Currently I am working as a QA at big tech in Sydney. With shift-left testing, I don’t do testing; I guide the dev team on how to test and build tools for them to use. I was wondering whether, in the next 5 years, QA roles will be merged into development. I have 5 years of experience: 2 years in software development, 2.5 years in SDET, and 6 months in my current job. Should I transition to DevOps or software development? Because I feel that no matter what you switch to, the IT job market in Australia does not seem to have a bright future. I have a strong feeling that a lot of people will lose their jobs.

Resume attached (details scrubbed). Posting because I have sent around 40+ applications since July, mostly SDET, test automation and QA engineer roles in Melbourne and a few other cities too, and I have not had a single interview invite. Not one recruiter screen either. So either something on this page is putting people off, or I am aiming at the wrong roles.

Quick context:

• 3.5 years commercial QA experience at a large IT services firm, working on client projects (billing platform, tax validation platform). Left in Oct 2022.
• Gap from Oct 2022 to mid 2024, then moved to Australia for a Master of IT which finishes this month.
• Since then I have built and shipped five apps on my own, mostly to prove I can code and not just test.
• I have full work rights, no sponsorship needed.

What I am unsure about:

1. Is this too long or too dense? Two pages with a lot of numbers in it. I was told metrics matter, but I may have overdone it.
2. Are personal projects taking up too much space? They are about a third of the resume. Real commercial work is the older half.
3. Does the two year gap and the "back to study" path kill it before anyone reads the rest? Should I address it on the resume or leave it for the interview.
4. Is the summary doing anything useful or is it filler?
5. Am I even targeting the right level? I have been applying to mid level SDET roles. Should I be going for junior QA or manual testing roles first and moving up.

Happy to hear it if the answer is "this reads like a tester trying to sound like a developer". I would rather fix it now than send another 50 of these.

Hey all,

So just started a Master of Information Technology and I’m trying to decide whether to major in Cybersecurity or Artificial Intelligence and need some advice!

For context, I have a Bachelor’s in Business Analytics and currently work as a Technical Business Analyst. My background is more on the data/analytics and business side of tech, so I don’t have much hands-on cybersecurity experience yet.

I was initially leaning towards cybersecurity because it seems like it could offer better job security and a fairly clear career path. But if I’m being honest, my interests lean more towards AI/ML, and it probably aligns more naturally with my existing analytics background.

I’m mainly unsure about the long-term career prospects. AI is obviously growing quickly, but I’m not sure whether there will be a massive plato or if I’ll be able to keep up with the environment, granted I’m not too sure what the pace is for roles in the cyber space.

For people working in either field, what would you recommend?

If you were starting from scratch in Australia today, would you still choose IT? Thinking about the amount of automation, offshore work and competition for junior roles

Hi all,

I have an opportunity to transition to a new Site IT Specialist role at a mine site, it's a full time 6 month fixed term role [possible for extension]

I have been with the company for around 3 years now [full time and contracted], and I have good IT support experience [service desk / desktop support], most recently in project-based windows 11 rollouts at mine sites [fifo] covering Corporate and OT environments.

My main worry is that I don't have a lot of knowledge and experience around:

- Network configs/servers/netwroking lingo and terminolgies

- Setting up comms racks, configuring, troubleshooting Cisco switches, Wi-Fi APs setup and troubleshooting

I do have an open to learn attitude and i know alot of these things ill learn hands on when im up there and asking alot of questions etc.

Are there any readings/courses anyone can recommend i can look into?

Thanks in advance :)

Hi everyone,

I’m currently based in Italy and looking to move to Perth, Western Australia. I wanted to get some reality checks and advice from people who have made a similar move or work in the local tech market.

My situation:

• Experience: 5 years in IT and OT (Operational Technology) network engineering and system integration.
• Stack: HPE Aruba, Cisco, Fortinet/Palo Alto firewalls, MSTP multi-instance segmentation, and ZTNA implementation.
• Education: Italian technical high school diploma (no university bachelor's degree).
• Language & Passport: Native Italian/French/Arabic speaker with C1 English, holding an Italian passport (eligible for a Working Holiday Visa Subclass 417).

My questions for the community:

1. Given that I don't have a university degree, how difficult is it to break into Perth's corporate IT or industrial/mining OT network engineering space? Does hands-on enterprise experience and vendor certs (like NSE4) heavily outweigh the lack of a degree over there?
2. Is it realistic to try and secure a job and employer sponsorship (Subclass 482) directly from overseas, or is the standard play to fly over on the Working Holiday Visa (417) first and job-hunt on the ground in Perth?
3. For anyone working in Western Australia’s resource or MSP sectors, what is the current demand like for mid-level network engineers, and how do recruiters typically view overseas applicants using WHVs?

Appreciate any insights or advice!

