVE

IDX Manager, National Centre of Indigenous Excellence

Certificate IV Digital Media Technologies, TAFE Online

>CS+CONNECTING WITH CULTURE<

To share his knowledge, Gra nt developed a ‘caring for country’ workshop for IDX to teach kids and communiti es the basic skills of operating a drone and using it safely to manage land and map site s. He also honed his skills by enrolling for a remote pilo t’s licence. Grant is a Kamilaroi man and heads up an all-Indigenous team, which is a big plus when working with kids in Indigenous com munities. Other important factors are including local culture in the workshops, as well as training community members as facilitators and providing resources and sup por t to keep it going. Grant says the IDX worksh ops have worked really wel l for kids who have “slipped bet ween the gaps” of mainstream education. “W e can have that one-on-on e time in smaller groups wit h kids, where normal classrooms have over 25 kids at times,” he says. Grant’s tech skills are mo stly self-taught but workin g in the industry has made him want to learn more. He has started studying online for a Cer tificate IV in Digital Me dia Technologies and hopes to fit in more study around wor k and family in the future. – Nadine Cranenburgh

Learning the basics to cod learning how to code LEG ing: students from Yirrkala Bilingual School O Mindstorms EV3 robots in the Flint workshops delivered in Yirrkala, Nor th East Arnhem Land

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

E D O C F O L O O H SC

>CS+EDUCATION<

Technology is changing the way we learn and teach – and opening up computer science career opportunities in education bedded in nearly s technology becomes em ter science (CS) skills everyt hing we do, compu and everywhere. One and knowledge are in dem cer tain proving their appeal to way CS graduates are im their to another specia lisation industries is by adding plethora a lls, ing education ski degree – and for those add . of job opportunities await aland ost 50,000 jobs in New Ze alm es Education provid ed ect exp are ple d 600,000 peo and by 2022, an estimate a. ali str Au in ls na sio ion profes to be employed as educat eady ver y different from Today’s classroom is alr ng n ago, with teachers usi its equiva lent a generatio ing yp collaborative tools, Sk electronic whiteboards, her rat F tributing texts via PD remote students and dis reduce t no do gy rs and technolo than on paper. “Compute posite op ct exa the cher. In fact, the importance of the tea . ller Mi tt Ma ching expert is true,” says US tech tea

(VR) displays used in cla ssrooms and in the field. Meanwhile students an d researchers at Macqu arie University’s Body Perce ption Lab are able to tra ck brain signa ls while using VR displays. Technology seems to wo rk best when it is applied to a task. Predictions of holographic teachers, for example, fell somewhat short when the rea l-life practice showed that the technolo gy affected teacher-stud ent interactions and learning . Now, it’s the simple tech transforming classroom s, with things like smartph one quizzes using the Ka hoot app, interactive visua l too ls like Popplet for design and mind mapping – and eve n a collaborative videoma king tool such as Flipgrid – all great ways to focus studen t attention on a centra l col laborative task. While CS and digita l tec hnology continue to chan ge how we learn, the one thi ng we can be sure of is tha t classrooms of the fut ure will be quite different to those of today. – Fran Molloy

le of teaching Shifting to a different sty sion that reading comprehen

ts Growing evidence sugges sed, ed rat her than screen-ba bas erpap is it en wh is better ge ran a of s ma king better use prompting a push toward t riate ways, rat her than jus rop of technologies in app s. een scr to on rning straight transposing old-st yle lea tia l game-changer in ten po a is h Wearable tec lity like Fitbits and vir tua l rea education, with devices

RE REER HE A C R U YO START STUDY

catioenlor of Mathematicea,l u d e + s c delaid / B ach rsity of A eaching

Read more on CareerswithSTEM.com What happened to holographic teachers? bit.ly/CWSHolographicTeachers

IMMERSIVEIT.COM.AU

nive r of T Bachelo puter Science, U achMathCS cience and Com it.ly/UniAdBachTe elor of S b nd Bach ersity, a ) rs u o n iv ation (Ho ce), Monash Un n r o f E du c Bachelo putational Scie niBachEduCS r nU (Com (Compute bit.ly/Mo Science llington, f o r lo e ac h We ation / B a University of ri r o f E du c Bachelo (Conjoint), Victo achEduCS ) WB Science bit.ly/VU logy), (Techno ch u d cation niWK TBachEduTe E f o r lo /U y .l it B a c he b ato, NZ, y of Waik Universit uting: nd comp nology a 0K h c te r, e l teach – NZ $ 8 ry schoo / N Z $ 4 8K Seconda A $49K–A $ 97K ware: ft o trainer, s 8 8K Corporate K / NZ$40K–NZ$ 3 9 $ pps: A $ 51K–A cation a per, edu NZ$ 91K* lo e v e d – Software $ 99K / NZ$48K .com A payscale A $ 50K– to g in rd o c c a s e ri sala *Source:

S ion JOB t a c u d cs+e

ents virtual reality allows stud s A whole new generation: ject pro h arc rese and a dat to immerse themselves in

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>CS+VUW<

r e t n u o c n e e c n a Ch e met ing as a bank teller when sh rk wo s wa tt co Es e os -R ita Kir piration struck a computer scientist and ins

“When I left school I wo rked as a ban k teller wh ile I decided what to study, ” says Kirita. “As one of the younger people in the off ice, my co-workers often asked me to help them with the ir computers and I enjoy ed it. Then one day, I met a cu stomer who was a compu ter scientist. She told me abo ut her job and studying so I looked into it and decide d to give it a go.”

al fear of blood and aemophobia is an irration ’s plans to be a doctor it put Kirita-Rose Escott an assistant lecturer right off. Today, Kirita is ia y of Engineering at Victor in the Wellington Facult s. ret reg no s n and ha University of Wellingto says. “I’m for tunate to be she ” do, I at wh “I love gh ge and help others throu able to share my knowled ng ring my own learni teaching while also fur the puting.” com ud through a PhD in clo lor of Engineering che Ba a do Kirita decided to Engineering at Victoria with Honours in Software with n after a chance meeting University of Wellingto a computer scientist.

CS is for everyone

Kirita started at uni wh en she was 21 but still fou nd the first year challenging. “I really struggled in my firs t year. My main advice would be don’t give up. I surrou nded myself with like-minded people and I don’t think I could have finished my degree on my own.” “Computer science sound s a lot scarier than it is especially if you’re not ver y academic,” she says.

ers ily need to be high achiev “St udents don’t necessar w ho ut abo sity rio cu A ence. to do well at computer sci of bit blem-solving and litt le things work, a love for pro skills to have.” creativit y are important s to intermediate school kid Kirita has taught coding ls. gir g un interest from yo and is seeing much more d inated by men than it use dom s les “The industry is ere Th . ity ers div a lot more to be. We’re starting to see in my course but I had n me wo ny weren’t that ma to study with, so I never a great group of friends s. found it an issue,” she say s ut coding and computer abo ow kn s kid re mo e “Th d an ool about coding in sch the better! If kids know ng.” ly age it’s a lot less daunti ear start doing it from an – Rober t Tighe

To get there: victoria.ac.nz/engineering

CATHERINE CATTANACH

My main advice would be don’t give up. I surr myself with like-mindeounded people and I don’t thin d I could have finished k my degree on my own” Bachelor of Engineering (HONS), SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, Vuw

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Software Development Intern, Snapper Services Limited

Assistant Lecturer, School of Engineering and Computer Science, VUW

e Dream msoaftcwahrein engineering

LEAP Robotics Instructor

Google software engineering intern

a Sarah Heimlich found University the perfect rie ua degree at Macq ve of FIRST Robotics way to pursue her lo

Masters of Research student, Macquarie University

>CS+MQ<

To get there: bit.ly/MQFIRST

arah and her friends joke that she’s been involved in the international high school robotics comp, FIRST Robotics, since before she was even born. Officially speaking, it’s been 15 years since Sarah first competed in the worldwide robotics phenomenon – since then, she’s gone from participant to mentor to leader, all with the help of Macquarie. “Having done FIRST for eight years, I knew I wanted a degree in engineering,” says Sarah. She chose Macquarie for its abundant study opportunities that go beyond the bounds of the classroom. During her degree Sarah scored multiple engineering internships with Google in Sydney, using her software skills on iconic tech products like Google Drive.

