Over 13,000 jobs available now in IT. Read the true story of one of them.

Hey guys!

So, I know a lot of prospective Year 12 graduates might be wanting the 99 ATARs to be big shot doctors and lawyers, but a lot of you might not know that absolute beauty of IT. I mean… a normal work-life balance for a higher than normal yearly wage. Can Med/Law offer both of those?

I’m Josef DenDunnen, and on behalf of ATAR Notes I want to tell you my IT story.

It started in 2013 with my application to the Computer Power Institute. Shortly after contacting the Institute, I was getting pumped at my slightly hectic post-high-school job when I got a call from a fellow by the name of Stuart Law. Two weeks later I sat a General Aptitude Test (quite different from the General Achievement Test that you sat this year…), the high results of which gave me expedited entry into the Network Diploma and opened up further course and industry opportunities. It’s an interesting day for me to reflect on, because I know that it was the start of getting me to where I am now.

The past 3 ½ years hasn’t always been what you’d call smooth sailing. My beautiful daughter was born on the 29th of April, so juggling a 40 hour work week, a newborn, and my studies in IT was definitely a lot of pressure. Although, being in the final months of Year 12, I’m sure pressure is something you know a lot about.

To be honest though, it was all ridiculously worth it, and I had a lot of help along the way. The Institute offered me a massive amount of assistance, and I developed amazing relationships with a lot of the staff – one of who went by the name of Meg Thomson, who worked with me tirelessly in developing my interview skills and résumé writing ability. With this help, it was pretty much impossible for me not to land a job. The IT market is quite obviously in massive demand of skilled and qualified graduates, so the flexibility means you can travel and work anywhere.

In fact, I recently relocated to my home away from home to Adelaide, South Australia, which is hardly well known for its availability of jobs for young people. However, it wasn’t long before of my favourite Software/Hardware companies, Hewlett Packard Enterprises has taken me on board under the role of z/OS Mainframe Systems Programmer Graduate – a three year traineeship that sees me get paid and get skilled. Honestly, when uni graduates are struggling to get a job, I consider myself very lucky that I jumped into an IT Diploma. As the tech industry gets bigger and bigger, I can only hope (and maybe expect) that my education and experience starts to make me some solid cash moneys when it starts to count.

Quick study, big job outcomes, great work-life balance, and great pay. What more could a VCE high-achiever hope for? I guess my main message going into your exam period and preference period is that you shouldn’t limit yourself to what you think you want. You don’t necessarily have to go to uni for 6 years, and you don’t necessarily have to go and do a Law degree. For me, IT at the Computer Power Institute was pretty much a short-cut, so I’d highly recommend considering a career in tech for those who think they could do it…

And if there’s one last thing for me to say, it would be – if in doubt, put your head down. Good will always come of it. I promise

Thanks for reading my story, and good luck for your exams – hopefully I see you in my programming team soon!

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