1

Get an insight into how you en-

hance the skills you have to get an early start in your career.

Find out what you have been miss-ing throughout your university life

Discover what BITSA has been up to this year

BITSA MAGSession One 2016, UNSW Student Association | bitsa.org.au

INFS CAREERS

INFS OPPORTUNITIES

BITSA EVENTS

EDITORIAL

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We envisioned creating a magazine that would hopefully foster growth and tap into the intelligent minds of the information sys-tems community. (Hence the front cover

hehe)

This year we wanted to focus on highlighting the opportunities available to help informa-tion system students make the most of their

time at university.

We really hope you enjoy the magazine!

~ Kimberly and Denise ~

CONTENTS02

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Editorial note

President’s Address

Course Progress Flowchart

University Survival Guide

Infographic

OnePlace

Interactive Learning & Enterprise Systems

A Recap of 1602 Crossword

INFS CareersDeloitte - Graham

Networking for Success

5 Tips to Linked in Profile Perfection

INFS OpportunitiesA Taste of Technology in China

Seoul Searching

Co-op Vacancies

BITSA EventsBITSA Profiles

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PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

KELVIN HONG

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Putting it into practice.Following last year’s BITSA rebranding, it was time for us to put all the hard work into prac-tice. This year, it is time to reflect on what we did, and what we will do.

While keeping true to our roots of Information Systems students, we broadened our ‘project scope’ (heh) to include all students, regard-less of backgrounds, who had any interest in technology.

Looking into the archives of earlier years, not only did we continue to improve on events that were held previously, we looked into new initiatives, in both the social and careers side of BITSA. An O-week stall, peer mentoring, master classes, Humans of BITSA and the In-tercollegiate networking night are some of the prototypes, whilst our usual Welcome BBQ, Games night and Trivia Night have continued to improve. So with that, I would like to thank the BITSA Team in all their hard work and I hope it has been a thrilling experience for ev-eryone.

Sticking true with our pillars: Transform, En-gage and Connect, BITSA continues to link our members to the industry. With continued support from our veteran sponsors, PwC and Deloitte, we are proud to broaden our part-nership with SAP this year. Along with spon-sorship, our partnership with the intercolle-giate network of USYD BISA and UTS BiG has begun to bloom.

So with that, expect more from BITSA, be-cause we are continuing to innovate! Watch this space.

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COURSE PROGRESS FLOWCHART

. . .

~ By: Kimberly Tran~Where are you at in your information systems degree?

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Core courses

Elective courses

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HOW TO SURVIVE UNIVERSITY 101

~ By: Raymond Huynh ~

Transitioning into university can be a daunting experience for anyone regardless of having just freshly graduated from high school or travelled from overseas. Many will transition into university lifestyle smoothly while others falter. Nevertheless, under-taking a course at university is one of the most challenging phases in life yet also one of the most enriching experiences.

Whether you’re a student who is struggling with the content of the course, juggling work with study or just having poor organisation, here are some survival tips that could help make your life easier!

Tip 1: Prepare for university in advance

Before beginning the semester, it is the best to plan your sched-ule and workload each week. This schedule could include study times of the day and even time at work. Be sure to read the course outlines for your subjects beforehand to gain insight of the course content. This could help you determine if you are re-quired to purchase the prescribed textbooks or not. Remember, purchasing secondhand textbooks or acquiring a digital copy are just as good! Being prepared will put you at ease and make you confident that you are ready to go.

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Tip 3: Getting into a routine

Staying on top of the workload is important! It is important to take note of things you need to remember to do such as your study schedule or extra curricculars. It is important to attend all classes available each week to consolidate your knowledge of the course as well as clarifying confusing concepts with the lecturer or even your peers to fill up any missed information you may have. Deciding in advance when you will be studying and sticking with it is a great way to avoid studying for your exams and com-pletingassessments last minute. Try not to let problems mount up and sorting them out as you encouter them will make it more manageable. Most importantly, make sure you get enough sleep so you are energised thoroughly for the next day!

Tip 4: Being an independent learner

You will find that you have less contact times than you’re used to. It becomes tempting to spend free time indulging in other activities and find your marks falling off. No one will force you to do your work so you must discipline your-self to set up your own routine to keep track of your studies. Utilise everything the course can offer such as PASS classes and consultation times with the lec-turer in charge are invaluable to get assistance on your work. Also don’t forget to access your email for important announcements and informtion!

