IT Career Pathways

Overview
As an IT, Information Systems or Spatial Information professional, you can apply your expertise in many industries. Contexts include design, development, implementation and management of applications and systems, programming, analysis, data visualization, geomatics, global positioning and spatial data infrastructure.

Specialisations
A Master of Information Technology degree will provide you with a technical focus. You will be able to develop and implement IT solutions to problems and challenges in a wide variety of organisations.
As a Master of Information Systems graduate, your focus will be on systems management. You will be able to work as a practitioner or consultant in digital business, supporting, managing and changing business processes through your knowledge of information and communications technology and information systems. Your Master of Spatial Information Science qualification will enable you to specialise in a variety of areas including economics, psychology, social science, computer science, planning, civil engineering or geomatics. Tommy Li works for Pro Medicus Ltd, leading provider of IT solutions and services to the private healthcare industry. He is responsible for developing, enhancing and maintaining the companys software product, the radiology information system, which is used by healthcare practices to manage radiological records and data.

TOMMY LI Software Developer, Pro Medicus Study Area: IT

Prior to joining Pro Medicus, Tommy undertook a Master of Information Technology part-time with the Melbourne School of Engineering and worked on a website project for electricity provider, Red Energy: I definitely recommend undertaking study while working. Being able to learn other ways of solving the same problem is great. In IT, 5-10 years is like a generation! I dont believe it can continue to be how it was in my parents era, where you could finish your certification and then sit in a job until you retire.

Information Technology, Information Systems, Spatial Information Science 1

Engineering Pathways (IT)

Undergraduate Study Majors
Computing and Software Systems Learn to develop algorithms and software. Available in Bachelor of Science Geomatics Capture, analyse and apply spatial information in natural, built and social environments. Available in Bachelor of Science, Environments Informatics Use IT to capture and make sense of information and data in areas ranging from biology to social networking. Available in Bachelor of Science

Diploma
Diploma in Informatics Complement your major studies with a range of data manipulation and presentation techniques. Study eight informatics subjects alongside your degree and graduate with a bachelors degree and a diploma in 3.5 years. Available in Bachelor of Arts, Biomedicine, Commerce, Environments, Music, Science*
*Not available to students doing the Computing and Software Systems or Informatics majors.

Breadth
Breadth tracks Enhance your major with a 3-6 subject sequence in: Computer Science Information and the Web IT in Organisations Logic, Meaning, and Computation Working with Information. Available in Bachelor of Arts, Biomedicine*, Commerce, Environments, Music, Science*
*IT in Organisations only

Employment

Research Higher Degrees

Business analyst Software engineer Data/Information Architect Web developer/programmer Project manager IT consultant/manager Health information manager Bioinformatics manager Network analyst

Systems designer Change and transition manager IT security auditor Mobile services developer Mapping officer GIS Consultant Spatial data market developer

Master of Philosophy (MPhil) Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

And many many more...

Career Planning
For university students, career planning is about choosing a career path related to your field of study and preparing for employment. While engineering can lead to specific occupations it can also give you the foundation for a variety of career paths.
Choosing an occupation, getting that first graduate job, and growing in your job will require planning, self awareness, flexibility and a forward-looking attitude to help manage the personal transitions, as well as the technological and economic changes of the future. With so many factors to consider an effective employment plan will include strategies for enhancing career awareness & self awareness, and can be done in a 4-Step process, starting with: 1. Doing some self-assessment to clarify interests and strengths 2. Gathering information and exploring careers that appeal to you and match your interests, abilities and values using myFuture (accessible to the public) or Adult Directions (via Online Career Tools for current University of Melbourne students) 3. Learning about the job market by investigating Work Experience opportunities, browsing company/industry websites and talking to lots of people in your field of interest using the informational interviewing technique 4. Developing job search skills preparing your job applications and preparing for interviews using the Online Career Tools or booking a Career Consultation through Careers Online (both services available to current University of Melbourne students).

