Alumni

While studying at UWA I commenced fulltime work and by graduation I had established a career in the field of Facilities and Events Management working at Scotch College and VenuesWest. After graduation, I formalised my project management qualifications and started exploring opportunities to transition away from facilities and events towards strategy development and project management roles. In 2014 my background in facility and events management, combined with my studies at the UWA Business School and project management qualifications enabled me to secure a role with the Department of Sport and Recreation (Client Agency) on the Perth Stadium project as Senior Stadium Consultant.

At UWA I established many great friendships through involvement in fantastic UWA institutions such as Uni Camp for Kids, Solid Gold and Prosh. While studying at UWA I gained a great deal of knowledge but my most valued take-away has been friendships which have and will continue to generate many networking opportunities.

I enjoy working in roles that deliver community benefit. In my past roles and at Perth Stadium I have been able to clearly link my daily work activities to community benefits, that’s personally very rewarding.

By ensuring we develop a sustainable operating model and by delivering a fans first design which will inspire and delight all who visit and use Perth Stadium in the future I can be satisfied that my work will contribute to creating a vibrant and healthy lifestyle for Western Australians.

Most of my time is spent developing the technology elements of the Perth Stadium design but earlier in the project I was focussed on commercial negotiations between the State and future key hirers of the stadium (AFL & Cricket). Activities that related more closely with the Corporate Finance and Management majors I completed at UWA.

On my first day of working on the project I was handed responsibility for developing the financial modelling of all future football and cricket activities to be held at Perth Stadium. It was a daunting task but the knowledge I had gained through studies at the UWA Business School enabled me to complete the task.

For today’s young graduates it is probably more challenging finding a satisfying career path than it has ever been. This isn’t because there’s less opportunities available but because the digital world we live in can seed crippling self-doubt by allowing us to compare ourselves to whomever is at the top of the game you happen to be playing in.

Browsing Facebook or LinkedIn newsfeeds provides exposure to the stories of a 16-year-old business mogul millionaire or of a 25-year-old scientist who’s discovered the cure to antibiotic resistance. As incredible as these achievements are they aren’t reflective of the average and comparing our own achievements to others is likely to leave us feeling a bit disappointed and unsure if we’ve found the right career path. Several years ago, a Financial Times article described this phenomenon as when highly educated young people are paralysed not due to lack of opportunity, as may have been true in the past, but from an excess of possibilities. When you can so easily see the amazing jobs you could be doing it’s hard to focus on the job you are doing.

My advice to young alumni trying to find the right career path is if you see an opportunity that interests you give it a try. Jump in feet first and have a go! It might not work out but you’ll only gain from giving it a shot. Don’t let self-doubts about your suitability for the role hold you back, the more experience you can gain the better and that experience will likely open another door further down the track. If you want to end up at the top of the game you need to make a start, not putting in that job application won’t get you there.