Tip 1: Network with clubs and peers

While you are transitioning into university life, you must always remember you aren’t the only one going through this phase. There are so many other students going through the same transition as you are. A great start is to attend orientation week, join the clubs that aligns with your interests and chcking out the off-campus events. Arriving at lectures and tutorials early is another great way to get to know your lecturer and meet your peers. This is an essential first step before organising study groups and most importantly, making life long friends. Networking drmatically reduces the stress you may encounter if you haven’t built a strong network. Having connections adds an extra layer of source for getting help with your study as well as ex-posing yourself to amazing opportunities to enrich your experience.

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INFOGRAPHICS

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The Team:

DWAYNE PERERAProject Manager

STEPHANIE TRANBusiness Analyst

MADHR VERMAUX/UI/Graphic Designer

RAFIYA HARUNLead Developer

CHUN-TANG PAIDeveloper/UI Specialist

JACOB MEREYOWITZCollaboration Manager/Developer

The Challenge:Our team was tasked with creating an innova-tive application that will create social value to UNSW students.

The Product:Over the course of 12 weeks our team em-barked on a momentous journey with many sleepless nights to come up with OnePlace. OnePlace is an event based app, made avail-able on both Android and iOS, which serves as a platform to aggregate all Arc-affiliated events into one application. By using the app, students can easily identify what, when and where events are taking place on campus at present or in the future.

~ By: Chun-Tang Pai ~

ONEPLACE

The Problem(s) Solved:As an attendee of University (I say attendee as we see value to everyone within the Uni-versity whether you’re a student, staff or vis-itor),we found that it is often quite difficult to keep up to date with activities/events around campus. Our application consolidates all the required data into one user friendly applica-tion so that finding the 6 W’s couldn’t be eas-ier. Yes, that’s right 6 W’s Who, What, When, Why, Where and Wally – our app could help you locate Wally on O-week through some of the amazing and innovative features.

Our application also solves the problem with the need for university students to be either registered on Orgsync or be following a specif-ic society’s Facebook page in order to receive updates. However, the inconvenience does not stop there – after registering, students need to constantly check the separate society pag-es on Orgsync or Facebook in order to remain up to date with their events and this creates a big hassle. Furthermore, students need to know about the existence of the society previ-ously in order to be able to follow the society on Facebook and receive future notifications. This can create a disadvantage or severe dif-ficulty for students that have not previously been actively involved in societies and want to become involved, or students that do not al-ready have a developed information network.

The Innovation:While we would love to share how our appli-cation works and show you some of the reallycool and innovative features, some of the team members are attempting to push what was

simply a fun “Assignment” into real business model, whereby the working application will be published for use by the public.

The Course:INFS3604, “Information Systems Project 1” is a course which genuinely focuses on skill development in the most practical and effec-tive way. The course introduces students to the aspect of real application development, whereby fortnightly milestones help the pro-ject team to prepare for the final pitch. The group project, which is comprised of 6 indi-viduals, is semester long and aims to simulate the waterfall software development process, in contrast to INFS3605 (Information Sys-tems Project 2) which focuses on simulating the agile software development methodology. A variety of skillsets are required and useful for the course, such as project and stakehold-er management, software development skills, UX (user experience) and UI (user interface design) as business analyst roles. However, although distinguishing team roles is recom-mended, cross functional teamwork is still necessary due to the size of the project.

~ By: Chun-Tang Pai ~

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INTERACTIVE LEARNING & ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS

~ By: Felix Tan (Lecturer in Charge) & Vincent Pang (Tutor) ~

INFS2621 Enterprise Systems

The INFS2621 course will introduce you to enterprise systems and show how they can be used by organizations to run their operations more efficiently and effectively. You will learn about the critical success factors and imple-mentation strategies that lead to enterprise system success, and about the informational, knowledge, and decision-making opportuni-ties afforded by these systems.

The ERPSim Challenge

ERPsim is a unique distribution and logistics game using SAP technology that enables the simulation of near-real-life business contexts in large corporate information systems. Dur-ing the business simulation game, students work together in a team to operate a make-to-stock manufacturing company and must inter-act with suppliers and customers by sending and receiving orders, delivering their prod-ucts and completing the whole cash-to-cash cycle. Teams that generate the most revenue whilst maintaining costs wins!

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CHALLENGING OURSELVESTHROUGH

ERPSIM~ By: Halim Yoo ~

What did you enjoy the most from the Enterprise Systems course?I think what I enjoyed most about INFS2621 was the way the classes were structured, and the way the course content was set out. The course content was more engaging than a tra-ditional class where you’d just read off lecture slides or from the textbook, we had in class activities that encouraged hands on, collabo-rative thinking.

