Meet an ACS Member - Dr Geoff Augutis FACS

^Highlights

• In this edition, we meet a great friend of the ACS - ACS Fellow, founder of Queensland Computers and our Bundaberg Chapter Chair Dr Geoff Augutis FACS 

Meet an ACS Member Dr Geoff Augutis FACS            

·       Tell us about your tech career history and highlights to date?

I started Queensland Computers in 2005 as a retail store and service provider. Really proud to have grown that business to what it is today with around 50 staff across Queensland and $50m revenue per annum. No longer working with consumers or retail as we can offer so much more value in larger scale deployments to customers. During this time also completed a PhD in technology both taught me a lot about the behind the scenes side of technology and also how it is handled in non-business environments. Owning a business was never about making money or getting big, it was about helping people understand and leverage technology to improve other areas of life. Our focus was the tech so that their focus could be on what they were put on this earth to do. Not really a single highlight other than realizing that technology is not unique to other businesses or industries. Yes we have unique challenges and yes the opportunity in tech is fantastic, but tech is no longer a silo, it is a part of every business and how that tech is deployed and used can make a massive impact on the world. It is no longer just a subject area, it is now part of everyone's lives and jobs.

What career advice would you give your younger self?

Find a mentor, ask others for advice, don't assume your problems are unique to your business or industry. There are people out there who have solved the problems you are experiencing right now and they are willing to help you (often for free) - you just have to find them!

What is your favourite piece of tech or gadget?

For me it is the fact that technology can be the great leveler for people. It can help fill in the gaps so that the kids who can't read well, can listen. The kids who can't write well, can narrate. That knowledge is no longer for the wealthy or privileged. It is a tool that has the potential to bring us all closer to being equal, meaning that if you have the drive and ambition, you can stand out and make a difference regardless of your background, wealth or unique human challenges.
 

Tell us about your favourite benefit of ACS membership and how it supports you in your tech career?

It is lovely to have a community of diverse IT professionals who I can approach with challenges and they either have answers, or know someone who does. Without ACS, we would be relying only on our personal brand and network, with ACS we have a community of people willing to help.