Rome wasn’t built in a day, it takes time to build something great. For Abdul Wadood Mohammed, it was no easy task starting a professional IT job at ATMC Sydney a few years ago but setting up the entire IT infrastructure on campus still remains as one of his major career highlights.
Originally from Hyderabad, India, Abdul excelled as a student at ATMC Melbourne. After graduating with a Master of Information Management from Federation University with an outstanding academic record, Abdul was awarded a 12-month Work Integrated Learning scholarship with the Australian Computer Society (ACS) through ATMC.
Abdul is now a respected and established staff member at ATMC Sydney. In this Q&A Abdul discusses the importance of his role and why he enjoys working at ATMC Sydney.
What do you do in your role?
There are many aspects of my role. My main responsibility is to look after the IT department at ATMC Sydney. I create accounts in the student network for staff and students, which enables them to access computers in the labs with their personal accounts details. I also manage the ATS student management system, I create time table slots for all the courses that are being offered, as well as student profiles and allocate them the courses they are enrolled in. Another aspect of my role is managing the IT infrastructure. This means I deal with repairs and upgrades or hardware devices and installation of software along with software license management. Apart from IT related work I also help with the Professional Year program in Sydney by managing the learning management system online portal, where PY students submit their assessments. In addition, I act as a supervisor for ATMC interns, I am responsible for developing a 12-week training plan for them and also assist to guide them to learn new skills throughout their internship.
What do you love about your job at ATMC Sydney?
I really love my job. It was a good opportunity for me as a recent graduate to manage the IT area at the new campus. It feels great to use the IT theory and practices I studied in real situations. It’s fun dealing with issues and resolving problems. I get a lot of satisfaction solving technical issues, so that is the most rewarding thing about my job.
How was your experience as an ATMC Melbourne student?
I totally loved it because ATMC offers a lot of support for students. ATMC offers really high quality courses and I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the college too.
What made you move to Sydney?
I have always wanted to live in Sydney. I studied in Melbourne because I had family there and I thought it would be good to have them as support while I was a student. I always planned to move to Sydney after I graduated because it’s such a big city with more opportunities.
How did you start working at ATMC Sydney?
I found out that there was a new campus being built in Sydney and saw a job opportunity for an IT Support Officer, so I applied and interview. Previously I had been working in the marketing field in Melbourne and was eager to start a professional job in the IT field.
I was successful in getting the job and I trained with the ATMC Melbourne IT department for two weeks before I made the move to Sydney.
Abdul at his graduation
What is it like to work at ATMC Sydney?
When I first moved to Sydney the campus was really new and there were only a few staff members. I played a part in organising all the IT equipment such as computers, furniture and I also helped to build the labs. Because I helped to set up the IT infrastructure, I know every part of it and I feel accomplished for having been here from the start and helping to establish the IT department.
I also work closely with staff and students. I work on each students’ individual email when I am adding them in the system, I help them with IT or technical issues like printing or the computer labs, so I get to know the students very well. It’s a great feeling knowing that I am helping staff and students.
Why did you decided to study in Australia?
I completed my bachelors in IT in Hyderabad, India before deciding to move to Australia. I knew there was great scope for IT professionals in Australia and that it would be a great place for an international student.
What do you love about living in Sydney?
Sydney is really busy, the CBD is so big and there are more opportunities here. The best thing about Sydney is the weather, it’s perfect and it’s always sunny. In Melbourne the weather is unpredictable.
What do you do in your spare time?
I try to go fishing almost every weekend with friends. I like taking photos and videos of my fishing trips. Once I showed the videos to Campus Manager Alex, the rest of the team and students as well, they enjoyed it! Then people started asking me more about fishing and which areas are the best for going fishing.
Abdul fishing