What are some of the key takeaways you have gained from participating in the ERPSim challenges?I think the main takeaway from participating in the ERP Simulation challenges was that, while there may be different operations of a business, in order to achieve the most favour-able outcomes and work efficiently, you have to ensure that the different parts of the busi-ness are functioning equally as well. For ex-ample, you might have managed your supply chain the best out of the other teams but you cannot expect to have the highest net profit when your pricing analyst has got all the pric-es wrong and you’re selling your goods at a price either too high or too low.

How has this impacted upon your under-standing of Enterprise Systems?I think my participation in ERPSim Challenges have affected my understanding of Enterprise Systems quite positively given that it added further depth to the theoretical stuff you learn in lectures and the textbook as it had added more substance behind it.

How do you think this experience would be useful in the future?I definitely think the SAP ERP Simulation games are the right way to go in pushing for collaborative thinking and more hands on interaction throughout classrooms. Lectures and textbooks are alright but I feel that the ideology of interactive learning will play a big-ger role in education in the years to come.

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CLUES:Across

5. In a light-footed fashion, lithe first years sprightly learnt about a swift new manage-ment system6. Your friend when it comes to 16027. The brand that first year IS students can no longer wear due to Assignment B9. The theory that companies focus on small niche markets10. One of the 6 V’s of big data which suggests ‘habitual truthfulness’.13. Your very best friend when it comes to timed quizzes14. The first company case study.18. The opposite of a primary activity19. The term that makes you think of construction companies but really it just describes businesses in physicality21. The number of building blocks used to build social media.22. The name you always reference in all IS short answers.23. A type of advantage that puts a company in a favourable or superior business posi-tion.25. The name of the lecturer in charge for semester one26. A concept that the lecturers try very hard to explain, yet still no one understands. A term which could be used in Geography 1001.

Down

1. The only chain model that you will need in any assignment.2. The number of quizzes undertaken over the course of semester.3. future web capabilities.4. The name of the guest lecturer from Week 9 that blew all our minds in the field of cyber security.8. large-scale application software packages that support business processes, informa-tion flows, reporting, and data analytics in complex organizations.11. Once a place where water flows over a vertical drop, now a development process.12. An ethical principle which reminds IS students that there is no such thing as a free meal15. The format Assignment A was in that destroyed first year lives but entertained everyone else. Uploading to Youtube has never been so tense.16. A type of communication that does not involve being social.17. A composition created by blending two or more songs, or the definition of google maps.20. Words that shorten business jargon which are formed from the initial components of other words, testing the memories of IS students but making them sound extra smart24. When companies get other companies to manage inventory levels

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A RECAP OF FIRST YEAR 1602~ By: Elysée Ng ~

How much do you remember about INFS1602? Test out how much you know in our crossword!

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CAREERS

5 SINS OF LINKEDINDon’t get arrested by the LinkedIn police!

Jerry tells us 5 things not to do on LinkedIn.

A PEEK INTO DELOITTE DIGITALBy Graham Price, a Senior Digital Architect at

Deloitte Digitial

NETWORKING SUCCESSLearn how to network with BSOC President, Alan Huynh

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Hi Graham! To start off would like you to tell us a bit about yourself?

I’m a Brit originally, but I’ve been in Sydney for just shy of ten years, half of which I’ve been work-ing in front end development at Deloitte Digital. In my spare time I like reading trash fantasy nov-els, lying on the beach, mojitos, Star Trek, hi tops, and serial commas. Not in that order.

What type of career did you envision back when you were studying and how did you end up in your current role?

My degree was in Classics so I actually planned to be teaching kids Latin and Ancient Greek in schools or university, but it didn’t turn out that way. While I was a student, I started playing with HTML in my spare time, and with this experience I landed some vacation jobs doing website devel-opment at Mars, Inc. I didn’t expect it, but this was the start of my career which went on to include a number of jobs at digital agencies in London and a job at the BBC working on the forerunner of the BBC iPlayer. I moved to Sydney in 2006 and worked at Massive, Razorfish, and finally Deloitte Digital.

So Graham, are you a business oriented ana-lyst, or a technical developer?

A bit of both. I came to Deloitte as very much a technical developer, very focused on my craft. But Deloitte has encouraged me to lift my head out of my technical silo and understand how front end development fits into the wider pro-ject, and how these projects are key to our cli-ents’ success as businesses. It’s very easy as a developer to be user-focused, but we have to also remember to balance user goals with our clients’ business needs.

What is it like working at Deloitte Digital? What is the culture like?

I’m going to avoid that tired old line of “we work hard and play hard”! We do work quite hard and the challenges keep coming, but this has been my longest job for a good reason. The first thing I noticed when joined Deloitte was the calibre of my colleagues, the team here are very smart, and as well as being hard workers, they know how to let their hair down; I was on holiday so I missed the last party - but I’ve seen the photos and I can’t lie, I’m jealous.

