University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Aashka Desai

Master of Engineering and Management (Telecommunications)

My field of work is telecommunications engineering, and I wanted a course that would mix that with management – so I could prepare myself for my future career plans without losing the touch of engineering. I chose UTS’s course over other unis because I heard a lot of good feedback that UTS has great industry connections. It’s such a dynamic university. I researched UTS graduates and found they have such a good profile. Because of this lovely balance of engineering and management, I have planned my studies so that each semester I have two technical and two management subjects. So, I don’t have an overwhelming feeling of just doing one thing and then not end up liking it. I can build on my engineering skills and learn more from research about it.

Giorgia Rapella

Bachelor of Communication, Journalism and Public Communication

In Communication, we get real opportunities to practice our skills. That’s what I really like. It’s a direct approach, an opportunity to build your own experience and your own portfolio before finishing uni, to show off to the workforce when you’re ready to enter it. One of the assignments I’m working on now in my Public Communication major is to design a brand strategy for a real-life company. It’s definitely a great chance to see what the industry’s like for yourself, rather than imagine it from afar. I love Sydney, that’s why I decided to move here. Being from Europe, Australia is a dream destination. It’s so different. In Sydney you have the beach, the city and the mountains all close by. And it’s such good weather. I love seeing other cultures. Back home, I never experienced multiculturalism like in Sydney.

James De Vera

Master of NFP and Social Enterprise Management

Before coming to UTS, I was working in the development sector. In the Philippines, my work is to support and coordinate youth organisations with community projects, so they can solve problems in their communities. I joined UTS’s Big Lift program after a friend of mine said it would be a good opportunity for me to learn how community projects are run in Australia. It’s a great experience, and beneficial to my degree. Participating in the Big Lift was a great way to learn more about what youth organisations are doing over here in Australia. We visited five rural towns with populations of less than 1,000, and we helped with activities like painting classrooms, cleaning public spaces, setting up gardens and all that. Aside from the volunteer work, we also communicate and ask questions about the situation in the area and get to know a different side to Australia that you don’t see in the city. I feel like all the things that I’ve learned so far from this course will be really helpful when I go back to the Philippines.

John Phuc Khang Cu

Bachelor of Computer Science

UTS is a vibrant university and I’ve met a lot of people. Being here is a very good place to practise your soft skills, because nowadays communication is everything. It’s very important to your career. Even for technical degrees like computer science and IT. The societies are really active and they have a lot of events where you can go and talk to people in the industry and workshops where you can improve your skills. I’ve been to a few events organised by the Tech Society and the Programming Society. It’s a great way to meet your employers and see how careers in the field would be like. The facilities at UTS are great. There are computers everywhere and the wifi’s fast. I think the lecturers are fantastic, because they themselves are really good at what they do. Before I came to UTS I had taken a semester at a university in Vietnam; the lecturers there just taught from book chapters. But it’s different here. They really go in-depth about the subject and make it really understandable.

Cindy (Hsinyu) Lin

Master of Business Administration

Coming to study in Australia, I really wanted to study at a university where they support startups. I was also looking to meet lots of people from different industry backgrounds. I signed up for the UTS Startups Bootcamp, which is a two-day event that let us workshop business ideas to solve real problems in society. It’s open to everyone, no matter what course you study. The presenters weren’t just standing there with a power point telling you what to do. They actually let you think from the beginning and enact ideas yourself. It gave me a chance to give things a try, rather than just learning second-hand from a case study. Before, my mindset was so conservative. I didn’t like to speak up when I had an idea. But the people at the UTS Startups Bootcamp were so cool and creative. I’ve learnt from their attitudes – it feels like nothing is impossible now. You just have to be active and do it.