Joseph Stephen: If big data was a superpower, it gives you the eyes to see the future. If you're a person that loves unseen problems, things which have wide scale opportunities for massive impact, then this industry is definitely for you.

I started in this industry about two years ago when I started off as a cloud solution architect, and I really wanted to delve more into what data and AI, um, is really all about.

Reva Kanduri: I actually am a software engineer prior to this data life and, uh, when I moved from Singapore to Australia, I wanted to change my career. I used online courses like Udemy, Coursera, and other options.

Katie Ford: It wasn't a direct route into technology for me. I did law after school and history and ended up in government, in public policy, which I loved. What drew me, I think, to the technology industry was it's all about shaping the future and a better future.

Reva Kanduri: Big data is like an umbrella term. If you put the, what the actual terminology means, uh, aside for a minute, but how it is used, that's where the real power comes into picture.

Katie Ford: So, a good way to think about data is think about every device that you use in your daily life. So, if you're a student, you might be using your, your laptop for learning purposes. Everything you click on, every answer you provide online provides data, right, about how you answered a question, when you looked at it. Um, and that gives us an insight into how you might be learning, where there might be problems.

You can take that data, look at trends, look at how things are changing over time. But most importantly, I think, look at the best ways to intervene, as we talk about, you know, how you get involved to improving the learning experience.

Joseph Stephen: You'll find me, some days I'll be going into the office, meeting customers, getting to talk face to face on a solution that will impact the next generation of applications, and just getting to work in teams, um, in order to achieve a common goal. Or that it, it could look like me staying at home, talking to someone from the United States on a feature that's coming up, that, that would be really beneficial, um, to the work that I do. So, it varies greatly.

Reva Kanduri: I specifically remember that my secondary school, I was pretty excited with maths. I really liked mathematics, solving mathematics problems and more than physics or other subjects.

Joseph Stephen: I Studied a Bachelor of Computer Science at the University of Sydney. You know, as it expects going into a field which you genuinely enjoy and like, you know, you get to do and work on things which you like doing.

Katie Ford: University is definitely not your only option, right? So, TAFE New South Wales have great courses around data and engineering that are very worthwhile you're exploring. There's also a great online content, which is free, right? So, if you look at things like LinkedIn Learning, we have Microsoft Learn. There's a lot of free online things that anyone can tap into.

Reva Kanduri: Big data is definitely going to stay for longer because a lot of industry technologies, they still feel that data science and AI is just kicking off. The problems are numerous. The solutions can be numerous, but more importantly, you'll have a lot of fun if you enjoy working in that space.

Katie Ford: Every problem we have, whether it's climate change, whether it's water quality, whether it's our environment, whether it's addressing things like homelessness, there are huge opportunities to use data to create data driven policy. Data is really fundamental to answering those questions.

So, when it comes to thinking about if you want to work in this industry, the great thing is you can come from almost any background. It's a very diverse industry and I love that. Technology is always evolving. So, there's no one key book you can learn. What I'd recommend that you focus on is key skills for the 21st century. Think about the, the overall skills you bring, and I think just having a passion for learning, a love of learning, and a skill for learning, that's the best skill you can have.

Joseph Stephen: I would recommend big data to students because really it, it is the future. Being able to analyse things on a global scale has so much impact. You know, there is data all around us and it's completely up to you what to do with this data and how we interpret this data, cause that's really what's going to define the future.

Erika Salmon: The best thing about cyber security is you always have the opportunity to build and apply, uh, different things and actually see how it affects your organization and your end users in real time.

I was originally studying at university and I was taking some political science classes on the side just out of interest, and one of them mentioned the concept cyber warfare. I thought, whoa, this sounds really cool. So, I started doing some tech classes there, uh, and then I switched over to TAFE because that just, sort of, suited my interest better. TAFE was a lot more practical, which is what I wanted. And then I got a internship at the end of my first year there and eventually started working full-time.

Elena Scifleet: I started off working as a junior software developer and after that I started going into quality assurance as a quality assurance specialist. I was looking for vulnerabilities within systems and that what is now potential vulnerability management. And after that, I studied up a little bit. So I have completed a Cert IV in cyber securities routine, and I got my first role as the cyber security analyst, and I worked my way from there.

Michael McKinnon: My entry was first of all into IT, and what happened was I ended up becoming a software engineer and I was building, uh, applications and then I was building internet, e-commerce applications. And those applications that I was building were getting hacked all the time. They're getting compromised and I thought, this is a really fascinating thing that's happening here. I really wanted to outsmart the attackers if I could in some way. And so, I really started to look into how this was all working, and then I kind of developed a passion in cyber security and that's how I got into the industry.

