Nancy Akl - Analyst Programmer

Bio: Grew up in Lebanon then moved to the Southwest of WA and began studies in Bunbury.

What do you do?
I work as an Analyst Programmer at a sawmill in the Southwest of Western Australia. My role involves developing a program for reporting on the quality control of the sawmill production. I get to work with a variety of people that run the mill and produce programs that facilitate their daily duties.

What do you love about your work?
It's great to work in the manufacturing industry where you can see the real life benefits the software you write has for the company. The software development aspect is also very creative. From the initial design process to the implementation, you get to see the idea come to fruition and be used in different parts of the business.

What is the money like?
About average for recent graduates, but there are good opportunities for salary packages and increases with additional experience.

How did you get to where you are today?
I studied Computer Science at ECU in Bunbury and then did one year honours research. I started this job after completing my degree and have been here since.

What made you decide to work in ICT?
The success and future growth of businesses are tightly wound into the ICT world. It is always interesting and there are always different paths to choose from that lead to some really exciting projects in the work.

Is the ICT industry what you expected?
No! I'm in and out of the office all day and have constant interaction with the other staff members at the mill. I get to work on a variety of interesting challenges that are a part of the daily mill operation.

What do you find interesting about working in ICT?
There are always different projects to work on and it can be motivating to get into a new application and build it up from scratch. The variety breaks the daily routine grind that can exist in other industries.

Where do you see your job in ICT taking you?
My job will continue to involve the development of innovative programs. I like programming and the creativity that is part of developing different software packages. 

What advice would you give someone considering a career in ICT?
The ICT industry is varied and it's good to find the area that you are most interested in. Talk to people in that area to get a better feel of what the job could be like.

Why would you encourage others to get into the ICT industry?
The ICT industry is effectively the backbone of other industries! There are opportunities to work in many different areas - it's definitely not all geeks and techies.