Olivia levels up her gaming skills to forge a career
It’s no surprise that Olivia Campbell – an avid computer gamer – has always had a knack for IT. After googling the University of Newcastle’s degree offerings, she decided to take her skills to the next level and enrol in a Bachelor of Information Technology.
“I chose the University of Newcastle because their IT program covered a good range of topics.
“During the game development course, I actually had the chance to build my own first level of a computer game – something I didn’t expect to do but loved,” Olivia said.
Currently, women in tech are underrepresented across Australia and the world. Olivia recalled being one of just a few females in her university cohort.
“Sometimes I would look around and realise I was the only girl in a class, but it didn’t matter to me as I was never treated differently.
“I do hope more girls will consider studying IT. There are so many opportunities and different career paths if you have an interest in it,” Olivia said.
Through the University’s Jobs on Campus program, which connects students with paid work opportunities on campus, Olivia said she worked part-time with the University’s IT Support Centre while studying.
“I didn’t expect to be working in the industry that quickly. To get relevant work experience before I even graduated was amazing,” Olivia said.
Like many students approaching the culmination of their studies, Olivia held her breath in anticipation to see if her career prospects would come to fruition.
“It’s been a big relief to be presented with multiple job opportunities. It’s validated that studying was worth it, and I’ve been rewarded with a career I love.
“I’ve accepted a job as a Systems Analyst at Lockheed Martin where I will help maintain and optimise various software programs to meet business needs.”
Olivia Campbell will graduate from Bachelor of Information Technology in a ceremony on Friday 15 December at 10am.
Read more about graduation and the success of our students:
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