As a Graduate Software Engineer at NGIS, you get to work on some of our biggest projects while learning from the best in the business. But don’t take our word for it—we recently sat down for a chat with our superstar graduate Software Engineer, Luke Carbonaro, to hear all about his work life at NGIS and the advice he has for future graduates pursuing a career in the industry. 

Luke, what does your typical workday look like? 

My typical work day begins in the office at 8:30am, followed by a daily 9:00am standup meeting with the team. We discuss what we did the day before and what our priorities are for the day ahead. It’s also a great chance to discuss any challenges we are facing, or if we have discovered any new or fun technologies. 

At the moment, I am fully allocated to working on an agricultural project alongside two other NGIS team members from the Perth and Melbourne office. We are measuring farm productivity using a greenery index with Google Earth Engine satellite imagery, which I really enjoy because you can tell powerful and insightful stories by rendering this information on a map. If you want to learn how you can do this with Google Earth Engine, check out my blog ‘Using Google Earth Engine to render satellite layers on a map’ to help you get started.

My morning usually involves a lot of coding and working with Google Maps Platform APIs, Google Earth Engine, HTML and Typescript. In the afternoon, I have a project team meeting that occurs three times a week to check on everyone’s progress, communicate any challenges or bugs we may need help resolving, and to discuss user requirements for the web application.

What did you study at university? 

I graduated from Curtin University in 2020 with a Bachelor of Advanced Science in Computing. In my third year of University I completed an internship at Safesoft where I was working on property management automation as a Software Engineer. During this time I learnt front and backend infrastructure for app development – which I really enjoyed. Now, at NGIS I am learning even more about building robust apps.

What are the best lessons you have learned so far? 

In tech, many people believe they must work for a big, well known company to be successful. However, if you’re more interested in developing your skills and achieving long-term growth – consider working for a more local company like NGIS.

Since joining NGIS, I have learnt the true value of working for a company where everyone wants to see you succeed and senior staff take the time to ensure you are learning and progressing in your career.

What has been your favourite moment at NGIS?

Definitely the company Broome trip! As a thank you for all of our hard work, NGIS organised a holiday for the team and their partners in Broome, WA. We had the best time exploring such a  beautiful place and it was a great opportunity to get to know our fellow team members better. 

However, my favourite moment from the trip was on our final night at Matso’s when our GIS Analyst, Staf, played the keyboard on stage with the band while everyone danced (there may have even been a conga line formed).

What is your advice for graduates who want to work in this industry?

Send your resume everywhere! I had applied for 20 jobs before getting my role as a Software Engineer in the NGIS Graduate program. During this time I experienced a lot of ghosting and rejection—but if you keep persisting, that one opportunity will come around. 

Secondly, know your stuff. If you are being interviewed for a tech position, there is a good chance they will quiz you—so always brush up on your knowledge and do your homework on the company you are interviewing at.