A PEEK INTO DELOITTE DIGITAL

~ By: Graham Price ~

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Our new CEO, Cindy Hook, has placed a huge em-phasis on the health and wellbeing of our staff, which really resonates with me because I’m a to-tal gym junkie; it’s refreshing to havepeople talk so much about keeping fit and well in the work-place.

Another issue that Cindy champions is diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and this is anoth-er one that’s close to my heart. I’m gay, and I’ve always felt comfortable being out at work, but I know that this isn’t everyone’s experience, so it’s important to me that Deloitte takes diversity and inclusion seriously, and I’m involved with that through our LGBTI working group.

Could you tell us what you get up to during a typical work day?

A typical work day starts for me at the gym, it really wakes me up! But once I’m in the office, my work is pretty varied.

As a manager, I can be across two or three pro-jects at the same time, overseeing teams of front end developers in each. A typical day on any pro-ject starts with a 15 minute stand up (Agile term for a short team status meeting), followed by chats with developers, creatives, or UX designers to resolve any curveballs we might come across. Key to delivering projects well is collaboration, so talking is important. After that, I might help the guys in my team with any tricky coding prob-lems, or assist with reviewing code.

I always try to get out of the office for lunch for a change of scene and some fresh air, but every few weeks the front end team will have a lunch & learn session - this is where a different team member teaches us something new.

After lunch, I might check in with my team at a different client or spend some time contributing to a pitch for new business. We have a big focus on personal development at Deloitte, so aside from catching up occasionally with my own coach to talk about how I’m tracking with my goals, there are 4 people in my team who I coach. I check in with each of them every few weeks to make sure they’re getting the challenges they need from the projects they’re working on, and that they’re generally happy.

There’s actually a lot more I could talk about, but I’ll leave it there! Come and talk to our grad re-cruitment team and find out more ;)

What would be a piece of advice you would have for someone who is interested in user experience/interface design?

My focus is very much on front end development technologies, so I would say, get your hands dirty with some coding! There’s no substitute for try-ing new tech yourself and having a play with what’s out there. The developer community is really strong and there are thousands of coders on the net who will help you out with your ques-tions, but you’ve got to get stuck in yourself. Sub-scribe to blogs to keep up with latest trends, but above all – PLAY!

Tell us an interesting fact about yourself?

I don’t know if this qualifies as interesting to an-yone else, but despite having lived in Australia for ten years, I’m still a DIEHARD Eurovision fan. So you can imagine that I was totally beside my-self that my new home country got to take part for the last two years. #DamiWasRobbed.

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WHAT IS NETWORKING?

What is “networking”? According to the Oxford dictionary, it is; interacting with others to ex-change information and develop professional or social contacts. But what does it really mean?

It’s about building relationships with people.

These relationships are typically more formal and can often lead to deep insights into specific industries or even open employment opportuni-ties. Networking should be aspired to in the same way success should be – constantly. It’s a life-long activity that can provide mutual benefit for many.

WHY SHOULD I NETWORK?

1. RECOMMENDATIONS

Having a respected member of a company vouch for you can be the spark that you need to network further, find a new client to revitalise your busi-ness or even have you entering your dream job.

~ By Alan Huynh ~

2. CONTACTS - IN DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND LOCATIONS

Underpinning an increasingly global business and technology environment is the impetus to collaborate with teams around the world, and even work globally with others. An extensive network facilitates this to great effect.

3. DISCOVER DEEPER INSIGHTS

Networking with company representatives can give you an insight into the working culture and their real day-to-day workings. This is useful be-cause not only can you understand what your dream job may one day look like, you can also learn about the key drivers for the company – for example the demand of Information Systems/Technology students.

4. BUILDING FRIENDSHIPS

Whilst networking can feel superficial, therein lies the opportunity to meet people and develop friendships. You could find a potential mentor, or a friend who will support you in both your pro-fessional and personal life.

NETWORKING FOR SUCCESS

~ By: Alan Huynh~

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HOW DO I NETWORK SUCCESS-FULLY?

1. DEFINE WHAT YOU WANT TO GET OUT OF NETWORKING

As you can see above, there are many different reasons to network – the challenge is finding what is suitable for you. Depending on the stage you are at in your university career, you may find it more prudent to explore different paths.

