What's your name and job title?
Allison Irvin – Blockchain technical consultant.
What did you study? When did you graduate?
A Bachelor of Science and then a Master of Engineering (Mechatronics) both at the University of Melbourne. I graduated from the master’s degree in 2016.
Where did you grow up? What was life like before IBM?
I grew up in Cairns in North Queensland and moved down to Melbourne in 2009 to study at the University of Melbourne. I worked in medical research studying type 1 diabetes during my bachelor’s degree and continued on in the lab after I finished. I then decided to study engineering as it’s a more secure career so went back to university in 2014. As part of my masters I went on exchange to the University of Arizona in Tucson to do my final year engineering project.
How did you get to your current job position? For how long have you had it?
During my mechatronics degree, I discovered that I loved software engineering far more than electrical and mechanical disciplines. So for graduate jobs I was solely looking at tech companies that were doing things to change the way the world works. IBM appealed to me in many ways as it is a well-respected company that is pushing frontiers in technology – like AI, quantum computing, cloud and blockchain. I started as a graduate consultant in 2017 and have been loving it for the last two years.
How did you choose your specialisation? Were you weighing up any other alternatives before choosing this specialisation?
I never had to decide on a specialisation during the application process or even in my first few months at IBM. One of the good things about being in a company with a dedicated graduate program is that they rotate everyone through several roles to find the sort of work that suits people best. About halfway through the graduate program I worked on a blockchain project and haven’t looked back since.
What was your interview process like? What kind of questions were you asked?
The interview process was relatively straight-forward. My CV stood out because I had a non-traditional background, having worked in medical research before studying engineering. I applied late so missed the standard interview process that most of the graduates go through. My process instead involved an interview with HR, which included questions around my previous experience and my motivations for wanting to work at IBM. I then had another more technical interview with some team leaders at IBM. I hear that most graduates go through a group assessment day, which involves an escape room!
What does your employer do?
IBM is a multinational technology company that specialises in AI, cloud, and blockchain (among other things) and helps companies transform their business in the new digital world.
What are your areas of responsibility?
As a technical consultant, I worked as a liaison between the Business teams from the client and the Software Development team to make sure that the Development team has the requirements they need to design and build solutions that meet the customer needs. This involves design thinking workshops, process mapping, user story development and a bit of software development as well.
Can you describe a typical work day? What was the last thing you worked on?
I don’t have much of a day-to-day routine; I’m doing something different all the time. Most of the day is spent working on client projects. This could mean doing background research to make sure the team hits the ground running when meeting with clients, facilitating client workshops or writing up presentations and documentation. An important part of the day is sitting with the team playing board games or working on the giant puzzle in the kitchen area. I’ve been working on a blockchain solution in the financial services sector. We all work very hard on the project so being able to take a moment to have fun and relax with the team during the day is a lifesaver!
What are the career prospects with your job? Where could you or others in your position go from here?
There are many career opportunities working in a large multinational like IBM. Options for graduates include project management, strategy consulting or sales. From my experience in different roles during the graduate program, I would prefer to go down a more technical software engineering role.
What would your career be if you weren’t doing what you’re doing now?
I think I would still be a student. I love the process of learning and I am so lucky that I’ve found a job where I get paid to learn.
What do you love the most about your job? Which kind of task do you enjoy the most?
I love the varied nature of the work; no two days are the same. Working in the technology field means that there are always new and exciting things to learn and work on. Working for people to help them do things better is also very rewarding.
What’s the biggest limitation of your job? Do you bear a lot of responsibility? Do you have to work on weekends? Are the stress levels high?
I have been on projects that are quite demanding and require a lot of time, sometimes after hours. Thankfully I have found the projects interesting and rewarding so putting in the extra hours does not feel like hard work. I’m also lucky that I have a very supportive team and manager who are careful to make sure everyone has a good work-life balance.
Which three pieces of advice would you give to a current university student?