to low-income, Indigenous and refugee students,” says Sarah. “This program helped shape who I am, and getting to give back and help other students along that journey is incredible.” Not only that, Macquarie has serious game face when it comes to Sarah’s favourite robotics comp. “They gave me the same preferential treatment for robotics that they give to sports stars going to the Olympics! Macquarie has always seen me as more than just a number. They’ve given me the flexibility and freedom to pursue what I’m passionate about and encouraged me along the way.” Sarah returned to Macquarie in 2018 as a Masters of Research student and she is about to jet off into her next career move – but if you think she’s leaving robotics behind, think again. “I’m about to move to California to start working at Google, but I’ve already found a FIRST Robotics competition team to mentor there! At this point, I can’t imagine my life without FIRST.” – Eliza Brockwell

“THIS PROGRAM HELPED SHAPE WHO I AM” Sarah also joined the leadership team behind the LEAP Robotics program, which helps kids from underprivileged schools in Sydney take part in FIRST Robotics. “Through LEAP we have been able to bring FIRST

FIRST Robotics participant and volunteer

Bachelor of Engineering (Software), Macquarie University

Sarah Heimlich shares her love of FIRST Robotics and winning know-how by giving back and mentoring underprivileged students through the LEAP Robotics program

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>CS+EDUCATION<

r o t a c u d e M E T S g in Inspir ’ g in il e c e t e r c n o ‘c broke the

Dr Muneera Bano overcame cultural prejudice to achieve her dreams of an education – and is determined to help others overcome gender stereotypes too CS + DIY nner Ma lala Yousafzai, how technology might ike Nobel Peace Prize wi recent research explored y ily “M ’s fam un sht Pa a in up ,” says Muneera. “Today Dr Muneera Bano grew pe the fut ure of education d sha an ion gy dit olo tra hn t tec ins ng aga f-learners, usi where her fat her stood up students must become sel d a good education. get to er ght th the ever-changing an wi dau up his p ed kee encourag as a resource to ete ncr o ‘co als s the ha st rk bla wo r to He ve ” ha rn. ial they must lea ter “Pasht un girls literally ma ng ,” lvi life evo ir the can of to take control rse teams that develop AI ceiling’ apart if they wish looked at how non-dive for granted.” ion cat edu my k too ver ses in the software. says Muneera. “I ne reproduce their own bia modern capita l the d, aba am Isl roles on committees in up Despite growing era has held prestigious ne Mu ce en sci ale fem options for d attracted a swathe cit y of Pa kistan, career rna ls and conferences, an jou of ice ’s jud pre d tle bat neera s including Sch lumberger students were limited. Mu nominations and award of in s ree of rt deg pa r’s w ste no is Ma d d an EM twice an to achieve undergraduate Award for Women in ST her excellent results ere wh ) (CS program. ce en EM sci ST of ter compu the Superstars ut ia as a lecturer. dem king to young women abo aca tal in d rk an t wo ou her ng goi saw e lov are “I tw sof in D It’s to complete a Ph re are in science careers. She moved to Australia all the opportunities the ology, Sydney, hn Tec of ty umptions about rsi ive Un ash societ y’s gender ass engineering at the sm to e tim of y rsit ive Un Swinburne c visibility of women s and increase the publi and work as a lecturer at ist , ent ion sci cat edu for s app explores n Molloy Technology. Her research in STEM,” she says. – Fra intelligence (AI). ial ific art d an sis aly an social media

Bachelor of Science / Masters, Computer Science, International Islamic University, Islamabad PhD, Software Engineering, UTS

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Lecturer / Assistant Professor, International Islamic University, Islamabad

Lecturer / Postdoctoral Researcher, UTS

Lecturer, Swinburne University

Senior Lecturer, Deakin University

u Hannah (Chien-Wen) Ch

Dreaming of working in digital production? The UTS Animal Logic Academy offers more than your standard education experience ming and newer ual effects ) industry is boo he animation and VFX (vis the demand. ing reality are only increas technologies such as virtual the University by 7 201 in demy. Established Enter UTS Animal Logic Aca ing creative lead ld’s wor the Animal Logic (one of of Technology Sydney and n for films including visual effects and animatio digital studios, producing t), the custom-built man Movie and Happy Fee Peter Rabbit, The LEGO Bat of Animation and offers a 12-month Masters studio and teaching facility Visualisation course. industry-led, iel Flood, says the course’s Academy technical lead, Dan taught online,” be ’t can que. “We focus on what project-based learning is uni , Ghostbusters sby Gat at Gre on films such as The ked wor has o wh iel, Dan s say al scenarios,” he says. place students in profession and Happy Feet Two. “We eloped in the service of doing, where skills are dev “A big focus is learning by to five, Monday to Friday.” a real project, working nine

SENG VENLY UNG. *BASED ON GRADUATE SURVEY RESULTS SEPTEMBER 2019

Bachelor of Computer Science and Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University (Taiwan)

Jessica D’Ali

ED WORK EXPERIENCE SORT problem e the “experience required”

helps solv Daniel says the Academy a graduate Animal Logic Academy has UTS The . tes dua gra faced by *. employment rate of over 90% ted to Jessica D’Ali, who had wan was One of the first graduates . kid a n world since she was be involved in the animatio ticipate in multiple design, build, lead and par to nity “I had the opportu I had always dreamt phics projects – something animation and computer gra ic. “Two days after hnical director at Animal Log of,” says Jessica, now a tec ilar to what I’d been t VFX job. The role was sim graduating, I started my firs set tled in really quickly.” doing at the Academy, so I

a big focus is learning by doing” Daniel Flood Bachelor Visual Arts, ANU

Lighting Artist, Animal Logic

Bachelor of IT, University of Technology sydney l Assistant Technica udios Director, Method St

Pipeline Technical Director, Flying Bark Productions

n Masters of Animatio UTS and Visualisation, em y Animal Logic Acad Technical Director, Animal Logic

FOOT IN THE DOOR

Hannah (Chien-Wen) Chu, another 2017 graduate, kno ws full well how a lack of industry experience can hamper your chances of get ting a job in the industry. She started her career as a front-end web developer, all the while dreaming of a digital production career, before the Academy caught her eye. Hannah says get ting your foot in the door can be diff icult but the skills she learnt, tools she used and studio connection s she made through the Academy wer e invaluable. “Anything that can provide you with real production exp erience helps,” says Hannah, now a pipeline technical directo r at Flyi ng Bark Productions, which has pro duced animation for Blinky Bill The Movie and Nickelodeon’s Rise of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . – Jake Dean

Comp Sci modules, RMIT via Open

Master of Animation and Visualisation, UTS Animal Logic Academy

Master your craft

Master of Multimedia Engineering, National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan)

Front-end web developer, Chunghwa Telecom

>CS+UTS<

Universities Australia

Pipeline Technical Director, Iloura

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e d o c e h t g n i Crack

Bachelor Computer Information Systems, The University of Jordan

a Qasem remembers rowing up in Jordan, Lin ation with electronics she always had a fascin s – she tried to fix her and especially computer s self on severa l occasion family’s computer by her th wi rs che tea ool sch mary and used to wow her pri s. ion tat sen pre her elaborate PowerPoint in high school, so when ued tin con on ati cin fas Her ree -brainer to choose a deg she graduated it was a no lly rea f . “I found mysel in software engineering mming and seeing my gra pro passionate about s. code come alive,” she say era l competitions in sev n wi to on Lina went d started to wonder why coding and robotics – an girls like her in the field. she wasn’t seeing more un ence, she founded Robof Inspired to ma ke a differ is un bof is now based. Ro in Melbourne where she demy which holds afteraca a robotics and coding ay coding and robotics school and school-holid o on getting more girls int workshops, with a focus gy, olo hn Tec ce, ien EA M (Sc computer science and ST ). ths Engineering, Ar ts and Ma in diversity in ers iev bel big y ver are “We are ma le-dominated ese “Th technology,” says Lina. gage way to solve this is to en industries and the best e in iqu un is ly on. Robof un girls in STEA M fields ear d an eal app to t are tailored providing programs tha s.” ard e-c d an ing ew h as e-s engage girls in STEA M suc

