Jonathan Chua found himself re-evaluating his life during lockdown, a move that led to a new qualification and career.
COVID-19 has changed people's lives in many ways and for Jonathan Chua this has meant a career change he could not have foreseen but couldn't be happier about.
“The first lockdown gave me the opportunity to re-evaluate my interests and priorities,” Jonathan says.
“I wanted a career that provided freedom and opportunities, and so I decided to explore the tech sector after being a scientist for six years.”
Previously, Jonathan had worked as a research fellow at Blis Technologies before deciding on the career change.
He enrolled into the Otago Business Schools Diploma for graduates (DipGrad) endorsed in Information and Communications Technology.
This program allows students with a degree in other areas to acquire fundamental skills in information technology, one of the fastest growing areas of employment.
Jonathan took several papers on programming, data science and information systems, which left him feeling like he could offer a wide set of skills to potential employers.
“Ultimately, it only took me about one-and-a-half years to gain this qualification which gave me the skills I needed to break into the tech sector and provide me with a globally-recognised qualification,” Jonathan says.
“The course was flexible and catered to a wide variety of interests with my favourite part being the opportunity to work with real-world clients.”
Part of the qualification involved him doing a number of projects with local businesses and he is most proud of two projects in particular; one which involved developing a data dashboard for modelling greenhouse gas emissions, and the other which involved adding a new feature to a global software product.
“It's pretty rewarding to see the impact of my work out there in the industry,” Jonathan says.
“I would definitely recommend studying at the Otago Business School, especially if you are looking for a close community of like-minded students and want to be surrounded by academics who actually want you to succeed in this fast-evolving job market.”