Alumni Stories
From Legos to enterprise systems: Joshua Astron’s IT journey
Joshua Aston grew up with a curiosity around building things.
“As a kid, I was always into Lego. I was into constructing things, so I guess I had always been drawn to engineering that way,” he said.
Perhaps seeing something in her son, Joshua’s mum signed him up to the Khan Academy to supplement his high school education. It was through the platform where he was first introduced to programming.
“I was about 13 or so, just starting high school when I first started basic programming. I think kids today probably start a bit younger, but at that time, it was unique because there weren’t a lot of resources like that,” he says.
Once he finished school and it was time to figure out what to do next, Joshua was faced with a dilemma. He knew he wanted to keep pursuing programming, but he wasn’t sure which avenue to take. He looked at the job market, and based on his research, it wasn’t a surprise to him that most employers required a certificate or a degree.
He eventually came across Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT)’s offerings and figured that he’d go along to its Open Day.
“I learned that they offered a Certificate IV in Programming and that was of great interest to me,” he says.
The one-year experience at CIT gave Joshua a good starting point on what the IT industry might potentially look like for him once he enters the workforce. Joshua said that there was a lot of practicality in what CIT provided in the coursework that he took and the skills that he gained.
“I learned a lot because CIT allowed me to get hands on pretty much straight away in a lot of the units that I took,” he says.
“In my database unit for example, CIT basically allowed us to dabble in the practical side of things straight away. It was very hands on and almost from the start, we were building something straight away – it was essentially a learn-as-you-go type environment which I really appreciated.”
Once he finished his Cert IV at CIT, Joshua felt that there were still some gaps in what he wanted to get out of his studies, so he looked at pathways to uni and eventually decided to go to UC because he liked the Software Engineering course, and felt that the university was very “community-based”.
“I knew off the bat that I wanted to do Software Engineering, because I wanted to focus on AI and robotics, and everyone at UC was just so friendly and approachable when I was going through the process of choosing my next chapter,” he said.
Having studied Programming at CIT already, Joshua was able eligible to receive credit towards his degree through recognition of prior learning (RPL), resulting in six months being taken off his degree. The practical skills that he gained also helped him in his transition to uni, where he was able to do a deeper dive into the more theoretical aspects of the profession.
“What I really liked about UC was that it gave me a good understanding of processes from a theoretical point of view. In Systems Analysis and Modeling unit for example, UC was good in teaching us to think critically about methodologies and our approach in problem solving,” he said.
“These are things that I still use a lot daily in my professional life right now.”
UC also gave Joshua an opportunity to broaden his network. He helped run the IT club which allowed him to connect with fellow students and industry. It was through the club that he managed to get a lead on a valuable internship with Chartertech.
Today, Joshua works at Datapod, a Canberra-based IT company that specialises in data centres. He’s currently working on a custom in-house software with the potential to revolutionalise the company’s business processes. He credits his CIT and UC education for giving him a good foundation that eased his transition into the professional environment.
“CIT gave me the skill and tools to breakdown a problem on a more technical level, and UC gave me the tools to work from a planning and theoretical level. In a lot of ways, it was like the perfect marriage,” he said.
“When I landed this job at Datapod, from day one, I really felt ready to go. I felt I had everything I needed, and it was time for me to put it all into action.”
Although unconventional, Joshua says he wouldn’t change anything about his journey, and highly recommends it for students who are uncertain about what they want to do after college.
“I wouldn’t have done this any other way. I got a chance to start small – CIT was great because it was a one-year commitment. I was able to figure out if I was really in this for the long haul, and if I wasn’t, at least I got a Certificate out of it. But I realised this was what I wanted to do, and that’s where UC was a great next step.”
“It helped me fortify my skills and knowledge further and helped me build contacts and relationships that will probably last me the rest of my life.”