Lina says that being a wo man in a traditionally ma le-dominated indust ry feels empowering – an d she sees it as her responsi bility to be a role model for other women. “Even if the re are obstacles in your pat h don’t allow them to stop you and keep pursuing your career in STEM because the world needs you an d your creative thinking,” she say s. Lina also wants everyo ne – boys and girls – to know that coding is an increa singly essential skill tha t can open up opportunities for your future. “Whether a person is an ath lete or an artist, loves animals, or wants to explore medicine, coding can create greater career options and job security,” Lina says. – Gemma Ch ilton

Robotics trainer, Amman Academy

Research Assistant, Australian Islamic Mission

n to introduce more Lina Qasem founded Robofu ls, to coding and robotics young people, especially gir

Managing Director, Robofun

>CS+EDUCATION<

nities Coding opens up opportu in August 2019, Robof un

ek For Nationa l Science We Melbourne’s Islamic at ns sio ses EM ST ran also ls th a focus on engaging gir Museum of Australia wi ny ma ch rea “We hope we can in coding and robotics. ut abo ss ne are and raise aw kids during the sessions education,” says Lina. EM ST of the importance

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Even if there are obstacles in your path, don’t allow them to stop you and keep pursuing your career in STEM because the world needs you and your creative thinking” 32

>CS+RMIT<

Get job-ready! onate To design an awesome computer science degree, you need a passi scenes the behind h araja Thang John computer scientist like Professor

“C

across Bachelor of Computer Science: Gain experience in coding for application software Computer of Bachelor RMIT’s with more and social media, Artificial Intelligence (AI), big data Science. You’ll graduate ready for a career in areas like software development, system of architecture or project management – that could mean heading up the development systems. rity cybersecu e super-saf designing or products tech next-gen awesomeCareers with Code_190819_FA.pdf 1 8/19/19 9:02 AM [V1032] campus ATAR (2019): 80.20 > Full time: 3 years / Part-time: 6 years > Melbourne City

Find the course that will define the future you

CRICOS: 00122A | RTO: 3046

— See Beyond

To get there: bit.ly/RMITBachCS

Study CS at RMIT

omputer science excites me , it always has,” says John Thangarajah. He’ s the Associate Dean of Computer Science (CS ) and Software Engineering at RMIT – and exactly the kind of guy you’d want to head up you r CS degree. John is super qualified (he’s got a PhD in the subject, and he’s also a Professor of Artificial Inte lligence, AI) plus, he’s passionate about the future of tech. “The ability to talk to machin es and make them do stuff that you want them to do – that’s amazing, that’s superhero stuff,” he says. At RMIT you won’t be enginee ring a batmobile, but you could be programm ing robots to compete in an international soccer tou rnament or working with cutting-edge technology from partners like Microsoft or Amazon in your coursewor k. “We take great pride in get ting our students industry-ready. We’re first to market with the future of CS courses, like our new mixed-reality course delivered in partnership with Microsoft,” says John. As for your future? RMIT’s got you covered there too. Every course they offe r is designed to get you stuck into the practical side of programming. That means more workshops, stu dio-based learning, and a brand-new AI innovation lab to get you job-ready across all things CS; from cloud computing to gaming software, cybersecu rity or mobile computing. – Eliza Brockw ell

Now is the time to start thinking about what tomorrow has in store. With a range of future-focused computer science and IT diplomas and degrees to choose from, you’ll get the skills you need to succeed at RMIT. Explore the range of courses at rmit.edu.au/school-leaver

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>CS+HEALTH & WELLBEING<

Wellness 2.0

h ons popping up in the healt ati ov inn h tec e th g tin ra leb Ce STEM careers they’ve created e om es aw e th d an – e ac sp for are hitting up Dr Google n an era where 78% of us l ita dig t tha ret sec on, it’s no hea lth-related informati the care have revolutionised developments in hea lth we hash and use medicine. Here, way we seek, consume creating is as where technology out some of the major are r jobs. ou d for bot h our hea lth an exciting opportunities,

lth… In mental heame nta l hea lth erodes, new

ing As the stigma surround re allowing us to take a mo are s ent pm e-health develo h suc s ng eri off l ita Dig f-care. active role in routine sel m -mood diaries and sympto cro mi s, app on ati as medit y -da -to way to minimise day trackers are an accessible l tua vir d an ideo experiences stresses, along with 360-v by yed plo em are even being rea lity (VR) tech – which ious clinical disorders. ser re hospitals to treat mo urne-based immersive Employer goals: Melbo currently tech brand Phoria! “We’re of VR in easing researching the efficacy ully drug use,” an xiety, pain and hopef nder and says the startup’s co-fou Roslan. an yy creative director Ra es 360 video lor exp t Their latest projec eutic tool rap the a as and VR imagery an xiety and to boost mood, minimise endency decrease pain-relief dep in young cancer patients.

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rayyan roslan co-founder and creative director, phoria

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

In fitness…the most

ture one of With rea l-time data cap elopments in the game-changing tech dev gym goers can use gen xtfitness industry, ne ty trackers, smart wearable devices – activi to record their glasses and e-watches – from the analy tics too, progress. Gyms benefit stomer relations strengthening brand-cu nectivit y on line. through the constant con ble X! The Sydney Employer goals: Weara pair of pu lsing smart a startup has produced ilt-in tactile vibrations pants equipped with bu ve – and hold – that encourage you to mo The wearable different yoga positions. up to your phone ‘persona l trainers’ sync you additiona l via Bluetooth and offer panion app. com feedback through their

The Wearable X keeps bod ies moving and gyms in-theknow

START YOUR CA REER HERE

cs+health STU DY

Bachelor of Enginee ring (Honours) / Bio Engineering, Unive medical rsity of Sydney, bit .ly/BEngBioUSyd Bachelor of Inform ation Technology (Ho nours Deakin University, bit.ly/DKNBachITVR ), Bachelor of Inform ation Technology (Mobile Applicatio n Development), Un iversity of South Australia, bit.ly/UniSAITMobileA pp

our goal is to provide resources to as many families as possible” Elisabeth Yunarko

cs+health JOB S

In medicine…

Consistent tech advancem ents in the pharmaceuti cal and medical fields have sav ed lives and the industry just keeps evolving. Biomedical en gineers work tirelessly to develop things like minimally inv asive robotic surgeries, 3D -printed prosthetics and VR-assis ted diagnoses.

Employer goals: Spokle! The expert-led, speech therapy app empowers parents to assist kids with communication ch allenges through a series of targeted – an d accessible – daily activities. “It’s designed to be a supplementary resource for speech therap ists to be used in bet ween appointments,” explains managing director Elisabeth Yuna rko, who is passionate about developing tech to create accessible healthcare. “Our goal is to provide resources to as many families as po ssible!”

Biomedical enginee r: A$ 56K-A $96K / NZ $46K-NZ$109K Software enginee r A$ 50K-A $102K / NZ (VR /AR): $46K-NZ$ 96K Mobile app develop er: A$49K-A $114K / NZ $41K-119K* * Source: salaries ac cording to payscale.com

In sleep…

sleep are The tech innovations in th one in three wi ; ozy sno t bu anything , the market adu lts not getting enough l new is notoriously quick to tria art beds, Sm s. products and solution artphone sm s, ice sleep-measuring dev bles are ara we ng uri apps and data-capt ep aids sle l ita dig ny ma just some of the ustry up to expected to sca le the ind $79.8 billion by 2020. x! Developed Employer goals: Somno therlands, Ne ty, by Delft Universi resembles ot rob ep the Somnox sle less fluff le litt a th wi t a pillow, bu e device and a lot more brains. Th ile is designed to be held wh d an sic mu g yin pla , ng sleepi d sen to moving as if ‘breat hing’ (and tic no yp i-h users into a sem el Ste e ssi Ca – te. meditative) sta

Elisabeth Yunarko managing director, Spokle 35

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>CS+HEALTH & WELLBEING<

CV stalk

iomedica l engineer Been a Ahmed uses her tech skills to ser vice the medical industry...

