After nine years as a labourer in a cold storage facility, Albie decided to turn his lifelong love of computers into a career.
“My job was unfulfilling and I felt like I wasn’t reaching my full potential. I had only limited opportunities where I was. I’ve always been into computers and everyone knew me as ‘the computer guy’ so I thought why not?”
Albie soon realised it’s never too late to make a change. “From day one I loved studying the course. For a change I was learning stuff I really wanted to know. It was easy to learn because I loved the content. The tutors were really helpful and the Group Leader was incredibly supportive the whole way through.”
Because Albie was one of the outstanding students of the year, he was recommended by the Polytechnic to complete his final project with Tauranga based company, Origen. For three months he created a web application that tied into their existing applications. After the presentation of the completed projects at the end of the year his boss from Origen was waiting outside to offer him a full-time job.
“He said to me, ‘Albie, have you got a job yet?’ I said no, and he replied, ‘well you have now!’ I was really blown away. In fact, I was a little overwhelmed. It’s challenging every day and I really love it. Origen is an awesome company. They really look after their staff and there’s heaps of perks working here. It’s a real buzz.”
A humble and unassuming guy, Albie didn’t realise he’d do so well during his three years at Polytechnic. During that time he gained nearly $5,000 worth of scholarship and prize money for getting the highest overall grades in four semesters and the highest mark for his final year project.
Looking back Albie believes his decision to study was paramount to reaching new heights in his life, not only for himself, but for his family. “It’s one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Now that I am the first one in my family to get a degree, I can be a role model for the rest of my family. That feels really great!”
