"Through workshops with the Careers Center, I also learnt how to build professional relationships and how to navigate through the workforce. I was able to put this into practice through gaining a placement at Environment Canterbury over the summer, with my internship experience at PACE being the deciding factor in why I was hired."
BSc: Major Geography, Minor PACE
"From riding shotgun in police cruisers to speaking at nation-wide conferences, my experiences through PACE ignited my passion for tech-based problem solving and kicked started my career in geospatial science.
At the start of 2021 I found myself just as clueless about the direction of my degree as I had when I first started it 2 years prior. How do I actually apply what I have learnt, or even use it to get a job that I find meaningful?
The academic world offered few answers, and so I began looking around at university. Through a one-off volunteer hackathon I was introduced to the PACE department, and ever since then I’ve been hooked – switching out my minor to PACE and taking every available course. This led to multiple internships with the New Zealand Police, where I used geospatial tools to inform road policing deployment and help prevent future crashes on our roads.
What the PACE courses offered me was a chance to immerse myself in different areas of the workforce so that I could find, and then engage my true passion. Through workshops with the Careers Center, I also learnt how to build professional relationships and how to navigate through the workforce. I was able to put this into practice through gaining a placement at Environment Canterbury over the summer, with my internship experience at PACE being the deciding factor in why I was hired.
My key takeaway from this experience has been how important taking the initiative is – there are heaps of opportunities just waiting for someone to come along and bring them to life. PACE has been the most rewarding and meaningful part of my experience at university, and by taking the initiative you too can also unlock your own dream opportunities."
