BiG Day In Sunshine Coast

On the 1st of May, myself, my colleague (Rhys) and my manager (Michael), headed to Lake Kawana Community Centre to meet with 400 year 10-12 high school students.

The Australian Computing Society (ACS) runs these BiG Day In events throughout the year, at a number of different locations. I have participated in three in the past - hosted at Griffith University, The University of Queensland, and a BiG Day In Jnr event at Grand Avenue State School. The aim of each event is to inspire a generation of students to pursue careers in STEM.

Lake Kawana:

Grand Avenue State School:

Griffith University:

The University of Queensland:

The students' day consists of talks from industry professionals mixed in with time to walk around the booths that are set up by each company. The students see demo's, ask questions and grab lots of free swag. The booth was busy all day, and we had students with all sorts of interests asking about fantastic questions about cyber-security, artificial intelligence and what working in technology is like.

Rhys and I presented in the last slot of the day. Our topic was "What is a technologist and how do I become one?". We each spoke about our completely different backgrounds and journeys, and highlighted the fact that there is a vast number of pathways to your dream job. We shared some of the most important things that we had learnt along the way - for me it was the message to take every opportunity that comes your way, even the opportunities that seem irrelevant. Rhys' advice was to keep the interests outside of your chosen career - you don't have to drop your hobbies to have a successful career.

Meeting students who are excited about the possibilities the technology industry offers is one of my favourite things to do. This is an incredible time to be part of the industry and to see schools creating students who are passionate about shaping the world is extraordinarily rewarding. These events are a pleasure to participate in, and I can't encourage everyone enough to get involved! Let's inspire a generation!