A fascination with computers prompted Southern Cross University Bachelor of Information Technology alumnus, Jake Jensen to trade the jet-setting pro-athlete lifestyle and the best office in the world as a lifeguard, for an IT desk job. And he's loving it!
It's a good thing he embraces change – according to Jake, that's an essential personality trait for anyone wanting to pursue a future in technology.
As a professional stand-up paddle (SUP) athlete, "I spent seven months of the year, for six years, touring the United States, the Middle East and Europe, then back to Hawaii," said Jake, who was among the world's Top 3 paddlers at the height of his sporting career.
When he wasn't competing, the Palm Beach-Currumbin local was saving lives on some of the busiest tourist beaches in the world, as a Gold Coast City Council Lifeguard for 10 years, while also launching a business with mates, importing and exporting SUP equipment.
That's when he discovered something, other than water, could float his boat – coding.
"I taught myself the code to build the business website," Jake said. "I wanted to further my knowledge, so I jumped right in, and took on the Bachelor of Information Technology to see where it could take me."
Jake immediately found the degree relevant to his lifeguarding work, and the ingenuity of his capstone project grabbed his employer's attention.
"Council has around 40 lifeguard towers, 200 boards, thousands of signs, cars and so much equipment," he said, "but, at the time, the management, maintenance and fault recording process was not automated."
"So, I took the opportunity to approach the Health and Regulatory Services department, and developed asset management software for them," he said.
Jake praised the flexibility of his online degree which allowed him to continue his full-time work on the beach.
"With lecture recordings, I could come home from work, listen to lectures then watch them back later to refresh my knowledge," he said.
Jake found the pace of the Southern Cross Model – with six-week terms – set him up well for the IT workforce.
"The degree forces you to grasp things quickly, and with the speed at which technology changes, that's definitely a skill you need in your job."
"To succeed in IT, you need to be self-motivated to engage with the latest updates. You have to want to learn and experience new things."
His attitude helped Jake land his first IT developer position, with energy infrastructure business, APA, while still studying.
"With the move towards more renewable energies, it's an exciting place to be with so much change coming, and the development of new technologies and processes," he said.
"What I like most about software development and coding is that you are involved in a project, from start to finish.
"Unlike an industry, such as construction, where you have architects, engineers, builders and interior designers, within IT you design, develop and build a solution and work through that whole pipeline."
Jake has thoroughly enjoyed learning new things, so much so he's now considering further study with Southern Cross.
He's keen to delve deeper into the world of artificial intelligence (AI), and software development associated with pioneering private space exploration projects.
"We're not able to fully harness the potential of AI just yet, but it will play a massive role in every area of life. It will be interesting to see the progress in 10, even five, years," Jake said.
Now, as a proud first-time dad to 18-month-old Hazel, Jake ponders the impact new technologies will have, on both of them, during their careers and lifetimes.
