Project co-ordinator | Youth Central

Sarah, mid-20s

"Like a lot of other people, I had the perception that ICT involved sitting behind a PC for eight hours a day, with minimal interaction with others. But after speaking with people who worked in the industry, I found out there was lot more to ICT as a career."

Sarah, what do you do?

I’m a Project Coordinator with Telstra, a role I’ve held for almost three years.

I assist Telstra’s ICT project managers in their project and financial reporting responsibilities, and provide other administrative support. Telstra has many important, interrelated ICT projects on the go at any given time, so tracking the status of these projects and accurately reporting this information to management keeps me very busy.

Where did your career begin?

I studied a Bachelor of Business (Management) at RMIT. It was a broad-based degree, which suited me fine as I wasn’t sure what I wanted to specialise in. My course also featured a few IT electives, but I wasn’t specifically looking to start my career with an ICT leader like Telstra. I applied for the Telstra Project Administrator role after graduation, and suddenly I found myself involved in the coordination of some complex ICT projects – within the area of network element, network activation and security.

What do you like most about your job?

The best thing about my job is the people I work with. There’s a great rapport within my team – we work hard, but we also have a lot of fun together. As well, I’m always challenged in this role. I need to be flexible and able to re-prioritise my tasks as soon as something urgent comes up – there’s never a dull moment!

I’ve also learnt a lot about new and emerging technologies in this role, and I’m still learning every day.

What skills do you require for your job?

I’d say communications skills are central to my job – everyday I’m interacting with a wide range of people within the organisation- it makes communicating with people a lot easier if you have built a good relationship with them.

Did you always expect ICT would play a role in your career?

I was never sure what I wanted to do for a career (at one point I wanted to be a vet, except I didn’t like Biology!). Like a lot of other people, I had the perception that any jobs to do with ICT involved sitting behind a PC for eight hours a day, with minimal interaction with others. But after speaking with people who worked in the industry, I found out there was lot more to ICT as a career.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in ICT?

I would say ‘go for it.’ It can lead you to so many places and you’ll learn a lot from those around you. And you definitely won’t stagnate – quite the opposite, It will open up a lot of doors for you in the future.

Find out more about this career path at myfuture.edu.au (Note: free registration is required to access the myfuture site).