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Taking the leap into an IT career

Amrit Bhusal may have recently completed his Bachelor of Information Technology, but he’ll be taking more than just a testamur with him as he leaves ACU. An international student from Nepal, Amrit is graduating with all the skills he needs to get ahead in an IT career.

“I’ve learnt many core things about IT, specifically in the IT core subjects, which will help me wherever I go in the world,” he says.

Through his degree, Amrit gained experience in key areas of IT, including business, data and system analysis, data administration, technical and network support and project management, that left him feeling well prepared for life after graduation.

Many of his assessments were based on real-life case studies, which gave him opportunity to solve real industry problems as part of his degree.

“I was expected to analyse the case studies and devise solutions, as well as to identify possible risks,” he says.

“These sorts of things make me confident for my future career.”

In addition to gaining IT and business skills, Amrit says that building ‘soft’ skills – such as communication capabilities and experience working in small groups – also helped him to develop a sense of professional confidence, as did regular encouragement and feedback from his lecturers.

In-class presentations were a common occurrence, and while he remembers the first time he had to speak in a room full of his peers, including many local students – “I was so nervous, I did about 10 days of practise!” he says – the experience soon became something he loved.

“I had to give many presentations, which not only made my English better but also built my confidence, as well as my communication skills.”

But study was just one aspect of Amrit’s time at ACU. Elsewhere on campus there were a wealth of other resources available to help him prepare for life after ACU. The Careers team was on hand to provide support and advice on everything from preparing a resume to how – and where – to look for an IT job, and he also had access to the ACU Careers Hub, an online resource for careers information and advice.

He also crammed a lifetime’s worth of experiences into the three short years he spent on the university’s North Sydney campus. These included a part-time hospitality job, getting involved with volunteering programs and events like Orientation, Open Day and Market Day, and making the most of being part of a friendly, welcome and truly international campus.

“Apart from the academic journey, ACU taught me about my responsibilities towards my community as IT professional,” he says.

“ACU is a big university with different students from different parts of the world with different cultures and traditions, so we get to see the world from one campus.”

As he prepares for graduation, Amrit has applied for a post-study work visa, which will give him the ability to work in Australia for two years after graduation. He has his sights set on finding a graduate IT job in Sydney.

“I’m planning to stay here for the next two years to find a job and get more experience in the IT field,” he says.

“I’m confident, but I’m just at the beginning.”

NOTE: ACU’s Information Technology degrees are Accredited by the Australian Computer Society (ACS)