We’re the conduit between business and IT.'

With a long-held interest in information technology (IT), Angelo Ramantanis has always recognised that, in an industry-setting, there is often a skills and knowledge gap between the requirements of a business and the provision of IT solutions.

Wanting to bridge that gap in the industry environment, Angelo enrolled in a Deakin double degree – a Bachelor of IT and Bachelor of Information Systems (IS) – and is now working as a business analyst.

‘There’s a lack of communication between business and IT – they simply don’t understand each other. For example, the business may request that a button on the company’s website be red instead of blue. It’s then the role of the business analyst to capture this requirement and translate it to the technology that changes the button’s colour properties code.’

Angelo is employed with Melbourne-based company DWS Consulting where he gathers business requirements and translates them into technical requirements for the development and test team. The end result is an enhanced IT product for smoother, more efficient business operations.

‘As business needs change, and new technologies are introduced while others become obsolete, it’s the role of the business analyst to help grasp both what the business wants and how the technology around it can help make it happen. We’re the conduit between the business and IT,’ he explains.

Reflecting on his studies, Angelo says that one of most important aspects was the way the curriculum helped him ‘master the art of learning.’

‘It honed my ability in “learning to learn”. Finding out about something for the first time to becoming proficient in the subject matter isn’t an easy task, but the skills I picked up during my studies have made a huge difference,’ he explains. ‘This has now helped me in my work role as I am very close to the business and this requires a good understanding of the “how and why” of client requirements and operations.’

Living more than an hour from campus, Angelo appreciated the flexibility of being able to take some of his units online and says that cloud learning delivered a rich experience.

‘It provided some key benefits including being able to contribute to lectures and tutes with the online tools and utilising my time more efficiently. I was able to spend less time travelling and more time studying and this helped immensely with my work/life/study balance. It was a positive contributor to my overall study outcomes.’

Angelo’s studies also incorporated valuable work and volunteering placements including an eight-week internship with audit firm Ernst & Young, volunteering with Australian Community Logistics and a valuable internship with his current employer which not only taught him vital workplace skills but eventually led to the offer of full-time employment.

‘Volunteering and interning were very important aspects of my course. Volunteering exposed me to various community issues and helped broaden my awareness on the issues, while interning was a great little boost for my career. It helped grow my networks and gave me the visibility I need within the company to dive straight into it once I had completed my degree.’