Elena Scifleet: My typical day is a lot of collaborations with other teams, coming up with great ideas and implementing it. Also ensuring that the training that I create is very relevant to cyber security industry.

Michael Warnock: There's always something happening in the world we are in. Part of a company there’s about 45 staff in our business, so there's an array of activities we do as a group, but then there's a lot of engagement out with our, our customers and our partners so that really gives you exposure to, um, a lot of different industries and sectors and people who are facing a different array of cyber activity and cyber threat.

Erika Salmon: When I was in high school, almost all my subjects were humanities. I think I only had math really, the others were, you know, like legal studies, economics, modern history, and English extension two. The good thing is it has taught me how to write and how to communicate.

Michael McKinnon: If your subject choices are technology based or maths and science based, that's great and maybe you'll go into a technical pathway. Um, but if you've got humanity style subjects and particularly any sort of legal experience, that's also a huge benefit to the cyber security industry as well.

Elena Scifleet: I have started from certificate four in cyber security through TAFE. Best part about studying a TAFE is that you do get hands-on approach. So you get to actually go and play with different devices, you get to experience how to use a scene, so it's extremely critical building out the skills and not just the knowledge.

Erika Salmon: So I started off my career in internships and then I eventually progressed to a grad role, and now I'm where I am where I am a manager.

Amit Chaubey: Sometimes you have to take the first step, and the first step would be paid or unpaid, but then once you start working in the professional world, you will meet the different people and then you'll start learning along over the period of time.

Eventually, you will realize that even when you came to the industry, you are not knowing anything, and suddenly two years down the line, you know so many people in the industry, you actually have a lot of the skillset developed. So it, it'll be a shift, but I would say the shift is good.

Michael Warnock: Yeah, the main advice I'd have absolutely spend time with your career advisor. They're there for a reason. They're to help shape your, your learning both at school and also for the, the future years after. Join networks, have a look at social media platforms. There's many of those around. There's a lot happening in the cyber realm and, uh, immerse yourself in, in what's happening in the industry. Stay across a lot of the, the, the relevant newspapers and news articles. There's always something happening in cyber. That will help when you present yourself to a future employer. That knowledge of what's happening in the industry is a, is a really important attribute to bring to the table.

Elena Scifleet: At the moment there's a, a huge shortage of female representation at industry and it's always been like that. So I definitely would like to encourage young women to consider cyber security as a profession. The image of the people wearing the hoodies is a long in the past now. People like myself, uh, are what represents cyber security industry today.

I would recommend a career in cyber security because it's a lot of fun. It's extremely diverse career, and it's also very in demand. It is at the forefront of the technology at the moment. So by entering cyber security field, you do get opportunities to experience this new frontier of technology.

Amit Chaubey: Next 15, 20 years is a lot of demand for cyber professional. So if you have that right skillset, then actually you will get a good paying job. You will be working with cutting edge technology. There's a lot of good companies across the globe and you will be possibly working for next to the one of the smartest scientists in the world. So there's ample opportunity and I would highly recommend that.

Michael McKinnon: We just don't see an end to the growth and the demand and the need of having cyber security professionals in the industry. So you're going to be safe by entering a career that is going to be there for many years to come.

Michael Warnock: For me, the importance of the industry is to really defend Australia. That's ultimately what this is about. There are various attempts every day, whether it be to banks, healthcare systems, central government from cyber criminals around the world. In the old days, it used to be land-based, sea-based, air base war. It's, it's now cyber. We all have mobile phones, we've all got digital assets. We all know that the world we're in has changed. So the ability for us to actually create good, to protect our way of life, that's ultimately one of the key reasons we do what we do In the cyber industry.

Erika Salmon: I'm never doing the same thing day in, day out. There's always something different. There's also a lot of new problems in it that you need to find new solutions for. I just find it a lot of fun to build something and create something that I can see is working and I can see is securing people and the company. It's, it's very fun.

Kyara Simms: To me working in the finance industry means being able to help people who are in need and assist them to achieve their goals.

[music plays over images of white-collar workers in the finance industry]

In year 10 I applied for a school-based traineeship. So, I applied for the position at the Commonwealth Bank with the AES, Aboriginal Employment Strategy and I got the job. So, before I worked at CBA, I worked at a Thai restaurant where I learned to interact with customers. That's helped me transition into my role and now I'm a customer banking specialist.

Kyle Sinclair: I actually, uh, wanted to be a physiotherapist, realized physiotherapy wasn't for me, you know, I had this moment of what do I do? You know, I'm, I'm 20 I'm young I need to think of what I want to do as a career. I was good at maths, loved numbers. So then I studied at TAFE for two years. When I was at TAFE, I heard, uh, stories that it was good to get, uh, experience, uh, while studying. I put my resume out to about 15, 16 accountants. Luckily, uh, Hancock and Associates was one of them, and you know, 16 years later, I'm still there.