Job title: “I’m a biomedic al engineer and senior lecturer at the UNSW School of Electrica l Engineering and Telecommunications. Wh en I was younger, though, my dre am was to work for NA SA .” Study background: “I spe nt my last years of high school and unive rsity studying in Pa kistan. Out of 300 people in my engineering classes, on ly 10 were girls.” Strengths: “I’m active in bot h research and teaching! My expert ise is in signa l processing – extracting patterns from electrica l signa ls.” Current gig: “I work a lot with speech – studying electrica l signa ls to diagnose disorders and to predict the risk of a patient developing dementia. Plu s, I also create algorithms to help identi fy sleep problems.”

beena ahmed biomedic and senior lecturer al engineer school of electricalat the UNSW and telecommunicatio engineering ns

ere Office set-up: “Every wh of lot a ve ha I and anywhere! home or even a café.” m fro rk wo can flexibilit y so g I’ve always loved puttin Interests: “As an engineer ich wh – d en the solution at things together to get a like baking too!” I son rea is probably the but I’ve never worn a lab Fun fact: “I’m a scientist, coat!” – Cassie Steel

An app a day keeps t he doctor away 6 health applications killing it on mobile

Google Fit

Headspace

Connects with wearable activity trackers to download fitness data, record analytics and set goals

A series of easy-to-digest guided meditations, designed to ease anxiety

PillBoxie A medical reminder app that alerts patients when they need to take a pill

mySugr Allows those with diabetes to log their food intake and blood glucose levels

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Symple A tracking app that allows patients to record and rate their symptoms on an intensity scale before sharing with a doctor

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Simple Contacts A digital eye exam designed to demonstrate whether a user’s current contact lenses are still effective

For a career in computer science and health, get your study on in these subjects:

Advanced maths • physics biology • chemistry computer science • robotics

Clean bill of health

Graduate Software Engineer, CBA

Wellbeing isn’t just about food and exercise – financial stress can be bad for you too. It’s Jackson Cleary’s job to help

Software Engineer, CBA

>CS+CBA<

the ineer Jackson Cleary knew s a student, sof tware eng able valu was . The experience stress of living on a budget ia tral Aus of k monwealth Ban for his current role at the Com ls to help others improve too lds bui (CBA), where he now so lived pay-to-pay for years, their financial situations. “I l ncia fina ing fac h wit t comes I understand the stress tha se tho and s ual ivid ind on have stress and the impact it can nce scie er put com died stu o wh n, around them,” says Jackso land, Armidale. at the University of New Eng building these tools, which be to “It’s ver y rewarding I use myself,” he says.

Bachelor of Computer Science (Honours), University of New England

lives Impacting millions of e that powers things such

ting cod Jackson’s role involves wri ank nd Tracker on CBA’s CommB Spe and w Vie as Cash Flow and me inco ir the k trac tomers to app. These tools allow cus e a number of categories. “Th oss acr nth mo h eac spending s. of customers,” Jackson say work I do impacts millions because it’s all about role Jackson also loves his ghs. d to solve puzzles,” he lau problem-solving. “I get pai tand ers und to m gets together “Early in projects, our tea nt ere diff the to solve and what problems we’re trying m.” the ing solv approaches to out is vital to get ting the best A happy and healthy team as role his ugh thro this ure s ens of people, and Jackson help rs, is means identifying blocke team ‘scrum master’. “Th uring ecessary meetings and ens protecting people from unn he explains. any other needs are met,” (and on the jobs they’re good at us foc m “It helps the tea the and tly cien effi ction more enjoy), making the team fun ir roles.” the in pier hap ers team memb r also paramount to look afte it’s t tha s sise pha em n Jackso r you ng. “You need to prioritise your own health and wellbei tty tware engineering is a pre physical health because sof rcise, exe for e u need to make tim sedentary job,” he says. “Yo and you’ll feel bet ter for it.” to be ding sof tware engineers not Jackson also advises bud and ges gua lan ing s programm overwhelmed by the variou ies used to write code for log hno tec (the frameworks m well technologies and learn the programs ). “Pick one or two Dean else up,” he says. – Jake before you pick something

QUENTIN JONES

It’s very rewarding to be building these tools, which i use myself”

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>CS+SPACE<

! e c a p s s i h t Watch the space industry Tech career opportunities in y for lift-off are skyrocketing – get read

niversary of his year was the 50th an Back in 1969, g. din lan the Apollo Moon red the the computers that powe rs ahead of yea re we on ssi historic NA SA mi ve smartphones in their time. Now, we all ha ns of times their our pockets with millio we use to play computing power – which t and TikTok. ha Fortnite and post to Snapc able to be t no OK, your phone might unities ort opp but launch you into space, ry are ust ind ce spa the to start a career in moon the it vis to ns pla s ha growing. NASA rs, e to 10 yea robots once again in the next fiv e of Mars as we are exploring the surfac s like Elon Musk are speak and entrepreneur and colonisation. talking space exploration alian Space str Closer to home, the Au r with a plan yea t las Agency was launched alia’s space to triple the size of Austr

RE START YOUR CAREER HE

STUDY cs+spahnoce logy and Innovation,

Bachelor of Tec y/JCUBachTechInv James Cook University, bit.l es), omical and Space Scienc Bachelor of Science (Astron achSciSpace SQB y/U bit.l , land ens Que University of Southern uter Science), Bachelor of Science (Comp ABachSciCS y/U bit.l d, University of Aucklan tion Sciences, rma Info and Bachelor of Computer bit.ly/AUTBachCISci , logy hno Tec of sity ver Auckland Uni

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JOBS cs+spare ce developer:

Sof twa $91K A$50K–A$99K / NZ$48K–NZ r: inee Systems eng –NZ$89K A$58K–A$100K / NZ$48K Mechanical engineer: –NZ$92K* A$52K–A$110K / NZ$ 50K to payscale.com *Source: salaries according

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

australia has a unique view into the galaxy”

d create 20,000 industry to $12 million an alia has a unique new jobs by 2030. “Austr d a lot of great new view into the galaxy an ovative technology,” companies creating inn Deputy Head of says Anthony Murfett, ency. “What we Ag the Australian Space ether and tog t tha want to do is pu ll .” rld wo showcase it to the se jobs will A huge proportion of tho computer be filled by people with developers science skills – software and control and engineers to create eers to gin spacecraft, robotics en and data s tem design automated sys ms of rea the se scientists to analy ce. spa in ted lec information col

anthony murfett deputy head of the ency australian space ag

co-founder of space eco system builder Delta-V NewSpac e Alliance, says that small er, cheaper technology is ma king it possible for more people to get involv ed. “It used to be on ly govern ments who cou ld afford to go to space, and they cou ldn’t afford to fai l,” Tim says. “Now you can get a CubeS at [miniature satellite] into space for les s than $500,000 instead of $500 million, so you can operate more like a dotcom where you’re trying stuff, doing new things and it’s failing but you’re learning and trying aga in.” – Ch loe Wa lker

ground Space tech on the thi ngs into the

g It’s not all about launchin s big impacts here ha gy olo hn tec ce sky – spa S technology GP on the ground, too. Think all of our on ts pac for example. “Space im lives,” says Anthony. es getting into space The number of business rise. Since 2016, technology is also on the have raised over Australian space startups ding. Tim Parsons, $30 million in private fun

