IT – Systems Analysts/Programmers

If you’re into IT as a Programmer or Analyst, chances are you haven’t considered the forest and wood products industry.

Like many industries, it traditionally uses manually operated equipment, but now in increasingly turning to compute controls.

From mobile machinery, such as harvesters, to new processing and manufacturing lines in saw mills and plants, digital technology is changing the workplace.

Not only will you have the opportunity to drive this change – but you’ll have the satisfaction of working with one of the world’s most environmentally friendly materials, sustainably sourced wood.

Role:

Roles will vary according to the position, however your working day could include:

Troubleshooting and problem solving
Systems analysis and programming
Software development
Data aggregation and analysis
Report design
Liaising with operators and management.

Ideal attributes:

Relevant experience, plus good analysis and problem solving, good written and verbal communication skills, able to accept responsibility and ability to work autonomously or as part of a team.

A high level of understanding and commitment to occupational health and safety is essential.

Qualifications:

A graduate or postgraduate degree in computer science or the equivalent.

Employers in the forest and wood products industry are very supportive of ongoing training and skills development.

Employers:

Potential employers include:

Wood processors and wood product manufacturers
Industry suppliers

Nancy Akl - Analyst Programmer

Position:

Analyst Programmer

Company:

Wespine Industries

Qualifications:

Bachelor of Computer Science – Computer Technology with First Class Honours

Age:

What is a typical day for an Analyst Programmer?
Usually I start off in the office and review our software to see if it is continuing to meet the requirements of the business. If when assessing a business need, I find an area that needed to be improved, I talk to the users and discuss exactly what new systems they require, work on that system, develop it, test it out, come out on site and install it.

The day is varied; I get to go in and out of the office, which is an aspect of my job that I really enjoy.

How does your job make a positive impact on the industry?

Compared to other IT jobs, this one is very practical and hands on. You deal with the people directly and you see how your program affects them and you’re able to be onsite when needed.

That’s definitely one of the benefits; you can talk to people directly and not be sitting in your office all day. Being on site also means responding to issues that arise a lot quicker and being able to facilitate what the workers are trying to achieve. It also provides real time feedback and a lot of reporting and information that we couldn’t of otherwise gotten, so in that way I can actually see what I do making a difference.

Do you enjoy living locally?

Life in Bunbury is very relaxed and enjoyable. It’s nice to be right on the ocean where everything is readily available. To be able to work in IT in a small town and not have to move to a big city is a positive about the industry.

The city lifestyle’s nice if you want to go shopping, clubbing or to concerts but because we’re not too far from Perth, it’s easy to do such things on a weekend or day trip.

Travelling is also something which appeals, and being in the timber industry I know a lot of people who have been able to travel nationally and even internationally to other mills or other suppliers of equipment, so you do get a chance to travel and see other areas of the world.

^{Please note: We spoke to Nancy about her career and what she does day to day. We hope you find this useful and interesting – but please remember, that all jobs are not exactly the same and other roles with the same title may be different in many respects. You should confirm all the details of a particular job with the organisation offering it.}

“My job makes a difference because the programs I write are used by people in their every day lives and they can really make their jobs a lot easier.”

IT Programmer - Nancy Akl

Submitted by melissa.houghton on Mon, 2011-02-21 10:13

Nancy talks about the benefits of working as an analyst/programmer in the forest and wood products industry.

Video:

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Nancy Akl - Analyst Programmer

IT Programmer - Nancy Akl

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