Meet Clarissa

Clarissa Lim first learned about the UTS Bachelor of Information Technology Co-operative Scholarship Program as a Year 12 student at high school. Now in her second year at UTS, Clarissa has already had a taste of the working world thanks to a six-month internship at PwC. 

With ambitions to work in project management, innovation design or as a business analyst, Clarissa says work experience has helped her realise that her IT degree can open the door to a much wider range of possibilities.

Internships help broaden your whole perspective and my experience with PwC has really opened my eyes to the career opportunities available. 

“It was great to see first-hand the structured graduate training programs offered by PwC and learn more about opportunities for women as well as how your IT degree is relevant across a whole range of roles and business fields such as urban architecture, tech consulting, strategy and management and more.” 

“The experience you gain during your internship help you develop a clearer understanding of what businesses are looking for. Hopefully this gives you an edge when you enter the job market as you’ll have a better idea of how to answer interview questions and how your skills match the needs of a business.” 

Clarissa says that PwC offers structured programs for students and graduates and treat you like an employee. 

“You really get to feel part of the team with opportunities to work hard on real projects as well as be part of social events that help you get to know your colleagues better,” she said.

“You also learn so much by chatting to individuals at all levels of an organisation. You get more exposure and insight into various fields and learn how others have developed their career paths and progressed to leadership positions.”

As well as gaining valuable on-the-job experience you’re also having a chance to build your network. People you work with during your internship get to see how you work which means you develop good solid referees who are in the industry, people who can vouch for you later.

Internships give you the opportunity to develop your skills and experience including sought-after soft skills. Clarissa says at PwC you learnt the importance of working effectively in a team.

“There was a lot of teamwork required for the projects I worked on, plus the chance to take on new experiences which help build your confidence such as following up with clients and other individuals in the organisation where you need to be comfortable talking to people at all levels.”

The future looks bright for Clarissa with the opportunity to explore another internship in her third year. She says that UTS’ commitment to facilitating on-the-job learning really sets it apart from other universities.

“It’s amazing to have the chance to complete two internships a part of my studies. I would really recommend it to others, as you get more of an understanding of what a job entails and how to transfer what you’re learning in your degree to a work role. It’s something that can’t be explained in the classroom and that you really need to experience first-hand.”