Hi everyone,
In this post, I would like to share my first experience working in the IT field as a career changer.
My first post on Explore Blog was about how I initiated a career change towards IT. It was challenging process, but I decided to take one step at a time. First, I decided to start by building my capacity with a master’s degree in Information Technology at Griffith University. Then, as a next step, I desired to get my first job in the IT industry.
Work Integrated Learning (WIL)
In the last year of my master’s degree, we were required to take a course called Work Integrated Learning (WIL), and complete a three month internship in an IT-related industry. As I am particularly interested in Data Analytics for education, I decided to look for internship opportunities inside Griffith University.
I spoke to a lot of different people inside the university, and one person would recommend talking to another person, and then, to another person…and finally I got in touch with Clancy Birrell (pictured), who is the Strategic Senior Leader inside the sector of Planning and Analytics at Griffith University. This department is responsible for analysing data from the whole university and providing insights that can feed the Learning and Teaching team. So, this was the perfect place for me.
Clancy welcomed me to his team in the sector of Planning and Analytics and became my mentor. This was the most incredible experience that I could have in the field of Data Analytics and education. I was not only handling data from one of the best universities in Australia, but also, I had the support from a senior data professional. The work was not easy. I struggled a lot, especially in the beginning, but having a mentor was crucial in these moments to keep me motivated and growing.