The Early Impact #1

Welcome to the first edition of The Early Impact!

Author

Noah Pincini
March 01, 2024 • Est. Reading Time: 10 minutes

👋 Hello!

Welcome to the first edition of The Early Impact, the newsletter that provides you with news, updates and resources on how to build your career as an emerging professional.

As this is the first newsletter, I’ve got a whole bunch of content to share from February (as well as some bits and bobs from January and late 2023), so be advised that subsequent editions of The Early Impact may not be as long.

Right now, the frequency of the newsletter is still to be confirmed, primarily depending on the quality of content that I can find and give to you, but I’m hoping to find a nice balance that keeps you informed and entertained without inbox overload.

Let’s get into it!

📰 News & Updates

The monthly roundup of emerging professional news and updates

  • AFR: Top 100 Graduate Employees 2024 (AFR)

  • Prosple: Australia’s Top 100 Graduate Employees (Prosple)

  • Australia’s gender pay gap explorer: where does your employer rank? (The Guardian)

  • Employment growth slows, but wages set to rise in 2024 (ABC)

  • Grads should look to these sectors for top starting salaries (AFR)

  • The most in-demand skills for 2024 (LinkedIn)

  • The men saying no to uni and yes to being a tradie (AFR)

  • Booming jobs mean booming graduate salaries (AFR)

  • Jobless rate rises above 4pc for first time in two years (AFR)

  • The Most In-Demand Jobs on LinkedIn Right Now (LinkedIn)

📑 Publications

Useful references, documents, and sources

  • Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia Skills and Salary Survey 2023 (IAPA)

  • Gen Z and Millennial Survey 2023 (Deloitte)

  • Australian Computing Society Digital Pulse 2023 (ACS)

  • NSW Digital Skills & Workforce Compact [2023-30] (NSW DoE)

  • Australian Tech Salary Guide 23/24 (Think&Grow)

  • National Careers Information Survey (Your Career)

  • Mind the Gap: How Gen Z is disrupting the workplace in 2024 (Jabra)

  • What are the most prestigious companies? (Prestige Hunt)

  • Australian Universities Accord Final Report (Department of Education)

📢 Opportunities

Limited-time career paths, educational scholarships, and professional growth opportunities that can shape your future

  • Tech Council’s Virtual Work Experience (Tech Council)

  • Westpac Youth Challenge [age 16-21] (Westpac)

  • Data Science Case Competitions (Kaggle)

  • L’Oréal Brandstorm Innovation Competition (L’Oréal)

  • Unilever’s Innovation Challenge (Unilever)

  • Google Summer of Code (Google)

  • Global Case Competition at Harvard (GCCH)

  • Australian Training Awards [VET] (Aus Gov)

Looking for more opportunities that aren’t time-limited? I’m slowly developing my Emerging Professionals Link Database containing links to job sites, career guidance, learning opportunities and more!

Coming soon!

🗓️ Events

Online and In-Person events for progressing your career

  • Explore and learn from different career journeys [Sydney In-Person] (Australian Computing Society)

  • Beyond Networking: The Art of Relationship Management on LinkedIn [Virtual] (Engage AI)

  • Join an Institute of Applied Technology Digital Information Session [NSW Virtual] (IAT)

  • Join an Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) Construction Information Session [NSW Virtual] (IAT)

  • Build Club [Multiple events listed here] (Build Club)

  • QPay: Discover and join university clubs and events [Multiple events listed here] (QPay)

  • International Women’s Day virtual events and workshops [Multiple events listed here] (Strivin)

🧠 Thought Leadership

Expertise, insight, opinions and experience in careers

  • If universities make us so clever, why aren’t we richer? (AFR)

  • Ten pieces of career advice that are actually worth listening to (SMH)

  • What do young workers want? A pay rise, or a house? (SMH)

  • Why we shouldn’t be afraid to change our mind – in both careers and politics (SMH)

  • 5 Steps to Fast-Track Your InfoSec Career (Phil Venables)

  • Going into the Office for the First Time? (HBR)

  • How to Thrive in the “Skills Economy” (HBR)

  • How to avoid a car crash interview [as seen by the Woolies CEO] (AFR)

  • How to get a job at a top-tier law firm (AFR)

One great career tool you need

Grow with Google is a Google initiative that offers free training, courses, tools, workshops, helpful resources and even certifications to help you grow your business or career.

Previously, I completed their Google Project Management Certificate and am now studying their Google Cybersecurity Certificate, hosted on Coursera (another great learning platform).

🃏Quick Extra

A bonus from me

“How to sound smart in your TEDx Talk” by Will Stephen is a hilarious 5-minute talk that shows foolproof presentation skills that make you sound brilliant -- even if you are literally saying nothing.

I actually performed this myself in a drama performance that I did in Year 9 in front of nearly 900 people at my school's Gala Arts competition. It's literally saying nothing for five minutes, but you'll hopefully walk away thinking something really intelligent stuff was said, just because of the way it’s presented. If you'd like to see my version, you can find it on my LinkedIn.

👤 Featured Profile

Spotlighting an emerging professional

For this week’s Featured Profile, it’s me! As the first edition of the newsletter, I thought I would introduce myself, but in the following editions, I hope to spotlight emerging professionals from a variety of industries.

👋 Hi, I’m Noah! I’m a cybersecurity consultant at PwC and in my job, I primarily work with clients to uplift and implement strong cybersecurity solutions across cybersecurity strategy, risk & transformation, as well as cybersecurity culture, change & behaviour.

I joined PwC in 2022 initially as part of their Higher Apprenticeship program, a 2-year program where I developed my skills across business and technology by working on challenging client work or internal projects, while completing formal training and studying towards a Certificate IV in IT and a Diploma in Business. After completing my program, I was offered a role to continue in the business as an associate.

To do this program, I had to leave my double bachelor’s degree (Media Communications & Cyber Security), which I had just finished my first year of at Macquarie University. It certainly was a nerve-wracking experience, given the traditional pathway into the workforce has been through university and graduate jobs! Additionally, before this program, I had previously worked at HOYTS cinemas, Rebel Sport, and at my old school as a Drama Tutor. All 3 of these jobs helped build a lot of the foundational soft skills that I still use to this day in my job.

As an emerging professional, investing in yourself is essential, and there are several ways to do this. Throughout my time at PwC, I have been lucky enough to be surrounded by many incredible professionals who have provided me with career guidance and mentorship. I’ve also had a variety of opportunities and experiences, which have built the essential professional skills, my industry knowledge, my network, and more. Finally, I’m always looking for something new to learn and upskill myself, whether it’s about new cybersecurity, business, emerging technologies, well-being, or trends. This comes through opportunities such as work projects, case competitions, and passion projects, but also resources like books, podcasts, and learning platforms; there’s a lot out there to help you.

So, to sum up how I’m building my career:

1. Find a mentor or someone you look up to for career guidance. How did they get to where they are today?

2. Say “Yes!” to opportunities and experiences that come your way, as you never know what the end result will be. Build your skills and network!

3. Continuously develop yourself; never stop learning new things!

To start yourself off with some L&D, my book recommendation for you all is Atomic Habits by James Clear. If you’re struggling to maintain your New Year's resolutions, this book will help you create the right mindset to build good habits and break the bad ones. Happy reading!

Noah Pincini

…and that’s all for this month’s edition of The Early Impact. Feel free to hit 'reply' and let me know how I did!

Cheers,

Noah

P.S. I post on LinkedIn biweekly about cybersecurity, emerging technology, careers, and learning & development.