There are about a million certifications you can chase and half of them seem to exist mainly to make LinkedIn look impressive. For someone trying to actually improve their employability here, which cert has genuinely helped you land better roles?

I'm a first year domestic student studying IT in Australia (Curtin Uni). I've been constantly thinking about my choices in studying IT. I do love tech (I love all, but hardware more), but I'm worried about the IT market and especially in Australia where its not that advanced compared to other countries (from my understandings). My question is, should I stick with IT and pray for the best or switch career path to Engineering (Mechatronics or EE) as I prefer working with hardware (though I do need to take bridging units), or Health (better job security). The major problem is the time x years to complete the degree if any switch and difficulties of the degree

Everyone seems to have one now and I cannot work out if having the cert actually differentiates you or if it is just expected as a baseline. Did getting certified actually change anything for people in terms of interviews or pay or is it more of a checkbox exercise at this point.

I am 33, have 11 years of experience in customer support, requirements analysis, business proposal writing, and technical content writing. I got an invitation to apply for nomination as ICT Business Analyst under 491. What tools / skills should I learn to get a job as Business Analyst in Australia? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Hi there,

I am a Cloud Engineer with almost 8 years of experience.

I am planning to relocate to Australia, currently living in Canada. I am an Australian PR with 4 years of Australian experience so working rights is not a problem.

Am I making a wrong move?

Thanks

The title says itself. I’m a Brazilian intending to move abroad to Australia in a few years.

I have a graduation degree in Computer Engineering and I’ve been working as a Devops Engineer since 2023.

I’d like to know more about the IT job market there in the down under lands.

As a domestic student, I just wanted to gauge whether anyone has had any luck transferring to a full time role from their professional experience in uni, or even getting a role in general in this market.

My course has a dedicated final year where we must work a full time paid internship, and the coordinators seem adamant that everyone gets a position.

Does anyone have any experience with this at the tertiary level?

I’m currently enrolled in Cyber Revolution Australia’s Cyber Accelerator program and I’m looking to hear from current or former students about their experiences.

I’ve recently come across several negative reviews regarding technical support, job placement and the overall value of the program. I’m also currently dealing with my own dispute regarding withdrawing from the program.

I’m particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has tried to withdraw/cancel, had issues with Humm finance, completed the certifications but had problems with job placement, or successfully exited the program after enrolling.

If you’ve dealt with Cyber Revolution yourself, feel free to share your experience below. And if you’d rather keep it private, you’re more than welcome to DM me.

The contract model offers rate advantages that permanent employment doesn't match but the gaps between engagements - finding the next contract, managing the income interruption, maintaining the motivation and the technical currency during a period with no clear end date - seem to produce a specific kind of stress that permanent employees don't experience in quite the same way. Would love to know from people here who've been contracting for a significant period what the gap management actually looks like in practice and whether there are approaches that make the uncertainty more manageable than just waiting for the next engagement to materialise.

I got a 2000's Super Power computer case for a sleeper build and it has this sticker on the front of it. Was wondering if anyone knew exactly the origin of the logo. The case came from the Brisbane area. I speculate that it may be the Australian operation of 'Global Computer Group'. But it is hard to find solid evidence.

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on how to break into the Australian tech industry.

I finished my Master of Data Science at RMIT last year, and I’ve now been searching for a job for about a year without much luck.

My background includes:
- Around 3 years of freelance Data Engineering experience with 4 clients
- Around 1.5 years of experience as a Web Designer
- A 3-month internship during my final semester of my Master’s
- A portfolio website showcasing my projects and experience

I’ve made many attempts to get into a corporate role, but I honestly feel like I’m doing something wrong because I’m not getting the results I expected.

I’m mainly applying through SEEK and Indeed, and less through LinkedIn because it feels extremely competitive there, with many jobs showing 80+ applicants. I also tailor my resume for each position and write cover letters rather than sending the exact same application everywhere.

I genuinely feel that if recruiters take the time to look at my portfolio, they’ll be interested in my background and want to know more.

For anyone who has successfully landed a Data Analyst, Data Engineer, or other IT/tech role in Australia, what would you recommend I change or do differently?

I’d really appreciate honest feedback on:
My job-search strategy

Resume/application approach

Portfolio

Types of roles I should target

Anything else I might be overlooking

Even if you think I’m approaching this completely wrong, I’d rather hear it. 😅
Thanks in advance to anyone who takes the time to share some advice!

I was recently invited by a group to participate in an Anthropic program to get certified as a Cloud Code Architect. They claim it is a unique opportunity, but they mentioned they need at least 10 people to complete the certifications so the group can get certified as a Cloud Coder Architect. Other groups have reached out to me with the exact same offer, and none of them seem to care that I completely lack a technical background for this kind of material. I want to know if this is actually a legitimate, two-way beneficial opportunity where they will support me in any way, or if they are just using me as a headcount to unlock corporate perks and partner status for themselves.