"Whilst studying for my VCE at Bendigo Senior Secondary College I really had no idea what I wanted to do after school. Somewhere along the line I got the idea to study IT. I was originally only going to do a single degree in Business but decided to do the double degree with IT to give me an edge over other graduates.

"It just so happened to turn out that I fell in love with the IT degree more! It is challenging, practical and fun and has given me the opportunity to work at IBM and the Bendigo Bank whilst counting towards my degree. IT can take you to so many places and I’m looking forward to the variety of work it offers."

In 2008 Lizz had a position as a Business Analyst at Community Telco Australia. Early 2009 she moved to the Bendigo Bank, again as a Business Analyst but this time with a management focus.

"Way back in 2004 during my schooling at Assumption College Kilmore, I found myself seeking a career in business and it wasn’t until I began researching university courses that I saw the potential to fuse Business with Information Technology. Once I was accepted into the double degree course the IT side of the course became more appealing and I realized it was more hands on than the business side which better suited my learning style.

"At the time of my course selection the IT professional course was under construction, but I would highly recommend it as it provides guaranteed paid work placement with a recognized company which increases the value of the course to both you and future employers."

Josef won an IBL scholarship with work placements at Bendigo Bank and Powercor, Melbourne in 2008. In 2009 he has taken up an offer at Powercor, while continuing to finish his double degree course.

"I originally had no idea what I wanted to do and I actually found it unreasonable that they expected 17-19 year olds to have that idea! But I have always liked the idea of working for myself. I originally was going to just do a business degree, but then I noticed that you could do a Business/Computing degree and it was only one extra year, so I decided to go for it! Since enrolling, I have discovered that there is a severe shortage of IT professionals out in the workforce, which is making IT salaries higher. Also, with today’s ever increasing technological advances, most careers will require higher and higher levels of IT knowledge, which will make this degree more appealing than most normal business degrees! (Plus, IT can be challenging and fun!) Essentially, money, career choices, challenges and fun!"

In 2008 Ylana won an IBL scholarship with work placements in the Operations Section and the Management Information Reporting Centre at Bendigo Bank. She has continued to work at Bendigo Bank in 2009.

"I underachieved at school and spent the next five years as an unskilled labourer, which was every bit as bad as it sounds. So at 27 I returned to university as a mature age student looking for something that promised a future. IT appealed to me more than anything else because computers and technology are only going to become more pervasive, so the right knowledge and qualifications will become increasingly essential. When I also learned that there is a shortage of IT-qualified people in the Australian workforce, I realised that now is the perfect time to begin a career in this area. By far the most important thing to do with computers is connect them together, as the significance of the internet proves, so naturally I chose to specialise in computer networks with the hopes of one day becoming a network administrator."

Update 2009:

In 2008 Matthew won an IBL scholarship with work placements at Bendigo Community Telco and Bendigo Bank. Matthew continues to work at Bendigo Community Telco in 2009.