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2-4 YEARS

2 YEARS

Graduate Coursework

Master of Engineering Geomatics Software Mechatronics Master of Information Systems

Master of Information Technology Computing Distributed Health Spatial

Master of Science Bioinformatics Computer Science Master of Spatial Information Science

3 YEARS

Employment
Sectors and Industries
Aerospace Architecture Construction Consulting Electronics Energy and Commodities Entertainment Financial Services Games Government Departments, Agencies and Municipal Authorities Health Industrial Infrastructure Land and Resources Manufacturing Minerals and Energy Mining Property Research and Development Technology Research and Development Telecommunications Tertiary Education Transport Urban Planning

Employers
A sample of employers who actively recruit our IT, Information Systems and Spatial Information Science graduates includes: Accenture AMP Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Australian Building Codes Board Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) Department of Sustainability and Environment Victoria Deloitte Australia Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy Ericsson Australia Geomatic Technologies Geoscience Australia GHD IBM Australia Intergraph Australia Logica Microsoft Oberthur Technologies Office of the Surveyor General Victoria OzMinerals Pro Medicus Ltd Red Energy Santos Shell Vicroads Woodside Energy

For a more extensive listing including current employment opportunities, University of Melbourne students can visit Careers Online, our online jobs portal. It is also important to attend events like the Graduate Careers Fair in Semester 1 and student-run Industry Nights to become familiar with who the key employers are and the dates of their recruiting campaigns.

Resources
The Careers and Jobs Guide on the Library website has been developed for current University of Melbourne students in conjunction with Careers & Employment. This guide will help you find quality library resources to help with: Career planning Researching industries Researching employers Employability skills Job hunting Resumes and job applications Interview preparation

Ajayraj is an Analyst at Accenture, a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. His responsibilities include liaising with stakeholders on system requirements, integration testing, designing technical documentation and daily problem-solving. Prior to working for Accenture, Ajayraj completed an internship there, which focused on systems integration consulting:

Ajayraj enrolled in the Master of Information Systems after completing his Bachelor of Business Administration in India and three years employment in the Indian banking and financial services industry: Studying at Melbourne equipped me with a world-class outlook on education and industry. He was also active in extra-curricular activities, founding InKind IT, a volunteer group that harnesses the potential of talented graduates to aid not-for-profit organisations with information technology solutions and help them accomplish their objectives.

AJAYRAJ CHAWLA Analyst, Accenture Study Area: Information Systems

My internship was highly relevant to my course and involved understanding how systems operate in enhancing business processes. I learnt about the consulting environment and applied some of the theoretical concepts taught [in my course].

Information Technology, Information Systems, Spatial Information Science 3

Types of employment
Work Experience
There are many forms of work experience. With the introduction of the Fair Work Act 2009, all work experience must be paid unless the placement forms part of a university course. For IT students, work experience could take the form of an industrybased final year project, an unpaid internship subject, or a paid placement (such as those listed below). Voluntary work for not-for profit agencies is another way of gaining valuable work experience but these placements must adhere to the Vocational Placements & Student Volunteering Policy.
Vacation Programs

internships occur in a field relevant to the students qualification. Application opening and closing dates for internships are varied. Spatial Info Science students can elect to undertake the Geomatics internship subject which has a regular subject load of 150 hours. This is an unpaid internship that can be completed in either first or second year. Students can register their interest via the Internship Coordinator. MIT students can also undertake a 25 point internship subject from 2013.
Co-operative Programs

Graduate Employment Programs

Include substantial training, development and support. Some programs include rotations through various departments within the organisation. Usually offered by large organisations and government departments, an increasing number of smaller organisations are now offering graduate employment programs. Many organisations offer a number of programs some for specific or technical roles, and others which are broader based. Graduate programs vary in length, from 1-3 years. Competition is strong and final year students must apply in March or April for commencement in January or February of the following year. Opportunities to get exposure to Industry through the Melbourne School of Engineering: Connect with industry through the curriculum, via: student projects that are partnered with industry guest lectures led by industry leaders site visits hosted by key organisations career mentoring programs

Are degree-related, structured paid work placements usually undertaken by students at the end of their penultimate year of study. These can often lead to a graduate position, so competition for placements is intense. Winter vacation programs are available from time to time.
Internships

