Bachelor of Information Technology Co-operative Scholarship – meet Ahnaf Rahman

Why information technology?

“Technology stood out to me as a growing area,” recalls Ahnaf Rahman about career choices at the end of high school. “The latest mobile technology, phones and those sorts of things interested me a lot.” 

Conversations with family friends and high school alumni – many of whom had studied at UTS – brought his attention to the Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) Co-operative Scholarship program. Ahnaf found the two industry internships offered and work-life balance instantly appealing.

The BIT Co-op program was unique in the way it incorporated real-life work experience. Within three years, I could complete my degree with one year's worth of industry experience. It’s completely different to what other universities offer.

Discovering professional strengths

“When students come into this degree, it's quite broad from a technology perspective,” Ahnaf comments. His internships at logistics software provider WiseTech Global and Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) provided an IT experience from technical and non-technical perspectives. 

WiseTech gave Ahnaf an insight on building, testing and deploying software in a developer’s role. He discovered his strengths at ASIC working in IT assurance and governance. “I oversaw different projects on how they were funded and tracked, and liaised with my team members and vendors.” Communication and leadership skills were essential learnings from the experiences.

Building networks

At university, events, clubs and a friendly atmosphere made Ahnaf feel at home right away. Networking sessions and other industry events were invaluable for future employment.

“Industry Q&As brought some very qualified people in their fields. In the third year, UTS invited BIT program sponsors to showcase their graduate programs. We got to apply early and directly to the HR team. Other applicants don't have that opportunity.”

It led to a position on the Cybersecurity Delivery and Testing team at Commonwealth Bank of Australia. “That was one of my first preferences,” Ahnaf enthuses. In fact, his interest in the field was sparked during a UTS BUILD exchange program at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where Ahnaf took his first cybersecurity course. “You never know if a chance to go overseas could influence your career!”

Extra-curricular activities were vital in attracting employer’s attention at graduation, he continues. As well as BUILD, Ahnaf signed up for the UTS Accomplish Award and the UTS Soul Award, a volunteering program that led to rewarding stints at the Salvation Army and Sydney Festival. 

Exploring possibilities

Ahnaf is excited about the future at the Cybersecurity Delivery and Testing team. “At the Commonwealth Bank, there are thousands of employees in this space, so there's a lot of different projects and areas I'm keen to explore.”

For people interested in the BIT, he suggests that attending UTS’s information events can help with choices. 

“Talking to someone who is doing the degree or studying at UTS gave me a clear idea of what day-to-day life could be like. That definitely helped me.”