Pre-penultimate years (before your second last year):

• Learning about company opportunities (development or STEM programs) • Understand the different service lines and what’s involved in each • Establish and begin building your network

Penultimate (your second last year) and Final years:

• Involve yourself in their internship/ graduate program • Encourage recommendations through your network

2. KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT

• Do your research beforehand – this will give you more context to talk about with industry representatives • Doing this allows you to have more interesting conversations

3. MEETING SOMEONE NEW

• Stay focused on those you talk to – keep your body faced to them • Match energy levels as you converse• Have a conversation – not an interrogation – ask questions and share your thoughts too

• Avoid questions that would make the person uncomfortable (political views, salary)

4. YOUR PERSONAL BRAND

• Your actions and how you present yourself represent your personal brand – keep yourself in check, both physically and online! • Use LinkedIn well, check out our past winners of the BITSA LinkedIn Competition to see a notable benchmark to model your own accounts

STAYING IN TOUCH

If you’ve had a great conversation with someone, take the initiative to offer to stay in touch. Ask for their LinkedIn and continue your conversation with them through there. It’s important that as you do this, you recognise that this is a mutual re-lationship – look to provide value for both your-self and them.

So with that, head out to your next networking event and meet someone new!

Best of luck!

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5 TIPS TO LINKEDIN PROFILE PERFECTION

I’m not an expert by any means, but winning the BITSA LinkedIn competition this year did give me a chance to meet with a senior con-sultant at Deloitte, which definitely helped me land a vacationer role at the position I have al-ways wanted. Here are some 5 common mis-takes out there if you’re just starting out.

1. YOU DON’T FILL YOUR PROFILE AND KEEP IT UPDATED

The number one mistake that most people make is not completing your profile. Imagine browsing Zomato, finding that perfect place to eat tonight and bam – no menus, no opening hours, no photos. Not as tempting now is it?So do the right thing with your LinkedIn pro-file and fill in the deets. Not just your

“Bachelor of Commerce at UNSW” and flick back to the 9GAG tab. Add your extracurric-ulars in high school & uni, volunteering in the past, even awards you are proud of (and no, that Participation ribbon in Year 4 Swimming doesn’t count). Recruiters love to see who you are and personality through your experience, so show them your eclectic and stimulating life!

Upload a display picture as well. Not the one of you lying on the floor last Friday night, or a tourist mugshot on your pilgrimage to North-ern Tibet for inner enlightenment (save those for your Instagram). We’re looking for a pre-sentable and dashing one of yourself looking sharp in business attire. Don’t have one? Get a friend to be your photographer at your next professional event. Finesse af.

~ By: Jerry Yip ~

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2. YOU DON’T EXPAND YOUR ONLINE NET-WORK

LinkedIn is not a place to be hard to get. Follow up on your new connections after networking events with a sweet little digital thank you note through an invitation to connect, some-times complementing your follow-up email.

And don’t just use the default template - Per-sonalise that invitation by stating how you met, what you discussed and any questions you’re still wondering about. You never know, having another friend who has experience in the industry definitely opens doors through advice, mentorship and even career opportu-nities.

3. YOU DON’T PARTICIPATE

Take 15 minutes off Pokemon Go and just have a browse through LinkedIn Pulse updates. Join groups in your interest and follow Influencers who are pioneers in the sector. Industry news are always interesting to spark conversations at networking events, interviews or just with friends, and having your own real world per-spective is a key criteria recruiters look for. Find an article interesting? Like it or even share it with your LinkedIn network! It’s like Reddit except you actually learn something relevant…

4. YOU DON’T PERSONALISE AND PRO-MOTE YOUR PROFILE

With all that hard work done, we can all it a day. Wait, what!? Now it’s time to show off your shiny new polished social media profile to the world!

Choose a custom Public Profile URL in set-tings, and find something that resembles your full name. Something that doesn’t look like a phishing link. Next, consider hyperlinking that (or even generating a QR code) to include in your resume, bold and proud next to your beautiful name. Provide a click to action for your recruiters, who will love the adrenaline rush going on an adventure online from your paper resume just to see more details about you.

5. YOU DON’T PAY ATTENTION TO DETAILS

It’s the little things. Lighting and cropping your profile picture, the correct company logos in your experience list, and whether your tagline is short and succinct. Read, double check, tri-ple check and review what you have written. Have consistent formatting and profession-alism free of grammatical errors throughout your summary, experience, and invitations.

I follow this rule: List 2-3 responsibilities, and at least 1 qualitative or preferably quantitative achievement. Even if you were a crew mem-ber at Macca’s, your experience wouldn’t just be “flipping patties” everyday; it is “adapting to change in a fast paced environment work-ing efficiently in a team”, “achieving store KPI and recognised as Employee of the Month for 4 consecutive months”. You are a winner, everyone is a winner, and people want to see your achievements.