Enable students to alternate study terms with paid work and offer hands-on experience contributing to a real project, skills development and a chance to network with professionals in the field. Application opening and closing dates for co-operative programs are varied.
Cadetships

Internships are supervised, paid work placements arranged between the employer and student, sometimes brokered by the university. Ranging from a few weeks part-time to multiple semesters full-time,

Employed positions offered to students or graduates, designed to provide specific training or mentoring. Cadetships can be full- or part-time and vary from formalised, structured schemes to informal arrangements between an individual and an organisation. Application opening and closing dates are varied.

Career Progression (trajectories) Information Technology, Information Systems, Spatial Information Science
Graduate App Developer IOS/Android/Phone Database Developer Geospatial Officer Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Officer Graduate Geospatial Analyst Graduate Information Systems Officer Information and Communications Technology Officer Information Technology Officer Information Technology Technician Network Programmer Software Developer Spatial Information Systems Officer Web Developer 3-5 years experience Category Manager IT Infrastructure Coordinator Spatial Information Systems GIS Analyst/Developer Geospatial Specialist GIS Specialist Geospatial Enterprise Engineer Information Systems Consultant Information Systems Support Officer Information Systems & Web Developer Information Technology Systems Specialist Infrastructure Specialist Information Technology Spatial Information Systems Officer Surveyor Systems Integrator Technical Information Systems Consultant 10 years Business Analyst GIS Solution Design Director of Information Technology Geoscientific Principal Advisor GIS Project Manager Information Systems Manager Manager Business Information Systems Manager Gaming Information Systems Manager Information Technology Manager IT & Information Systems Principal Consultant IT Strategy Director IT Technology Director IT Technical Lead GIS

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Careers in Research
If you are passionate about a certain field and would like to advance your research skills, enrolling in a research higher degree (RHD) may be a great option for you. RHDs enhance your ability to problem solve, think autonomously and creatively, and analyse. Careers in research are diverse and may include: academic positions at universities; policy-making or research positions at public sector organisations; private sector research and development projects; and self-employed consulting positions on technical or policy issues in your area of expertise.

Salary Information
The MyCareer website* provides data on the average minimum/maximum salary ranges for Business/Systems Analysts: Average min: $50,000 Average max: Average: Average min: Average max: Average: $217,360 $104,530 $45,000 $190,000 $95,259

Graduate Attributes for Employment

As a graduate of these programs you will have: Opportunities to interact with industry professionals through guest lectures, field and project work A sound fundamental understanding of the technical skills and scientific principles of Information Technology, Information Systems or Spatial Information Science and their application to complex, open-ended tasks and problems Generic skills, including management, communication, problem-solving and design and innovation The educational and professional standards of the accrediting bodies for these courses (MIT and MIS: The Australian Computer Society; MSI: EUR-ACE, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors) Understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities and commitment to them General knowledge Understanding of the business environment Ability to communicate effectively, with the engineering team and the community at large Ability to function effectively as an individual and in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams, as a team leader or manager as well as an effective team member Ability to manage information and documentation Capacity for lifelong learning and professional development.

And for Other IT & Telecommunications:

Alternative Careers
An engineering degree offers you excellent technical and design expertise, but also equips you with the foundations for a diverse range of positions. Over a third of our graduates choose to move into nontraditional engineering roles, including: Management consulting Finance, economics and banking Marketing and communications Business analysis Project management Technical writing Government, policy and intellectual property management. For current University of Melbourne students, Careers Online advertises numerous generalist graduate jobs during the peak recruitment season (March-April of your final year). You will often find that many state and federal government departments and defence agencies will actively recruit for engineers as they value their high-end problem-solving and analytical abilities.

Refer website for further information on salaries in this industry.

* MyCareer job listings inclusive of wage from the last 90 days and updated weekly. Figures may incorporate total pkg. If there is insufficient data to show reliable max, min, avg then none are shown.

