Case studies
Queensland's digital workforce reflects our diversity, with people from all walks of life matching their interests to fulfilling digital careers.
Digital professionals can help connect people and communities, and make services easier to use and to find. There may be more to a digital career than you might think—today’s digital professionals are very different to the IT roles of the past.
Hear from digital and IT professionals working in Queensland about their learning and career pathway, and why they chose a digital career.
In the future, 21-year-old Denzel dreams of handling cyber security for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
But for now, he is hoping to land his first professional job, after completing an ICT traineeship over the past 12 months at Smart Services Queensland.
“I didn't know anything about IT when I started but after a year of the traineeship, I definitely feel ready to go into an IT role,” Denzel said.
While Denzel gets on-the-job experience troubleshooting IT issues for Queensland Government staff, he is completing a Certificate III in Information Technology.
"It's very family-orientated and everyone's really supportive. I have a one-year-old daughter so there have been times when I've needed to take days off to look after her. Everyone has given me a lot of help with all my modules and showed me jobs I could apply for," he says.
The traineeship has changed the way Denzel sees his life unfolding.
"Before I started the traineeship I was working at Subway and I wasn't too sure about what I was going to do. Now, a year later, I feel more comfortable being able to provide for my daughter going forward. I feel like I actually have some direction in my life and something to work towards."
For now, Denzel is waiting on news after a recent job interview for an IT role and is crossing his fingers he'll get a phone call congratulating him on his first permanent job.
"I hope I can make a career in IT. It was definitely the right decision to apply for the traineeship and do it," says Denzel.
The Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy offers traineeships across Queensland for people who identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and are aged between 16 and 25. The roles are paid and offer on-the-job training. No prior experience or qualifications are required.
Find out more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Traineeships.
Like many veterans who transition from the military into civilian careers, Jodi Phillips says she underestimated the experience and skills Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel acquire while working in the military.
When Jodi decided to leave the military, she found the skills she had acquired were highly valuable, and it's this adaptability of skills from ADF to other careers that make veterans highly sought after by employers.
Defence career
After Jodi graduated from an accounting degree, she felt she needed a challenge, and entered the Duntroon Royal Military College to undertake an Australian Defence Force (ADF) career.
Jodi started her 16-year career with the ADF as an Officer in Signals Corps, and was responsible for managing a variety of teams that delivered military communications links between Australian military forces and their allies.
Working in the ADF provided Jodi an opportunity to work across a variety of digital technologies and leadership roles, and during her military career, she was able to complete a Masters in Science (Information Technology)
After leaving the military, Jodi and her partner moved to the United Arab Emirates where she worked in a consultancy role as a program manager for the Arab Special Forces Group. It was during this time that Jodi decided to pursue a civilian career, and transition out of defence related roles.
Civilian life
Once Jodi left the defence industry, she wasn’t sure how employable she would be outside of the military, and applied for several roles before obtaining a position at the University of Queensland in their ICT senior leadership team.
Jodi said ADF careers provide many transferable skills that are highly desirable in the job market, and this, combined with digital skills training, means anyone thinking of transitioning from the ADF should consider a digital career.
Jodi now works for Amazon Web Services as a Strategic Development Manager, working with local, state and federal government customers to help them design education and training capability for their own staff and citizens.
Digital skills
"You'll always have a job if you keep up to date with your digital skills."
Jodi says, digital skills will increasingly be required for most jobs in a modern economy and veterans should consider learning digital skills, particularly if they're looking for a career with longevity, that pays well, and offers great challenges.
"Digital careers don't always involve coding, programming and working directly with technology, they can also involve creative aspects such as design, leadership, and project management," she says.
"Organisations are struggling to find enough people with digital skills, and the complexity of the job market means people are needed with a range of digital skills—from basic skills such as service desk support and database management right through to more advanced skills like cyber security and data analytics."
Digital skills training
In terms of acquiring digital skills, Jodi says it doesn't always have to involve going to university. There are many short courses available, such as micro-credential and TAFE courses, that can help veterans learn digital skills and improve their employment prospects.
