UoW ICT Careers Night 2009 Speech

27 July 2009

Why a career in ICT? Try finding a career that doesn't involve ICT.

Over half of the world's population has a mobile phone, and they are using them for communication, education, and commerce. ICT is helping combat the spread of HIV in Africa. ICT has put man on the moon, and will be integral to putting a man on Mars. ICT is in your home, and ICT brought you here tonight.

No matter what your interests, no matter what you want to do with your life, no matter how you want to change the world, ICT will be a part of that journey.

My name is Phillip Evans and I am Managing Director of Evanscorp, a software company I started a little over 10 years ago.

My own journey started when I left high school. I was fortunate enough to gain a traineeship with BHP Steel, which later became BHP Information Technology, and studied Computer Engineering here at UoW (graduating with honours).

My time with BHP saw me travelling all over Australia working on some major projects for large companies and governments. Evanscorp has me travelling the globe, but Wollongong has always been my home and our team is based here. Our software is used on every inhabited continent and manages billions of dollars every year.

There is no doubting that the Global Financial Crisis has had a negative impact on many businesses, mine included. Despite having a comparatively lousy year we still managed to increase our staff numbers by 50% since the last ICT careers night just one year ago. We are certainly looking forward to the economic upturn that is due to start "any day now" so we can resume the 2x-3x growth trajectory we had a year ago.

You may not be aware that some of the great companies of our time have grown out of the economic upturn following a depression or recession. Google, Microsoft, and PayPal all grew out of economic downturns.

Australia is well placed to come out of the GFC strongly. Now is Australia's time, our time, your time.

With initiatives like the National Broadband Network, Silicon Beach Australia, and (a little closer to home) ICT Illawarra, the Australian ICT community is set to forge ahead on the international stage during this global recovery. There has never been a better time to join the ICT industry.

So, finish your schooling, get your degree, gain some experience, and make your personal story one of Australian ICT success.