Joel Threadgold: So, I started, uh, in an unpaid role after, after university, that job lasted about five or six months. You get 50% of everything you make and, you know, coming out of university, you need to have a little bit of funds built up. And then I moved from there into a trading platform. So, it helps people sort of buy and sell stocks. And then from there you learn enough in that job where you feel like you're capable of managing it yourself, and that's why I've moved the Australian stock report now.

[Music plays over an aerial shot of a city]

Selinna Doan: What excites me to, uh, go through numbers and analyse the data is, I guess I like finding the errors in the data. When I'm finding that, you know, everything matches and the final balance at the end, just everything just matches and it's definitely fulfilling.

Joel Threadgold: Most exciting part of my job would be closing big deals. And it's obviously quite a big sales process, um, leading up to that point and it's financially and mentally quite rewarding as well. When you, when you've sort of done, done the hard work and it's obviously paid off.

Lachlan Darmanin: In finance in general, there's just so many opportunities out there and different areas. Financial planning is a very fulfilling job, especially when you see people who, you know, come for advice and they're, um, you know, very stressed out about their situation and we, we put together a plan for them. It's not always about the numbers, it's about connecting with the clients. It's about engaging with them and helping them achieve their goals.

Kyara Simms: After I finished my school based traineeship, I received a Cert two in business services. I got a lot of support. So, I took what I learned from my Cert two, and then put it into practice.

Kyle Sinclair: I studied an advanced diploma at TAFE, uh, two-year course, full time. Found it very practical. Because you're in a classroom setting, you know, 20 people to a, to a teacher, you could ask questions, you could get assistance after class, all the teachers were wonderful. Some of the teachers were actually in their own public practice at the current time. So, they were also able to give us, uh, experiences. So not just, hey, the textbook says this, they could apply the learnings actually to real life experiences.

Lachlan Darmanin: I studied Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in financial planning at St. George TAFE. Through the years at TAFE I got to know the teachers pretty well, and eventually they helped me get a job. We had to do some industry experience as well. The best advice I can give for a young student is to try a lot of things and push yourself and learn different areas of finance and seek out work experience in that industry.

Kyara Simms: At CBA, I'm learning the skills to help people with financial hardship. My biggest, like, thing I could make a difference is helping these people organize their banking. In my role, I am also able to help my community and help them move forward.

Selinna Doan: So fun day for me as an NDIS finance officer working in the community sector, we do help the vulnerable and the disability and aged. So being able to see their smile on their faces when they go out to community outings, although I'm not the front facing, knowing that I'm able to secure income aside for them to go on these activities is a fun day for me.

Kyara Simms: Well, every day is like a fun day. You may have a inspiration story to tell. My team is very supportive, if I have a question, they’re able to help me out.

Kyle Sinclair: In our firm, we've got cadets or trainees. Um, we've then got accountants. We've got managers and we've got partners. Um, we also have an admin team that supports all of us. Everyone is approachable, um, we have a doors open policy, the partner's doors, the managers doors, everyone’s is open, so you've just gotta knock on the door, come in, have, have a talk.

How I learnt the most was actually sitting down in front of someone and them, uh, explaining why things, uh, were done that way. Why they're asking these questions. If you don't know an answer or you don't understand something, ask, um, because the only way you're going to learn is by asking these questions and through experience.

Joel Threadgold: I would say focus on your strengths because it, at the end of the day, it could just be the grades that get you to a point. They want somebody to come in and be capable of learning and being a sponge. That's something that they weigh a lot more highly here, if you’re motivated.

Selinna Doan: So, the main advice I would give to high school students is to do what they love. If they love the finance, if they love fast pace and something challenging, finance industry is something for you. If you're not too sure, seek career advice, take advantage of the support that you have around you.

Joel Threadgold: If you feel like a social aspect is a massive part of your job, and you've got thick skin, uh, this would probably be a right avenue for you to take.

Kyle Sinclair: It's very flexible. Um, so working hours, it doesn't have to be a nine to five. Um, you can also work from home these days with technology, pay is good. There's many different paths that you can take. Uh, you don't have to be stuck behind a desk doing the same thing over and over again. Also in public practice, you, you get a variety of work it's.

So, every day is changing. Uh, as you progress in, you know, your career, in the first year, you might only do tax returns. And then you'll, you know, start off with small business. Then it might be meeting business, a large business, super funds, auditing. There's so many different pathways for starting a career in finance.

Kyara Simms: If I was speaking to a high school student in my community, I would encourage them to take every opportunity that they can get as this is a life changing opportunity, working in a big financial institution and being only 20 is a big achievement. And I hope I inspire others.