About 750 Year 10 to 12 students took part in the Perth Big Day In event which was this year hosted by Murdoch University.

Two giant marquees were  organiused by the university to house this event. One for the presentations and the other for the expo area.

Professor Tony Watson, Chair, WA Chapter & Director, Australian Computer Society (ACS) Foundation opened the event along with Professor Kylie Readman, Pro Vice Chancellor Education, Murdoch University.

They both emphasised the importance of this type of event to help  students with their decision making as they complete their secondary schooling and plan the next stage of their lives.

The Hon Kate Doust MLC, President of the Legislative Council then addressed the audience about  how the WA government are working to help provide opportunities for young people to thrive in a technology rich world.

Michelle Sandford, Evangelist for Microsoft and Chairman of ACS WA is a former TedX speaker. She is a strong advocate for STEM, the Games Industry & Developers and shared how the IT industry is not just about coding and how many places there are for women. She also shared how important developing creativity skills is for anyone wanting to work in IT.

I was the second keynote presenter for this event and was very pleased to complement Michelle’s presentation with some of the research about the importance of creativity.

Other presenters at this event included:

• Dennis Prior, Department of Human Services – Cyber Security & You
• Bankwest Graduates – Technology, Pathways and You!
• WiseTech Global – How To Be Your Best You
• Ben Leane, Avanade – Finding Your Dream Job In IT
• Stephane Bullier & Jake Chance, Technology One – How You Can Shape the Next Generation of Enterprise Software
• Charlotte van der Meulen, Westpac – he Coolest Jobs in Technology Right Now & Where to Find Them
• Captain Kaitlin Gilbert & Captain Chloe MacLachlan, Defence Force Recruiting – ADF ICT Career Opportunities
  

The expo marquee was very active with lots of offerings from Murdoch University as well as a range of vendors and other education groups.

I was particularly impressed with the Photoshop and Wacom demonstrations from the Murdoch University Graphic Design and Media representatives.

I also loved the large wall that students were encouraged to write on  based on the topic My tech dream is …

Here are some of my favourite responses …

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and especially …

Special thanks to John Ridge and Kerrie Bisaro from the Australian Computer Society Foundation for inviting me to present and all the hard work they put into these events.

Also, thank you to Oakley Hand from Upper Hand Designs for taking  many of the  great images above.

Here are all the sponsors that helped put this event together