That’s what I can think of off the top of my head. Got any questions? Feel free to send me an invitation, and let’s keep in touch.

Regards,Jerry Yiplinkedin.com/in/jerrycyyip

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OPPORTUNITIESA TASTE OF TECHNOLOGY

IN CHINATravel. Learn. Party. Explore.

SEOUL SEARCHINGThinking about going on exchange?

Hear about Cynthia’s experience to Korea.

CO-OP VACANCIESEver been envious of co-op students? Learn about Ray’s internship experience with the UNSW co-op program.

A TASTE OF TECHONLOGY IN CHINA

~ By: Helen Zheng and George Fadel ~

The INFS3020 International IS/IT Practicum

The course provides Information Systems stu-dents with the opportunity to further their knowledge and understanding of the interna-tional aspects of IS and IT in a business context. This is facilitated through first-hand observa-tions of businesses in an international environ-ment.

Students will be provided with exciting opportu-nities to experience China and learn how IS/IT enabled business systems differ across national boundaries through visiting organisations oper-ating in the IS/IT sector in the Chinese market as well as other organisations across a num-ber of sectors with a significant IS/IT footprint. Fieldtrips to important cultural landmarks and sites will provide students with a unique oppor-tunity to learn about the local culture.

What attracted you to the the course?

The thought of travelling to a culturally-rich country that is rapidly advancing in all facets of IS & IT. - Helen

I felt as though it would provide me with a greater insight into the importance of infor-mation technology in today’s globalised soci-ety, particularly through site visits to some of China’s largest e-commerce companies. In ad-dition to this the fact that the course not only provides a culturally rich perspective on the implementation of Information Systems and Technology, but demonstrates the real world application of the theoretical concepts that we have been learning, was also a major factor in me choosing to apply for the course. - George

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A TASTE OF TECHNOLOGY IN CHINA

What would you tell someone who is considering taking the course?

You have not witnessed innovation until you have visited the companies that INFS3020 takes you to. These Chinese companies are at the peak of supporting and encouraging youth start-up companies by providing financial sup-port, resources and open workspaces. - Helen

Not only is the course an opportunity to gain a deeper insight into International Business, it also provides the platform to gain an under-standing of a highly innovative culture whilst having a lot of fun along the way. - George

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENTSSITE VISITS

The paradigm proliferation of “Made in China” to “Created in China” was noticeable as we visited many different innovative companies. The most engaging company visit was Didi, a ride-sharing service that was established before Uber and had a slide and amazing rooftop terrace in their office. - Helen

CULTURAL TOURS

Tianjin Ancient Cultural Street was superb - there were fancy, articulate and cheap gifts to bring back to family and friends - Helen

During the trip I was also able to tick off two major Bucket List items. The first was climbing the Great Wall and second was experiencing the Forbidden City. These were definitely highlights of the trip and have created memories that will last a lifetime. You never know you might also be able to say you’re a celebrity for the day! - George

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

Going to karaoke at midnight and having the room until 6am and eating scorpion at WangFuJing - Helen

It was definitely an eye opener to see the level of importance placed on family by the Chinese and this attitude is something that absolutely influ-enced us as a group. Whether it was organising fast food feasts after a long day of site visits, experiencing Chinese nightlife and trying new things as a group, or even the occasional drink-ing games to celebrate our hard work. We were immediately influenced by the collective nature that surrounded us and this was undeniably ev-ident on the trip. - George

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SEOUL SEARCHING

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WHY EXCHANGE?

Exchange has been something on my bucket list even before I knew exactly what I want-ed to study at university. The thought of being able to live and study abroad for a period of time, ignited the wanderlust within me.

WHERE AND HOW LONG DID YOU GO FOR?

I did exchange for about four and half months in South Korea, studying at Seoul National University.

WHAT WAS THE BEST THING ABOUT EX-CHANGE FOR YOU?

It is hard to choose a single best thing about exchange, but the first thing that came to mind was the opportunity to foster my own independence. Living by myself for the first time, I think I came to realise the number of things I had taken for granted living at home, such as home cooked meals and sharing house chores. However, with this independence, I also enjoyed a sense of freedom to explore the Korean culture without the usual constraints of work or university stresses back home.By choosing South Korea, I was able to expe-rience an environment so different to the one we have at home here in Australia. Addition-ally, I spoke very limited Korean. Both of these factors combined, really pushed me outside my comfort zone, and surprisingly I had fun doing so. The new can be scary, but it can be equally just as fascinating.

WHAT WAS THE WORST THING ABOUT EX-CHANGE FOR YOU?