Ben Tran is a front-end developer at satellite tech startup, Myriota

oftware developer Ben Tra n always had a thing for spa ce, but it wasn’t until a few years into his working life that he rea lised it could be his career. “When I was little, I liked looking into the sky and wondering what was out there,” he says. After studying software eng ineering at the University of Adelaide, Ben’s first job was as a gra duate developer at health info rmatics company Alcidion. During his rotations through testing, dev elopment, quality assurance and project management, he discovered he enjoyed being part of the ser vice delivery team. “They dep loy services to the client and ma ke sure everything works,” he says. Now, Ben is a front-end dev eloper at Myriota, a space technology startup that lets users receive maintenance updates from things like remote water pumps and wind turbines using sensor s that communicate with satellite technology. Ben works on a number of projects including the dashbo ard where users can check on their equipment and receive notifications of problems that need fixin g. “I like that we’re solving real-world problems,” Ben says. “I like to see the users satisfied with the products I’ve made.” – Chl oe Walker

ering (Software Bachelor of Enginers ity of Adelaide ive Un ), ng eri ine Eng , Front-end Developer ControlTrack

Front-end Developer Myriota

Eyes to the skies

, Gr aduate Developer Alcidion

Read more on CareersWithSTEM.com bit.ly/CwSInspiredSpaceJobs

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>CS+SPACE<

s n a i l a r t s u A s u Indigeno look to the stars The first Earth-ground station built on Aboriginal-owned land is expected to bring e-space jobs and economic opportunities to remote Australia

Geoscience Australia’s ant enna currently on the CfAT pre mises in Alice Springs with des ign painted by local Arrernte artist Roseanne Kemarre Ellis

GEOSCIENCE AUSTRALIA GEOSCIENCE AUSTRALIA

new Earth-ground station will be owned and run by Indigenous Australians on Aboriginal land in Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. The Centre for Appropriate Technology (CfAT), an Aboriginal-owned not-for-profit technology company that works with Indigenous communities to provide needed infrastructure, has partnered with global satellite company Viasat to build and operate this awesome new facility. The station will track and communicate with low-orbiting satellites observing the Earth and provide data to shipping, environmental, oil and gas, and government sectors. Aboriginal Australians were the original pros in astronomy and now this project will provide amazing opportunities to local businesses, as well as long-term employment to local Indigenous people.

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

siness nous Bu e ig d n I d by growing be funde ace industry is l il w t c land p The proje ). “The global s and for access to larly A B m de a (I articu creating Australi ucture, p gically is tr s is a th fr d in te an ns rapidly, as of stra unicatio ,” large are rference ite comm e te r ll a in te e a r s io e r d a th fo r e r w e lo h d alia w skies an in Austr ment ith clear w ry. F d n ie environ la d l d a E m , ti n o p s o located er n f days ’s chairp rings is a u m b er o s n e g r says IBA tion in A lice Sp la s the a and acce y due to “The loc rference is is just chnolog te te in f o io e d p ra Th for this ty ud-free, limited ie says. “ ing nd,” Edd ding and includ clo u e o r r a g t e a th r n th n a o p lk x a k eW e AT e etwor n see Cf e future.” – Chlo a to fibre n c e W . ning in th the begin ies like this one it il c fa more

>CS+UNI OF ADELAIDE<

Tech visionaries uters ientists helping comp Meet two computer sctions out of this world see – with applica winning computer r Tat-Jun Chin is an awardconsider himself the scientist, but says he doesn’t ost everything you do in greatest programmer. “Alm of computing,” he says. STEM will involve some form ks well, you need to develop “If you want to do these tas .” intuition about computers a deeper understanding and at ) (CS e enc Sci er put Com An Associate Professor in Tat-Jun studied electrical the University of Adelaide, ore doing his PhD in engineering in Malaysia bef algorithms that enable ing elop dev Computer Vision – ). t information from images computers to ‘see’ (ex trac ial fac on cifically His PhD research was spe m are helping develop tea his and he Now n. recognitio can do sat ‘intelligent ellites’ that ce debris spa ect det like gs thin and unknown spacecraft.

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“BOOMING” CAREERS

Tat-Jun says computer vision is “booming” at

Tat-Jun Chin Bachelor of Engineering (Honours), UniversitI Teknologi Malaysia

PhD, Monash University

Create the world’s technology future

Consistently ranked in the top 1% of universities worldwide, the University of Adelaide is the only South Australian university in the world’s top 50 for Computer Science and Engineering.* With industry-backed courses, you can specialise in career-focused majors including: Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Data Science, Distributed Systems and Networking. *Academic Ranking of World Universities 2019

at time the moment and it’s a gre eague coll His d. fiel the in to study Michele Sasdelli e, at the University of Adelaid ), “Ar tificial PhD (Physics itute Michele Sasdelli, agrees. st In ck an Pl er put Max sics Intelligence (AI) and com BA (Physics), for Astrophy Pisa l UniversitY OF vision is seeing exponentia ientist, Research Sc t, is nt ie Sc growth,” says Michele. SA ch NA Resear sion puter Cortexica Vis Michele’s research in com ree System Deg rad erg und an llow, h wit rted vision sta Research Fe of Adelaide ly ty ear si his to er led iv ch whi Un – e Th in Physics supernovae research using AI to study e worked with Nobel Priz (exploding stars). He has k energy, the mysterious dar red winners who discove se expanding, and even did force that keeps the univer g t research involves applyin a stint at NA SA. His curren s. AI system physics concepts to complex ts? Stick with maths. “At den stu to ice adv ’s Michele ” you will be sorry otherwise, some point in your career ts. nds following your interes he says. He also recomme being engaged with what from “The best work comes you do.” – Gemma Chilton

To get there: bit.ly/UniAde lComputerSci Test Development Engineer, Agilent Technologies

Research Fellow, Institute for Infocomm Research

Associate Professor, University of Adelaide

PROGRAM YOUR CAREER Make the most of networking opportunities that can lead to internships and careers at top technology companies. • Bachelor of Computer Science • Bachelor of Computer Science (Advanced) • Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Software) • Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences • Bachelor of Information Technology

adelaide.edu.au/degree-finder 41

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>CS+SPACE<

A S A N o t Z N From

Hammond Pearce was one of four New Zealanders to take part in the first ever NZ Space Scholarship

Hammond Pearce on the ground at NASA with his SUPERball V2 rob ot (below)

ammond Pearce is trying to describe what the SUPERball V2 robot looks like – and it’s not an easy task. For the past eight weeks, Hammond has been living and working at the NASA Ames Research Centre in California, where he has been investigating how the SUPERball robot moves around in hostile environments. “Up to this point, all my code has been done in a simulation environment,” Hammond says. Now he’s getting out of the lab and can test it IRL. “I’ll be working on the Roverscape, which is a section of the base that’s been modelled to look like Mars. They’ve got a couple of robots they drive around there and the tensegrity is one of them.”

More opportunities to reach for the stars in AU and NZ

It’s all part of an amazing program called the NASA International Internship, or NASA I² for short. Hammond is one of four New Zealanders who were selected earlier this year to receive the first ever NZ Space Scholarship. Managed by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the scholarship is designed to provide high achievers in STEM with the chance to learn about the industry, and to show the world what New Zealand can do. Hammond always knew he was interested in robotics, but it wasn’t until the first year of his engineering degree at the University of Auckland that he realised the coding part was his fave. He had to put his PhD on hold to join the NASA I² program, but getting to explore the NASA research centre, play with technology and network with other interns from around the world has been a dream come true. As Hammond says, “Who doesn’t want to work at NASA?” – Chloe Walker

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

who doesn’t want to work at nasa?”

