What's your job about?
carsales is the largest online automotive, motorcycle, and marine classifieds business in Australia. The Technology Graduate Program provides the opportunity to move through three, six-month rotations, which allows you to explore different aspects of the business here at carsales. So far, I have completed two rotations: one as a Full Stack Developer, one as a DevOps Engineer. I am now in my final rotation as a Product Designer. In each rotation, I have had a chance to work with a different team, and manager, and adapt to a new role. The best part about rotations is the idea of learning new things and understanding how you can grow in more than one way. I have, also, had multiple mentors across all these teams, who I still reach out to for advice. My team members, too, have supported me while I learnt how to do things. In fact, my first few weeks were about asking lots of questions and receiving all the support I needed.
My day usually starts with me checking my emails and messages. This helps me prioritize tasks for the day. Thereafter, we have a stand-up ritual, where we discuss what is planned for the day, what we worked on yesterday, and if we have any blockers. We, also, use this time to get personal updates – like plans for the weekend. Thereafter, we start working on our tasks and ping each other if we need any help or just to casually talk at times.
What's your background?
I was born in Rajasthan, India. I lived across five different states and changed about nine schools by the age of seventeen. I was busy wherever I was: be it meeting new people, studying or participating in extra-curricular activities like student councils, debates, and Model United Nations (the world's largest and oldest ongoing university-level Model UN that address current global issues). Being a part of different committees at different schools and even colleges, discussing issues that would impact the world, representing different nations was exhilarating, and finally, speaking at the United Nations in New York was a dream come true. I have always been a goal-oriented person: excel in academics, speak at the UN, study abroad, and the list goes on. Making these planned goals a reality meant stepping out of my comfort zone, making an effort, and looking forward to the feeling of excitement. I still remember my family’s sense of pride and the joy I felt when I received my bachelor’s degree in software engineering (with Honours) from the University of Queensland. This is, also, where I landed my first job as an academic tutor. Imagine teaching the courses you learnt as a student while you are one!
After graduating in 2021, I soon applied to the carsales graduate program. I went through the selection process, which included an assessment, an interview, and an assessment centre. After this I, successfully, landed the role of a Technology Graduate. I’ve now been here for a little less than one year and each day has been nothing less than exciting!
Could someone with a different background do your job?
For sure! You will receive an immense amount of support from your managers, mentors and team members for learning new skills and they will do their best to allocate work that would make the most of your current skills. Unique perspectives may enable you to see things everyone else has missed.
Additionally, the best part about working in the industry is that it's ever-changing and if you are open to adapting to those changes there is nothing that can stop you. At the same time, communication skills, willingness to learn, and being open to constructive feedback are essential to be a successful technology graduate.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
The coolest part about my job is the sense of responsibility I am given. Recently, we decided to remove redundant resources on our main accounts (accounts that impact our websites) and as a part of my rotation, I was helping clean up these resources, which included shutting down load balancers, and volumes, and even stopping some services. Due to my rotations, I can, now, see a problem from three different points of view and realized that this perspective gave me an even deeper sense of responsibility. Therefore, now I am driven to look at problems as opportunities for learning.
What are the limitations of your job?
The willingness to change your work quickly to adjust to updated requirements is essential to working in a fast-paced industry. Priorities evolve with time, so switching between multiple tasks based on these changing priorities can be fun but also stressful. Finally, accepting the fact that there will always be room for improvement (as a team and as an individual). While it sounds easy to do and would lead to growth, it could cause frustration. Therefore, I believe it is vital to have a positive outlook when dealing with any situation that puts you out of your comfort zone.
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