5 Minutes With... Dulitha Piyasena AACS
17th November 2020
Highlights
- Dulitha Piyasena AACS is a data-driven IT professional who is always curious to understand how things work and how they can be improved.
- He comes from an engineering education background in mining and mineral processing, and a great interest in data analytics has seen his career journey progress at Credit Union Australia.
- Dulitha is also Emerging Professionals Community of Practice Lead at ACS Queensland, actively leading the development of professional development programs to support our emerging professional members.
Dulitha's Introduction - in his own words
"I am a data driven IT professional who is always curious to understand how things work and how they can be improved. I come from an Engineering education background in Mining and Mineral Processing.
However, down the lane the passion to ‘mine’ data became prominent, which made me pursue a career in data analytics. I am currently working as a Data Solution Analyst for Credit Union Australia providing data analysis and data solutions to various projects focused on providing organizational growth. Identifying business pain points and generating data driven solutions that benefits my company drives me to stay updated with the latest data analytics and data science concepts and tools.
Apart from work, I love travelling and hiking. I am also an avid reader of both work related topics and fiction.”
1. What have been the highlights of your ICT career to date?
I consider all my work engagements to date as highlights, since I have been able to both grow professionally and contribute to my organization and stakeholders. My smooth transition into the Australian workforce and starting my full-time career at CUA was definitely a key highlight.
Connecting with ACS and then contributing to the work of the QLD team both as a student and a professional member of the ICT industry (while engaging with its key members) is another key highlight. This has exposed me to a greater understanding of the Australian ICT market, and its current and future ICT requirements.
2. What do you see as the most important skills to have for an IT career?
The willingness to continuously learn and to learn quickly is the most important skill any ICT professional should have irrespective of their corporate position or professional status.
The ICT industry has become extremely fluid and dynamic in terms of rapid innovation where many existing practices keep getting outdated and related processes being updated. One should always be open for change and embrace it with quick adaptability.
3. Tech changes fast. How do you keep your skills up-to-date?
I rely heavily on my professional network to keep abreast of all that’s new and fresh. LinkedIn is my main tool that I use to get in touch with like-minded professionals and experts in areas such as Data Analytics, Data Science and Business Analysis.
Networking is an integral part of this strategy where I constantly keep in touch with my fellow professionals via events organised by institutes such as ACS. I also consistently engage in continuous professional development via online learning and tutorials using various online educational platforms.
4. What is the key piece of advice you’d give to your younger self?
I would give all the advice on how to select a career path that I am passionate about and what needs to be done in order to achieve it. Also, I would ask myself to learn another language such as Chinese, as I have always wanted to learn another predominantly spoken language similar to English. Well, I am still on a mission for that and will get there one day.
5. How has ACS membership supported you throughout your ICT career ?
I obtained my ACS membership during my first year while studying for my Master of IT. I attended several workshops and other career development events organized by ACS which immensely helped me to expand my professional network and make connections with the industry.
Also, the various publications and webinars conducted by ACS regarding the current IT market in Australia helped me to refocus my energy and knowledge in terms of professional development to prepare myself for employment.
ACS membership has contributed to my professional development both in terms of technical and soft competencies.
I am now the Emerging Professionals Community of Practice Lead, helping drive development of relevant technical and soft-skills programs to support ACS emerging professional members.
"5 Minutes With..." is a series of articles showcasing exceptional ACS Members and their amazing, innovative, and game changing stories. Representing over 48,000 tech professionals across Australia, our Members work across industry, government, research, and education organisations and each edition highlights the role they are playing in making Australia a world leader in technology talent, fostering innovation, and creating new forms of value.