Playing with space robots

• Rocket Lab offers scholarships for STEM students from the Mãhia Peninsula and wider Wairoa District in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. Check out: bit.ly/RocketLabSch • High school students in South Australia who are keen to learn about the state’s thriving space sector can register their interest for the new Space Industry Work Experience program. Head to: bit.ly/SASpaceWorkExperience • The NZ Space Scholarship is a pilot program. Keep an eye out for news on whether it will be offered next year: bit.ly/NZSpaceSch • Victorian Space Science Education Centre has a NASA International Internship Program available to apply for. Hit up: bit.ly/NASAIntlIntern

s n io t a d n u o f l a it ig D asingly like Michael Seo incre reen as in the lab here – and scientists a sc

To get there: bit.ly/CSIROCareers

Tech is everyw

front of spend as much time in

Bachelor of Science (Honours) / Bachelor of Commerce, University of Sydney

PhD, Physics and Material Science, University of Sydney

>CS+CSIRO<

king a big discovery but ver y scientist dreams of ma . l Seo has found two in one hae CSIRO researcher Dr Mic to nd a much cheaper way First, he and his team fou l often used in electronics, eta i-m make graphene, a sem ike n they discovered that, unl using waste cooking oil. The so er wat to e abl irs was perme other types of graphene, the ter, fas nts ina tam con t removes could be used as a filter tha . ged clog get and doesn’t n ions of people access to clea This discovery could give mill n bee e ic research, it wouldn’t hav water and, like most scientif science. Michael spends as er possible without comput een as he does in the lab. much time in front of a scr m a lot in my work. We use the “I use digital technologies as l wel as , ation system to monitor the water purific like data,” he says. Scientists the ng lysi ana and interpreting ring nito mo ly ote rem like things Michael need tech skills for help “Digital technologies can d. fiel the in ing pen hap what’s .” tly, wherever they are scientists work more efficien ree in commerce and deg ble Michael studied a dou . Now g nanomaterials in his PhD science before researchin rcially me com ke rce skills to ma he hopes to use his comme ple is peo help to e rs. “Being abl viable graphene water filte Walker oe Chl – s. say he scientist,” what I love about being a

Postdoctoral Fellowship, CSIRO

Research Scientist, CSIRO

Take on tech People working in engineering and technology are reshaping the way we think, work and play. From augmented reality and artificial intelligence to 3D modelling and robotics, computational thinking skills can be used to solve big challenges and help change the world for the better. How will your computational skills prepare you for the jobs of the future?

Develop computational thinking skills

The next round of the Bebras Australia Computational Thinking Challenge is in March 2020.

Australia’s National Science Agency

digitalcareers.csiro.au

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B&M | 19-00380

Sign up for Bebras – a free international online challenge designed to enhance computational skills and prepare students for the jobs of the future.

>CS+BUSINESS<

l o o h c s d l o Tech goes Computer science isn’t just for modern startups – tech skills are in hot demand across traditional careers too

al studies puter science (CS) for leg hin king of ditching com Think it”? d “probably won’t nee or commerce because you before ce sin d un job has been aro again. Even if your dream of list r you on should be high the digital age, tech skills ping elo dev are s ida panies such as Ad ng must-haves. Clothing com sti boo are ich wh , user experiences richer customer-centric data analy tics lism is increasingly using rna brand loyalt y, and jou s. Industries such icles from large data set to identify potentia l art tech- and nting become increasingly as law, finance and accou ht skills to re graduates with the rig data-driven, they need mo ons. enable their transformati

Jobs on the rise

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Banking is another indust ry experiencing rapid digita l transformation. A World Economic Forum Future of Jobs report in 2016 predicted the financia l ser vices and inv estment sector was due to undergo a significant shift, “with major job growt h for computer an d mathematical roles suc h as data analysts, inform ation security analysts and database and network professiona ls”. Those sur veyed for the report anticipated the computer and mathema tical field would have a huge surge – not just in the information and

Tech + finance The rise of digital currencies is just one reason Christopher Head reckons tech skills will be pivotal to his future career in finance d year of a dual hristopher Head is in his thir degree at the business and mathematics logy – and he hno Queensland University of Tec sically learning (ba ths reckons computational ma owerful er-p sup as how to use computers ly pivotal in his ing eas incr ing calculators ) is becom nce. favoured profession of fina [digital currency] , m boo pto cry “Since the much more like a main finance has started to look thematics with a side course of computational ma n the other way order of finance, rather tha r. around,” says Christophe

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“I knew I wanted to go into finance before I chose my uni course,” he says. “I chose to do computational mathematics as well because I thought it would give me an advantage in the finance industry.” Christopher’s advice: “Computer science and computational mathematics are growth areas so I’d advise anyone to really examine this landscape to see what’s changing. Make your studies as broad as possible so you get a more varied skill set and better job prospects.” – Matthew Brace

make your studies as broad as possible so you get better job prospects”

Code of law The digital age is transforming the way lawyers work, so Angus Vos is skilling up in both areas his fifth year of a double ngus Vos – about to start , majoring in computer degree in law and science larly interested in how the science at ANU – is par ticu s. public accesses legal ser vice nce to improve how scie er put com “You can use people access the law,” he law yers work but also how meant to be a ser vice to the says. “The legal system is st you have a system that mo population. It’s not great if people find inaccessible.” h something completely Angus’s studies started wit nce ly I was going to do a scie different, however. “Initial do ld cou I d s. “But I realise degree, in biology,” he say n on having diversit y in my kee te qui was law with it and er opportunities with comput studies. I also realised the k wor can You y. log bio with science were greater than

You can use computer science to improve how lawyers work but also how people access the law” on regulation and writing contracts, as well as on improving how the law works.” Angus is currently underg oing an ICT cadetship at the Australian Government’s Digital Transformation Agency, which helps other government departments improve their digital ser vice s. “I’m in a tech team but also work with the policy tea m and do some legal work, with a focus on privacy,” he says. – Matthew Brace

As industries such as law, finance and accounting become increasingly digital and techand data-driven, they need more graduates with the right skills to enable their transformations” gy (ICT) industry but communication technolo ustries. across a wide range of ind Australia (CBA) is of nk Ba Commonwealt h than $5 billion over the planning to invest more it direct ly into the ban k’s next five years, much of h on the security and technology systems – bot tch mu ltinational ING is ser vice front. While Du es hitect ure, which involv creating global digita l arc d an ) (AI ificial intelligence using data analy tics, art s’ bot ‘ro uses about 1200 robots – ING currently th names like Inga, Bill wi ots – including chatb 7. to customer queries 24/ and Marie that respond

angus vos

START YO UR CAREE R HERE

cs&busin ess stud y

Bachelor Auckland U of Computer and Info rm niversity of Technolog ation Sciences, Bachelor of y, bit.ly/AU TBachCISci E lectron Victoria Un iversity of ic and Computer Sys Wellington , bit.ly/ VUW tems, Bachelor of BachElecC Business / S Bachel Queenslan d University or of Mathematics, of Techn bit.ly/QUTB achBusMat ology, Bachelor of h Law (Honou Australia N rs) / Bachel ational Un or of Scien iversity, bi ce, t.ly/ANUBac hLawHnsS ci

cs&busin es Systems en s JOBS gineer: A $ 6 4K –A $125K /

NZ$47K–N Z $ 90K Business an alyst: A $ 61K–A $ 114K / NZ$ 52K–NZ$ 9 User exper 8K A $49K–A $ ience (UX ) designer : 115K / NZ$ 60K–NZ$13 1K Senior soft ware engin A $79K–A $ eer: 146K / NZ$ 81K–NZ$12 8 K* * Source: sa laries acco rding to payscale .com

Legal (tech) talk

lving rapidly. Many larger The legal profession is evo w developing their own firms in Australia are no well as document practice management as house. inmanagement software systems means there use ho in“The adoption of for people with excellent is an increased demand s and manage them,” say STEM skills to develop n. lse ire Nie Sydney-based solicitor Cla becoming automated, o als is ry ust ind al The leg rch ng AI. For example, sea with a push towards usi on ns alyse legal decisio engines will be able to an over a period of time, to es particular types of cas

find the current status of the law on cer tain issues , says Claire. Machines can analyse the vast number of decisions much faster than humans – but they need to be programmed and taught how. “Everyone is talking abo ut how we can change the profession to move it for ward. Everyone is looking at how to delive r those ser vices to clients more cost-effectively an d efficiently,” Claire say s. – Matthew Brace