Programs like the Veterans Digital Capability and Skilling program also provides a great opportunity for veterans and transitioning ADF personnel to gain new digital skills and get a taste for the different digital career pathways available.
Samuel Harris is a former Army Supply Chain Specialist Corporal, who spent 14 years in the Australian Defence Force.
During this time Samuel also worked as a welfare assistance officer, where he initiated and used digital technology and gaming solutions to support veterans’ social and emotional well-being.
Using digital tools veterans
After leaving the army Samuel identified an opportunity to use his digital skills to provide support to veterans who were isolated because they lived in regional areas, or because of injury or illness.
Samuel said for veterans who live outside of major cities, or with mobility issues, there really aren't many returned service organisations that are accessible.
Samuel saw an opportunity to use his digital skills and technology to help fill this gap and support veterans to connect and create a support network system for them after leaving the ADF.
Online gaming
This led Samuel to establish the Veteran Gaming Australia (VGA) a charity which aims to improve veteran wellbeing and decrease reasons for isolation, hardship and health issues, by developing a community around a shared love of online gaming.
Samuel was able to setup the VGA thanks to his digital and business skills, which he developed while working in the ADF and through self-learning and a general interest in digital technology.
For members, the VGA offers more than just an online gaming community, it provides a way to connect, find information and support, and share and teach one another digital skills.
He said it's been great to see how VGA members help one another learn to use digital technology and improve their digital skills.
Digital skills
In a lot of cases the digital skills they're teaching one another—such as online education, video and photo editing, graphic design, as well as IT hardware and networking—are highly employable skills.
In relation to digital skills, Samuel said that society is moving into a digital age of technology and it's vital that everyone has digital skills, not only to improve their career prospects, but also to connect with others and access a host of online services and information.
Samuel's advice to veterans considering digital skills training is to just do it, jump in, get involved and start learning. People with digital skills are well paid and these skills are required in so many different careers and jobs today.
The Queensland Government is currently offering veterans and their immediate families free digital skills training through the Veterans Digital Capability and Skilling Program.
Momoka is using her digital skills to help improve the lives of other Queenslanders.
After being raised by parents who both worked in the ICT sector, Momoka considered a range of different careers.
“I thought about biomedical science, data analytics and law, before choosing to study a Bachelor in IT,” Momoka said.
“The degree included a focus on human computer interaction which helped me develop my user experience (UX) design and engagement skills.
“It allows me to help people adopt and use digital technology to improve their lives, by communicating with them to understand their needs.”
Momoka applied for the Digital and ICT Graduate Program as it offered her an opportunity to develop a career in the Queensland Government and work on projects that directly benefit Queenslanders.
“The range of career opportunities and different projects and roles open to someone in government means it's a great way for a graduate to determine their career path,” Momoka said.
"I was placed with the Department of Justice and Attorney General and got to work on a joint project between them and other criminal justice agencies, which was a huge learning opportunity.
"One of the biggest benefits of learning digital and ICT skills is they can be used in almost any role."
The Digital and ICT Graduate Program is a two-year program, run by the Queensland Government, that enables graduates to gain experience and forge a digital career. It links participants to training and mentors, which provided Momoka an insight into how government works.
"It really helped me to develop an understanding of myself and the different career opportunities," Momoka said.
"Networking with other graduates is also really valuable and we often discuss our roles, departments, and the projects we're working on, which helps improve our knowledge of government and identify career opportunities.
"I've had experience in a range of different digital and ICT roles including business analyst, policy officer and project officer, and my background in design and UX was useful in each role.
"I finish my graduate position in February 2022, and hope to continue working in an analyst, project or policy role, that will allow me to use my digital and business analysis skills to continue helping people."
The Digital and ICT Graduate Program is helping to ensure Queensland has a thriving digital and ICT workforce to enable government and industry to benefit from a strong digital economy.
Dao discovered his passion for all things digital when he built his first computer at 15—from that point on he knew that whatever career he chose it was going to involve technology.