The following information represents gross mean base salaries for spatial information professionals at various levels in their careers.* Graduates: 3-5 Years: Above 5 Years: $58,000 $85,000 $120,000

Above 10 Years: $165,000

* Figures sourced from a Melbourne-based engineering recruitment agency as at May 2012.

Job Outlook
The spatial information industry is growing worldwide at between 10 and 15% per annum. This applies also to Australia, where the industry has been suffering from skilled spatial labour shortages that have increasingly necessitated off-shore recruitment. There is a serious lack of new graduates, and evidence that up-skilling of the existing workforce is required. According to the Australian Governments Job Outlook website*: Job Prospects for IT Professionals are good. Employment for IT Professionals to 20152016 is expected to grow strongly. The internet vacancy level for IT Professionals is very high. The mix of industries employing IT Professionals is favourable for employment growth prospects.
* The Data on Job Outlook is updated on a yearly basis and is compiled from national statistics which may not reflect either regional variations or more recent changes in employment conditions.

Information Technology, Information Systems, Spatial Information Science 5

Wilfred Waters works with leading engineering, architecture and environmental consulting company, GHD, taking leave recently for a voluntary work placement with Engineers Without Borders Australia. He is now working in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, as a GIS and data management advisor for Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT), a local nongovernment organisation: Working as an advocate for the urban poor in Phnom Penh has opened up a whole new perspective on ways to apply spatial science, and I have met many inspiring people doing exciting things. I am assisting the research, advocacy and mapping teams of STT to increase their mapping, data storage and analysis skills. Through my role I am creating standards for data handling and map production which will make STT more efficient.

During his candidature, Wilfred completed vacation work with the Department of Primary Industries, where he worked on scenarios involving spatial visualisation of climate change. Graduating from Melbourne gave me the confidence to apply for a top graduate position at GHD so I could tackle the wide range of spatial problems their team solves on a daily basis. Another highlight since graduating was submitting my first scientific publication. In doing that, I can now say Ive ticked off one of my lifes goals.
*equivalent to Spatial Information Systems

WILFRED WATERS Spatial Analyst, GHD Study Area: Geographic Information Systems*

Useful Links
Job Search Sites
Careers Online Destination Spatial Grad Connection IT Jobs Job Search Australia Mining Careers MyCareer Seek Geospatial Seek Information Technology Seek Information Systems Jesslyn Ham is a Software Engineer for Oberthur Technologies, a world leader in security based on smart card technology. With operations in over 40 different countries, Jesslyn is based in the companys Jakarta office, where she is involved in developing smart card technology to improve mobile phone security: Our team is responsible for developing a personalised a mobile card profile to meet with the clients requirements. We are exposed to a programming language that is not taught in university, which is exciting. Its also great to work in a strong team that delivers a quality product. Jesslyn values the technical expertise she developed during her studies and recalls the great friendships she formed: Melbourne University has equipped me with experience and skills to apply to the professional world. I learned to work systematically and think at a higher level. I also cherish the friendships I made.

Licensing and registration

There is no formal system of regulation for information technology and information systems professionals in Australia. The Australian Computer Society has a system of certification. Refer to their Certification Page for information about and benefits of certification.

International Students/Graduates
Working in Victoria

Overseas Qualifications Assessment Team (OSQA)

Australian Computer Society Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSi)

Recruiters
Recruitment and Consulting Services Associations Member Index Seek recruiter search

Professional Associations
Australian Computer Society Australian Information Industry Association Consult Australia Spatial Information Business Association Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSi)

JESSLYN HAM Software Engineer, Oberthur Technologies Study Area: Software Engineering

IT Pathways. Authorised by the Industry Relations Manager, Melbourne School of Engineering. Published by The Melbourne School of Engineering, July 2012.

Copyright: Copyright University of Melbourne 2012. Copyright in this publication is owned by the University and no part of it may be reproduced without the permission of the University.

CRICOS provider code 00116K. Disclaimer: The University has used its best endeavours to ensure that material contained in this publication was correct at the time of printing. The University gives no warranty and accepts no

responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of information and the University reserves the right to make changes without notice at any time at its absolute discretion.