When did you start having an interest in technology? I first used a computer in year eight. As my school had a new computer lab, it was compulsory to do both typing and computer studies. Not knowing how to use a computer, I struggled at first; it also didn't help that I was assigned the computer that kept crashing for what seemed to be no reason. As I started to get confidant with computers and I learnt to type, I found that they were a great tool for communicating. Everyone at my school used MSN and it was a way I could chat to my friends and family in other states and around the world. The more I used computers, the more problems I encountered. Programs didn't do what I wanted them to do, and I felt restricted. So I naturally put lots of effort into understanding how they worked and I tried to work out how they could be fixed.
What aspects of technology interest you most? My current interest is how technology is used to communicate and transfer knowledge. Our world is becoming more technical, which changes the way we do things. We no longer have to send letters and important business documents via snail mail, we can simply click a couple of buttons and the recipient can read the document while you are talking to them face to face via Web cam. How people share their knowledge and use technology to do that fascinates me. Technology always keeps me thinking as it is always changing .In my spare time, I enjoy catching up with people. Before I moved from Brisbane to Sydney, I ensured all my friends and family had purchased headphones and I have set them up with Internet chat programs, so we can talk real time .
Were there many other girls interested in and studying IT related subjects in your year, and of those that were, do you know of any that went on to develop a career in the industry? There was one other girl in my year that was interested in IT and completed IPT (Information Processing and Technology) in senior year with me. She is currently completing a Business and IT degree and is keen to get out into the industry.
Did you feel encouraged or discouraged by teachers and careers advisers to study and world in IT? I attended a girls' school and IT wasn't viewed as a very feminine field of study to be undertaking. Lots of the information provided to us at school was about business law, science and hospitality courses but definitely not IT. I believe this to be due to a lack of knowledge about IT in general.