Sandra's Story
Looking for a better future, my husband and I decided move to Australia from Colombia. Our dream started in 2006 and was made possible soon after when my husband first made the move to Australia. I followed him soon after on a student visa. During this period I continually improved my English skills and at the same time finished the last semester of my bachelor’s degree. We fell in love with Australia, its culture, lifestyle, landscapes and fauna. It made us realise that there were a lot of opportunities for us here so we took the first step towards getting permanent residency.
To assist with this I decided to study a Masters degree which was recognised by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). During my Masters I improved my analytical and programming skills. I was involved in different projects using technologies such as C++, SQL, ASP.NET, HTML, CSS, Microsoft Visual Web Developer and Microsoft Project Planning.
Because English was not my first language and I wanted to get involved in a real work environment to get some work experience, I decided to undertake a course called the “community and corporate engagement program”. In this program I improved my communication skills and my ability to work in a team. I made new friends and I learnt more about myself (my strengths, my weaknesses and my personal goals). As result of this program, I was motivated and I had the opportunity to work with Volunteering Queensland as a Researcher and Education Program Developer. This experience was very rewarding.
There are a few differences between Colombia and Australia. The nightlife is not as exciting in Brisbane when compared to Medellin (my hometown). The shopping centres, especially the food court are closed around 5 pm whereas in Colombia they are open until 10 pm. The Rumba (party - music, type of dancing) and the variety of places where you can go are so different.
The beaches in Queensland cannot be compared with those in Colombia. Queensland beaches are so beautiful; they are clean, the water is so clear and the marine life is beautiful. My husband and I have taken many trips around Australia – most tourist locations are easily accessible by car. One of the many factors that have impacted me the most is that I feel safe. Even though I never experienced danger in Colombia, I really feel that in Australia I can walk the streets wearing my wedding ring without caring who is behind me.
I find it really amazing how multicultural the Australian society is. You have the opportunity to interact with different cultures and I find it really interesting how people communicate in another language, how they dress, what they eat and what they think of you.
I love working at Dialog. I am so happy to be part of one of the leading IT companie in Australia and I am proud to say that I am a Dialog Consultant. The company values match my own. In the first 2 weeks at Dialog I was given extensive training and coaching in consulting skills and Dialog’s knowledge base (SAGE). I found this very useful when I went to my first client project. The people are very friendly; we are like a family working towards the same goal. I have learnt many technologies that I had never used before such as C#, SQL Server, LINQ, XML, JavaScript, WCF and TFS. Every day comes with something new to learn. I have all the support that I need, not only from the company but from my colleagues as well. It is a really cooperative environment.
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