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>CS+CBA<

s e i t i n u t r o p p o f Wealth o

Coding and finance go hand in hand at the Commonwealth Bank

hen Henry Zhao was still a couple of years away from finishing high school, he was already solving problems with his DIY pro gramming skills. “I wanted to make a simple music player app with hug e but tons that my grandpare nts could use,” he recalls. “I did some online tutorials and hacked it together.” By year 12, Henry knew he wanted a career in sof twa re development, which led him to enrol in a computer science degree at UNSW. He also picked up comme rce to complement his tech skil ls and explore his interest in finance. “I wanted to be at the intersection of finance and sof tware development,” say s Henry. Following a stint as an inte rn software developer at stoc k exchange firm Nasdaq, Hen ry applied for the Commonwe alth Bank graduate program dur ing his final year of studies . The 18-month program consist s of two rotations, which Hen ry spent in Global Markets IT and CommSec, CommBank ’s online stockbroking and inve sting platforms. When Henry joined the gra duate program in the Global Markets IT division, he had the opportunity to work on a new web app from start to finish. “It was pretty awe some building the app from scratc h,” says Henry. Now in CommSec, Henry is busy refreshing the divi sion’s apps and transferring them onto a cloud-based platfor m. He is also looking forward to developing some new app s of his own that will keep Com mSec running smoothly. “It’ s such a massive system,” say s Henry. “Improving someth ing that affects millions of Aus tralians is so rewarding.” While CommSec’s huge num ber of apps keep Henry’s coding skills sharp, he also has the freedom to delve into his own interests every six wee ks on Innovation Day. From solving problems at the ban k or a personal side project , employees have the freedom on these days to learn wit hout the pressure to deliver a fina l product. Henry says one of the bes t things about sof tware development is that you don ’t need to wait until univers ity to start. There are heaps of free online resources that you can try out for yourself. “You just need access to a computer and a problem you want to solv e,” he says. – Gemma Con roy

henry zhao Graduate Software Developer, CBA

QUENTIN JONES

Improving something that affects million s of Australians is so rew arding”

Bachelor of Computer Science / Bachelor of Commerce (Finance), UNSW

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Software Developer Intern, Nasdaq

Tutor, CodeCreate

Graduate Software Developer, CBA

>PATHWAYS<

e d o c in r e e r a c a How to get

Tips on how to get into coding careers at any level

YEAR 8

YEAR 10

YEAR 12/YEAR 13

Get some basic skills. Start with scratch.mit.edu, the simple, free block coding program to get the basics. You can also choose to learn other programming languages like JavaScript or Python – there are plenty of ways to get some experience trying out coding. Remember no-one is an expert, you can always pick up the tech skills later. Try the coding app for beginners, Grasshopper: grasshopper.codes or the hundreds of Hour of Code activities: code.org/learn

Choosing electives. Finding your passion is critical to a happy work life, so study what you love – you can combine it with computer science(CS)/tech fields later. Not all of us love maths, but it’s a great brain trainer and leaves you with plenty of options in deciding on your future career. Keep at it and remember you don’t need to be a genius, persistence is more important. CS is also about teamwork and creativity. Learning languages and being a good communicator is important, so English and humanities subjects are also relevant if you’re looking to choose your Year 11/12/13 subjects.

Further study. How much you study is up to you. You may choose to go to uni or polytech/TAFE and if you do, look at a bunch of options. There will be computing courses in Business and Science degrees, and Engineering, as well as IT, CS and Software Engineering bachelor degrees. You can also combine degrees to keep your options open – whether that’s arts, music, media, marketing or any other combination. You can also move to a CS field after studying something totally unrelated. It’s a good idea to keep your options open by including a programming or data course.

Team up. Because learning with others is more fun! Join a code club or start your own. Try these or search your area:

Alternative options. There are plenty of pathways into CS. You can get skills by learning short courses online and at polytech/TAFEs. Many universities also offer flexible alternatives into study after a gap year – so if you’d prefer to get some life/work experience first, go for it.

Boot up. Boot camps are short training bursts – from three-to-six months that get you qualified and into the workplace. They may give you the opportunity to do an internship at the end of this time, which can help you meet potential employers and get valuable on-the-job experience. These won’t suit everyone, as you need to be able to keep up with an intense workload and be very self-motivated, but could be an option if you like a challenge.

Do a hackathon. Hackathons are a great way to get a taste of what CS involves! There’s teamwork, problem solving and genuine businesses and charities that you can help out – whether it’s designing a game-style app or setting up their website to work with external data. You’ll meet people with a bunch of skills, so just remember you have plenty to offer – no-one is just like you and everyone is welcome at a hackathon! Search for something near you hackathon.com and check out this guide to setting one up yourself hackathon.guide

Getting work. If you’ve done some further study above Years 12/13, check out graduate internships – a diverse range of companies offer programs where you revolve around their workplace learning new sets of skills and getting paid.

Codeclub.nz

Codeclubau.org

Techgirlsaresuperheroes.org Try it yourself. You can get in-depth learning activities from the CS Field Guide, Grok Learning or Code Avengers. Csfieldguide.org.nz Groklearning.com

LEVEL UP

the subject their perceptio n is based on the stereotyp e of what it is,” says computer scientist Tim Bell. “With out a chance to experience wh at it is, we see missing po pulations of young women and oth er under-represented gro ups. Studying the subject hel ps students make decisio ns based on what it is, rather than a perception of what it is based only on stereotypes.” – He ather Catchpole

Codeavengers.com

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(CS), or eer in computer science Whether you want a car ered. cov u hy pe, we’ve got yo are just curious about the ence sci ter pu to be aware of com “One of the key reasons t done en’ hav s ger field – if teena is to grow diversity in the

Straight out of Year 10 you can also get paid gigs to study and work – or non-paid roles that get you work experience through vocational training like TAFE (Australia) or polytechs (NZ).

Resources for teachers csunplugged.org oding-resources CareerswithSTEM.com/c

Hackathons are often themed – if you’re in the North Island, NZ check out agtechhackathon.co.nz

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>DIRECTORY<

FOCUS ON STUDY LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT UNI DEGREE TO GET YOUR COMPUTER SCIENCE CAREER STARTED? SCROLL THROUGH OUR LIST OF OPTIONS TO SEE WHICH COURSE BEST FITS YOUR CS + (INSERT YOUR PASSION HERE)... New Zealand CS+CONNECTING WITH CULTURE Auckland University of Technology >> Science (Computer Science) >> Creative Technologies University of Auckland >> Software Engineering University of Canterbury >> Science (Computer Science) Victoria University of Wellington >> Arts (Humanities) /Science (Computer Science)

CS+SPACE

CS+BUSINESS

Auckland University of Technology >> Science (Astronomy) >> Mathematical Sciences (Astronomy)

Auckland University of Technology >> Computer and Information Sciences

University of Auckland >> Science (Physics)

University of Auckland >> Science (Logic and Computation) >> Science/Laws

University of Canterbury >> Science (Physics)

University of Otago >> Commerce (Information Science)

University of Waikato >> Science (Physics)

Victoria University of Wellington >> Computer Science >> Commerce (Information Systems) >> Science (Data Science) >> Engineering (Software, Cybersecurity)

Victoria University of Wellington >> Science (Physics) >> Engineering (Electronic and Computer Systems)

CS+HEALTH +WELLBEING University of Canterbury >> Product Design University of Lincoln >> Arts (Hons) (Animation and Visual Effects) >> Science (Hons) (Computer Science) >> Science (Hons) (Games Computing) University of Waikato >> Design (Media Design) Victoria University of Wellington >> Science (Computer Graphics) >> Design Innovation (Media Design) >> Engineering (Electronic and Computer Systems)

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

In one study, 61%* of N school gi rls surveyedZ high they wanted to know sa id more about prog ramming but d know where to start idnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t 48

Southern Institute of Technology >> Diploma in Computer Game Development

CS+EDUCATIon University of Canterbury >> Engineering (Software, Electrical, Computer) University of Waikato >> Computing and Mathematical Science (Hons) (Computer Science) Victoria University of Wellington >> Design Innovation (Interaction Design) >> Design Innovation (Industrial Design) >> Engineering (Electronic and Computer Systems, Cybersecurity and Software, with a specialisation in AI)

CS+CYBERSECURITY Auckland University of Technology >> Computer and Information Sciences (Computational Intelligence) >> Computer and Information Sciences (Networks and Security) University of Auckland >> Science (Computer Science) University of Otago >> Arts (Honours) (Computer Science) >> Science (Honours) (Information Science) University of Waikato >> Engineering (Software)