Honestly, I think saying goodbye to friends at the end of exchange was the worst part of the entire experience. During exchange, these friends become your second family. It was re-ally hard going from seeing them almost ev-ery day, to not knowing when you will be able to see them next.

HOW WAS YOUR OVERALL EXCHANGE EX-PERIENCE?

In short, exchange has been an amazing ex-perience. A truly unforgettable experience. Exchange enables you to fully immerse your-self in the local culture of your host country, something you don’t get to fully experience when you’re simply travelling for a week or two. It enables you to meet wonderful people from around the world and foster friendships that seem more like family. It en-ables you to create vivid memories that you know you’ll carry for a lifetime. I would say to anyone considering doing exchange, do not hesitate, it will definitely be well worth.

~ By: Cynthia Rahardja ~

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CO-OP VACANCIES

Over semester one I was fortunate to intern at Westpac as part of an Industry Training Ex-perience placement. This has provided me an opportunity to gain a first-hand experience in working amongst the technology field.

During the course of six months, I was placed within the Westpac Institutional Banking dig-ital area. My project focused upon revolution-ising and digitalising the banking experience for Westpac’s commercial, corporate, institu-tional and government customers (although I’ve signed some paperwork that prevents me from saying much more, sorry!). Working within an agile team, I was able to understand the end-to-end process from the point where there was a business need for something, to its development and subsequent delivery, which was quite fascinating and rewarding.

In my role as business analyst I engaged with stakeholders to bridge the gap between busi-ness requirements and technical delivery. Ad-ditionally the customer experience designers

~ By: Ray Chan ~

placed their reputations on the line and en-trusted me to complete some visual designs and wireframes, after I told them I did a bit of graphic design in my spare time. This has been invaluable as I was able to gain insights surrounding the nature of customer/user ex-perience within a corporate context, which is the career path that I ultimately want to end up in.

As a university student, there’s always a wor-ry at the back of your mind about life after university. For me, this internship has pro-vided me an invaluable experience where I’ve enhanced my business acumen and skillset, which I hope to leverage to gain further op-portunities. So you might be wondering, “how do I get involved?” So every now and then, the Co-op office has a number of vacancies for these opportunities at various compa-nies. They are generally advertised through the Co-op website, emails sent to your UNSW account, and on our BITSA Facebook page; so keep a look out!

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BITSA EVENTSROAD TRIP

GAMES NIGHT

COCKTAIL EVENING

SAP CODEJAM

DELOITTE TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

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BITSA ROADTRIP

Our first BITSA event this year was our annual Roadtrip, where students from different years embark on a roadtrip to a far off destination and kick back. This year we headed up north to Pittwater YHA, located within the Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park along Morning Bay, a ferry ride from Church Point.

And oh boy did we underestimate when the last ferry departs.

Once we managed to get across the lake, we were given our first major task: to wheelbar-row all our groceries and luggage up a hill for 15 minutes. Taking turns hauling our belong-ings was a real workout, which was rewarded with a pretty hearty BBQ once we reached the top. We mingled and got to know each other, whilst others cracked open the alcohol and got to work. And I’ll say I didn’t particularly remember the first night too well.

The next day we got stuck into our activities, with Kayaking in the morning. The weather and the water blessed us with a sunny day and a low tide, so we crossed the lake and ex-plored around the area. Hewson also had mad fun with some jellyfish, which will be great-ly remembered. We had lunch and then em-barked on an adventure exploring around the area, including an abandoned police station and the cliffs. The second night closely fol-lowed the antics of the first night, with Ben-nyMunns getting people to run the ‘gauntlet’.

Overall the road trip was successful, with everyone enjoying the few days in the fresh air and environment. Many friendships were made, a few chunders here and there and good vibes sums up the event pretty well!

~ By: Kelvin Hong ~ ~ By: Elysée Ng ~

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GAMES NIGHT

The annual games night happened earlier in semester one. A rousing success, students from all year groups and disciplines ‘passed GO’, meeting and mingling with others in the information systems realm. Munching on piz-za and beverages, BITSA took over the Wurth room in trademark turquoise and grey and rolled the dice for some intense game rounds. Over the course of the night, Jenga was espe-cially precarious with some creative towers being built, Uno destroyed friendships with

the use of the terrifying +4 card and the mas-sive game of ‘Articulate’ generated intellec-tual screams of terror and elation. As well as this, cards against humanity brought out the best out of some and FIFA displayed on the big screen added some physical sport factor. BITSA would like to thank everyone who at-tended this amazing night and hope everyone made a stack of new friends (without losing old ones…).

