Uni a nerd-free-zone as colleges experience magic of IT

Edward O'Daly

7 November 2006: The University's School of Information Sciences (ISE) and Engineering is doing its bit to explode the myth of the IT geek.

Last week's informatics day, where students from ACT high schools and colleges visited ISE for a day of fun IT activities, was part of its program to engage the community and show what a career in the industry is really like.

Students from Dickson College, Erindale College, Canberra Boys Grammar and Lake Ginninderra College attended the event Photo: Michelle Khoo

"The perception that IT is a nerdy business is wrong and it has to change," ISE head Dharmendra Sharma said.

"IT careers have changed. In this day and age it's not about just 'cutting code' - the industry needs dynamic people with good people and business skills.

"The way we get that message out is by engagement."

Professor Sharma explained "innovative" events like the informatics day were an important part of the process and he hoped it would become an annual event.

The day was the brainchild of senior lecturer David Clark who said the intention was for students to "have fun".

The activities mirrored the real world tasks of IT professionals and saw students test the useability of websites, fix bugs in software and learn the programming required to draw simple logos. Activities also took them to the fictional Canberra School of Magic.

James Spears from Canberra Boys Grammar said the day had been "pretty challenging" and he'd learned more about how the IT industry had changed. He hoped to pursue a career in IT, he added.