UNIVERSITY ALTERNATIVES: Ara Institute of Canterbury >> NZ Diploma in Web Development and Design ATC NZ >> Diploma in Software Engineering and Design Eastern Institute of Technology >> Diploma in Programming Manukau Institute of Technology >> Diploma in Information and Communications Technology (Level 6) Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology >> Diploma in IT Northland Polytechnic >> Graduate Diploma in IT Otago Polytechnic >> Certificate in Network Administration (Level 6) PowerPlus >> Diploma in Web Development and Design (Level 5)

Tai Poutini Polytechnic >> Diploma in Information and Communications Technology (Level 6) Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology >> NZ Diploma in Networking >> NZ Diploma in Software Development (Level 6) Universal College of Learning >> NZ Diploma in IT Technical Support Waikato Institute of Technology >> NZ Certificate in IT (Level 5) Wellington Institute of Technology >> Diploma in IT (Level 6) Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki >> NZ Certificate in Information Technology >> Essentials (Level 4) Whitireia Community Polytechnic >> Diploma in Advanced Network Engineering (Level 7) >> Diploma in IT (Level 5) PowerPlus >> Diploma in Web Development and Design (Level 5)

gaming? Dream of a ca reer ined on p12 Achievement un lock

*INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GENDER, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (2018)

Victoria University of Wellington >> Engineering (Cybersecurity)

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as go to For more study ideM om Ca reerswithSTE .c

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CS+SPACE

AUSTRALIA

ANU >> Advanced Computing (Honours) (Research and Development)

CS+CONNECTING WITH CULTURE Charles Darwin University >> Creative Arts and Industries (New Media Design)/Information Technology

Curtin University >> Engineering (Computer Systems) (Honours) /Science (Computer Science) >> Engineering (Electronic & Communication) (Honours)/Science (Physics)

Flinders University >> Science(Computing)/Arts

University of Adelaide >> Science (High Performance Computational Physics) (Honours) >> Science (Space Science and Astrophysics)

MQ >> IT (Web and Mobile App Development) QUT >> Communication (Digital Media)/IT (Computer Science) >> Creative Industries/IT

University of Melbourne >> Science (Mechatronics) UNSW Sydney >> Computer Engineering (Honours) >> Software Engineering (Honours) >> Telecommunications Engineering (Honours)

Swinburne University >> Games and Interactivity/Computer Science UNSW Sydney >> Media Arts (Honours)/Computer Science

University of Sydney >> Engineering (Honours) (Software)

University of Queensland >> Information Technology/Arts

MQ >> Commerce (Business Statistics) University of Adelaide >> Science and Entrepreneurship >> Computer Science (Data Science) University of Melbourne >> Science (Computing and Software Systems)/ Master of Engineering (Software with Business) >> Bachelor of Commerce/Master of Information Systems University of Newcastle >> Information Technology/Business University of South Australia >> Information Technology (Honours) (Enterprise Business Solutions) University of Tasmania >> Economics/Information and Communication Technology UNSW Business School >> Commerce/Information Systems

UTS >> Science (IT)/Arts

Swinburne University of Technology >> Engineering (Honours) (Robotics and Mechatronics)

UTS >> Business/Laws >> IT/Laws >> Science (Analytics)

CS+HEALTH+WELLBEING

CS+BUSINESS

CS+EDUCATION Murdoch University >> Science (Computer Science) >> Science (Honours) (Mobile/Web App Development)

ANU >> Medical Science/Science (Computer Science)

Deakin University >> Information Systems/Commerce

Murdoch University >> Science (Games Software Design and Production)

Federation University Australia >> Information Technology (Professional Practice)

MQ >> Game Design and Development >> Information Technology (Game Development)

James Cook University >> Business (Business Intelligence and Information Systems)

QUT >> Education (Secondary)/IT >> Games and Interactive Environments (Software Technologies)

QUT >> Creative Industries/Information Technology >> Games and Interactive Environments (Game Design) >> Health Information Management

QUT >> IT (Information Systems) >> Business/IT (Information Systems)

RMIT >> Computer Science >> Engineering (Computer and Network Engineering)

UNSW Sydney >> Bioinformatics Engineering (Honours) University of Sydney >> Advanced Computing/Science (Health) UTS >> Design (Animation) >> Science (Games Development) >> IT/Creative Intelligence and Innovation

>CAREERSwithSTEM.com<

Discover how people with autism are ma k in unique contributions g to tech on p24 50

Swinburne University >> Engineering (Software Engineering) University of Adelaide >> Computer Science University of Queensland >> Information Technology (User Experience Design) University of South Australia >> Information Technology (Software Development) UTS Animal Logic Academy >> Master of Animation & Visualisation

CS+CYBERSECURITY Charles Sturt University >> IT (Network Engineering) CQ University >> IT (Network Security)

Chisholm Institute >> Diploma of Software Development/Certificate IV in Information Technology Holmesglen >> Diploma of Information Technology Networking

Deakin University >> C yber Security

Kangan Institute >> Advanced Diploma of Computer Systems Technology

Edith Cowan University >> IT (Computer Security) >> Science (Cyber Security)

Melbourne Institute of Technology >> Diploma of Information Technology

James Cook University >> Engineering (Honours) (Electronic Systems & Internet of Things) La Trobe University >> C ybersecurity MQ >> C ybersecurity >> IT (Cybersecurity)

Melbourne Polytechnic >> Certificate IV in Information Technology >> Diploma of IT North Metropolitan TAFE >> Certificate IV of Web-Based Technologies >> Diploma of Digital and Interactive Games >> Diploma of Software Development

Careers with STEM: CODE 2019 is a publication of Refraction Media. Copyright ÂŠ 2019 Refraction Media, all rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any manner or form without written permission. If you would like to reproduce anything from this magazine, email: info@refractionmedia.com.au. We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia and recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and culture. We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. This issue went to press on 27 September 2019. Printed in Australia by BlueStar Web.

Open Colleges Australia >> Certificate IV in Information Technology

Cover image: Lauren Trompp

Murdoch University >> Science (Cybersecurity and Forensics)

SAE Institute >> Diploma of 3D Animation

Co-founder, CEO & Publisher: Karen Taylor-Brown

QUT >> IT (Computer Science)/Laws (Honours)

South Metropolitan TAFE >> Certificate IV in Cybersecurity >> Certificate IV in Programming Diploma of Computer Systems Engineering

Content Lead: Gemma Chilton

University of Adelaide >> Computer Science (Cybersecurity) >> IT (Cybersecurity) University of Sydney >> Advanced Computing University of Canberra >> Engineering (Honours) (Network and Software Engineering) University of NSW >> Computing and Cyber Security) University of Wollongong >> Computer Science (Cybersecurity) >> Computer Science (Digital Systems Security) University of Southern Queensland >> IT (Networking and Security) Western Sydney University >> C ybersecurity and Behaviour

university alternatives ACIT >> Certificate III in Information, Digital Media & Technology: Games Programming Bendigo TAFE >> Certificate IV in Computer Systems Technology Box Hill Institute >> Diploma of Information Technology Networking Canberra Institute of Technology >> Certificate IV in Information Technology Testing >> Diploma of IT

South West TAFE >> Certificate IV in IT TAFE NSW >> Advanced Diploma of Information Technology Business Analysis >> Cert IV in Cybersecurity >> Cert IV in Web-based Technologies >> Diploma of Database Design >> Diploma of Digital and Interactive Games >> Diploma of IT >> Diploma of IT Networking TAFE QLD >> Advanced Diploma of IT >> Diploma of IT Networking/Diploma of Information Technology Systems Administration >> Diploma of Software Development TAFE SA >> Advanced Diploma of Network Security >> Certificate IV in Programming >> Diploma of IT Networking >> Diploma of Website Development TasTAFE >> Advanced Diploma of Computer Systems Technology >> Certificate IV in Information Technology Support >> Certificate IV in IT

Flip for TEM: Ca reers withurSit y Cybersec 51

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