"I started doing a double degree in Electrical Engineering and IT, but realised I preferred solution and business process design so shifted to an IT degree majoring in Information Systems," said Dao.
“After graduating I applied for the Queensland Government Digital and ICT Graduate Program because it gives you the opportunity to work in a range of different roles and learn new skills, which makes deciding on a digital career path much easier.
The Queensland Government's Digital and ICT Graduate program is a 2-year program to help graduates gain experience and get a leg up in a digital career.
"I was lucky enough to obtain a position on the graduate program as a business analyst with Queensland Health at the Queensland Children's Hospital.
"I enjoy the business analysis and stakeholder engagement elements of ICT and my technical background and communication skills made choosing a career as a business analyst an easy one."
Dao said he sees the role of a business analyst as bridging the gap between the business and technical teams.
"In any digital or ICT project it's important to understand the users' and business' needs to then work with the provider and their developers to deliver a solution that works," Dao says
"Having good communication skills, and the ability to understand the business and technical language, is critical to achieving this.
"I've found that, when designing a solution, it's important I consider the requirements of the Queensland Children's Hospital and the impact on staff at other hospitals and health services within Queensland Health and the public.
"I also need to consider different technical elements such as system compatibility, information security and support."
Another benefit of the graduate program is the support graduates receive from their mentors and program staff. Dao said, "having a mentor throughout the program is great and made settling into my role really easy.
Dao completed the graduate program in early 2022 and was offered an extension in his contract.
Videos
Hear what Queensland digital professionals have to say about digital careers and the importance of learning digital skills.
Amelia St Baker, Digital Strategist: My one piece of advice to a young person who wishes to go into a digital career is just to get started and start exploring because the skills you learn, from pretty much anywhere, are really going to be valuable. And the sooner you start learning, the sooner you can start applying it, and trial and error and you have that catalogue of stuff you've already done.And that's what an employee is really looking for, is evidence that you've done something already.
Yash Dutt, Founder/CEO, YUVA AI: I would recommend a digital career to anybody, any young person because of all the opportunities that you have to be seen to be heard. What that does for you is it creates an infinite amount of opportunities for people to reach out to you, for companies to reach out to you, for you to become a thought leader within your space. And then from there, the world is literally always there.
Georgie Desailly, Writer/Content Producer: My one piece of advice for someone who wants to enter a digital career would be to not be afraid, to not follow the status quo. There are so many ways that you can into the industry and work your way up, and it's not a linear process. So don't be afraid to pursue what you think is right in the moment and then follow your talents.
Matt Steine, Managing Director, Smart Precinct NQ: There's a thing that happened through the nineties and the 2000s when people started talking about the digital economy. Everything is digital today. Whether you were pulling iron ore out of the ground or whether you are harvesting sugarcane. If you are not studying something that's digital, then you're going to be left behind. Whether that's being an engineer, whether that's being a lawyer, whether that's being a nurse or a doctor. Digital has to be a core component of your capability. If you're going to be part of the future economy.
Lynore Close, Security Systems Engineer: When I was in ICT training, and this year-12 student had lost her essay and it was like end of the year. So, she had multiple exams, multiple essays. She needs to submit and her USB died. So, she comes into the ICT little room. She's like, "Can you help me?" bawling her eyes out. So, what I did, plugged her USB into my computer, run this software, bring her essay back that she’s lost and she's been crying all night about and then I give it back to her. And just the relief on her face meant more to me than the millions of dollars of projects I've done. The implementations and security uplifts over the years, just that one little person, helping her in such a significant part of her life is my most favourite memory.
Yash Dutt, Founder/CEO, YUVA AI: One of the best things of having a digital career is that you can work from anywhere. So, all you need is a laptop, an Internet connection, and you can be working on the beach, you can be working overseas, you can be working from home. You have to be well versed in digital. If it's not already digital, it's going to be digital. I think what you're increasingly going to see is, is more overlap in the technical worlds. And then also the human and like social world. Right? And so that is going to be a fundamental skill set that everybody will need to have.