~ By: Elysée Ng ~

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The BITSA Business and Technology Cocktail Evening was the first collaboration of the In-formation Systems societies from UNSW (BIT-SA), UTS (BiG) and USYD (BISA) to create a joint event for the benefit of their members. Behind the scenes, planning was complex as the executives from the 3 societies had to en-sure that all of societies as well as their mem-ber’s needs were catered for.

The night begun with a brief introduction from the large number of sponsors who were present. They had filled the whole front row of a function room and took turns introducing themselves and differentiating themselves.

The Big 4 accounting firms were called out by the some of the more “hip” technology compa-nies. The night then proceeded with a “speed networking’ session where circles of chairs were formed and sponsors in their pairs would rotate every few minutes around the circles where the students sat. Here the stu-dents were able to hear about the sponsored companies and were able to ask questions.

The last part of the night was an informal net-working session over pizza and light drinks. Some people took to the balcony to contin-ue their conversations and many students seemed to benefit from the engagements. Overall, the night seemed to be a success judg-ing from the feedback from the members!

BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY COCKTAIL EVENING

~ By: Hewson Tran ~

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With SAP as a new sponsor for BITSA this year, it was exciting to see an opportunity quick-ly arise for an event in partnership with SAP. With a special guest all the way from Poland, we were introduced to the world of data vis-ualisation at CodeJam!

The topic of focus for the event was SAP Lu-mira: a self-service solution that allows for the business to access, transform and visualise data to understand the large volumes of infor-mation in data sets. As such, it was definitely a great opportunity for individuals to learn more about business intelligence, and to de-velop some skills at the software that would be valuable for future careers.

The event started off with an introduction from a deep and insightful (as well as well re-hearsed!) introduction from Witalij Rudnicki, a SAP Lumira specialist from Poland. From the beginning of data, and even some interesting facts of data trends from examples such as the Black Plague, our understanding of data was re-written and shaped before even touching Lumira!

Subway sandwich platters and cookies were consumed when we started to get a hands-on with the SAP software, as Witalij demon-strated and explained the concepts of a ‘dash-board’. After getting Lumira installed on our own laptops, we started playing with the demo data sets and experienced ‘data-visual-isation’ first hand. Everyone took their time to learn the different features and different ways to visualise the data, such as through maps, pie charts or data plots. After getting a hang of Lumira, we started working on a few workshop exercises with Witalij providing us support. It was a good opportunity to work with and network with other attendees, as well as chatting to Witalij about his past and his pathway to the future!

It was definitely an intriguing experience for everyone (maybe except the SAP interns, who were already experts!), and was definitely an enjoyable event to start BITSA’s partnership with SAP.

~ By: Kelvin Hong ~

SAP CODEJAM

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DELOITTE TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

During the first semester, the BITSA team had a flying start with one of the premier events with sponsor partner Deloitte. The Deloitte Technology Showcase highlighted four diverse business lines and the opportunities available within the information systems sector.

Through a series of presentations and speed networking sessions students gained a great-er understanding on growing streams such as cybersecurity and user experience as well as Deloitte’s movements within the enterprise application service sector. Penultimate and fi-nal year students received advice in relation to Deloitte’s coveted graduation and summer positions.

This condensed experience provided a real-istic perspective into the work that Deloitte’s consultants and analysis do on an average day at the office and provided a valuable network-ing experience for all involved. BITSA would like to thank all participants in-volved and the Deloitte representatives for the resounding success of this event. BITSA looks forward to continuing these showcases in the future.

~ By: Elysée Ng ~

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EXECUTIVE TEAM

KELVIN HONGPresident

LARRY UNGUROIU

Vice PresidentExternal

BEN MUNNS

Vice PresidentInternal

CYNTHIARAHARDJAVice President

Internal

HEWSONTRAN

Treasurer

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CAREERS TEAM

RAY CHAN

CIO

CHARLTONTANG

Secretary

CHELSEASARGEANT

Secretary

WILSON HUA

Careers Director

ELAINEYAN

1st YearCIS

HAMISHCOWAN

1st YearBIS

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EVENTS TEAM

EMILY XIE

SubcommitteeMember

JUSTINZHONG

SubcommitteeMember

FELIX CHOW

SubcommitteeMember

SARAHPAEK

SubcommitteeMember

LUCYWU

SubcommitteeMember

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DIGITAL TEAM

DENISE JIN

Creative Director

KIMBERLYTRAN

Magazine Editor

ELYSÉENG

SubcommitteeMember

RAYMONDHUYNH

SubcommitteeMember

AMYGUAN

SubcommitteeMember

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THANK YOU FOR READING!. . .

We hope you enjoyed the 2016 BITSA Mag.

~ Kimberly and Denise ~

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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONORS