Shailee’s path to a full-time IT career

Shailee was unsure about her future after finishing high school, but through a traineeship with NEC, she has successfully completed a certificate in information technology. This led to a full-time job and a nomination in the 2020 Northern Territory Training Awards.

When Shailee left high school, like most teenagers, she was not exactly sure about the paths she could take to build a career. After completing an Indigenous work placement program with NEC - a multinational company specialising in information technology and electronics - she was offered the chance to complete a traineeship with them.

“I studied one day a week as part of the TAFE program which allowed me to work the remaining four days,” she says.

Shailee was grateful for the opportunity to study at CDU because of the ability to stay close to home. She was also inspired by those who graduated before her.

“It was exciting to be studying place where so many successful locals had studied before me,” she says.

“I was very happy to undertake my course at CDU because I felt I would be well supported and have the best chances of a successful completion.”

A supportive community

Shailee believes the community at CDU played a key part in helping her succeed. She began her traineeship with very little experience in the IT industry but those around her were supportive of her regardless.

“Learning something almost entirely new was very challenging for me,” she says. “My classmates had prior knowledge on a lot of the topics, and they helped a lot.

“The lecturers were easy to get along with; they always went above and beyond to help.”

Study techniques for success

As well as balancing work and study commitments within the traineeship, Shailee also managed to balance family life and sport.

“A timetable helped me to juggle my time. I cut back on the amount of sport I was doing and spent most of my free time studying,” she explains.

Having a dedicated study space away from distractions helped Shailee to make the most of her study time. “Having no distractions also helps to avoid procrastination,” she says.

Shailee also relied on alternative study techniques to help her remember facts and figures.

“Making flash cards and playing online study games that were related to my course helped me to overcome the challenge of remembering all this new information,” she says.

“Make sure you are ready to commit to study and choose a course that you will be interested in.”

Shailee plans to continue her path in the IT industry. Her traineeship with NEC and her TAFE course at CDU has set her well on the way to progressing even further.

“I now have the potential to become an ECU engineer at NEC, and my certificate in information technology will be helpful in any future IT role I wish to take on,” she says.

Shailee’s further success looks promising, having been nominated for Trainee of the Year in the 2020 NT Training Awards.

 

Could a career in information technology be right for you? Find out more.