From STEM nerd to being heard: Alexander’s fight to break career barriers
When he was named a finalist in the CSIRO Indigenous Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Awards, eight years ago, Alexander Radoll was determined to jump into a technology career.
Alexander Radoll
But breaking into the sector wasn't easy and Alexander's career journey proved to be winding and challenging, requiring resilience and determination along the way.
Alexander now aims to use his experience to help other Indigenous young people to break barriers and succeed in their careers.
A proud descendant of the Anaiwan people and raised in reconciliation, Alexander grew up in a small country town near Canberra and participated in several summer schools and youth programs. One stood out above all, enforcing his passion for STEM: The CSIRO Aboriginal Summer School for Excellence in Technology and Science.
“I was a bit of a STEM nerd and loved computer programming, the sciences, and building electronic inventions,” said Alexander. He found the experiences in the summer school both academically and culturally comfortable, leading him to pursue a STEM career.
He started a Bachelor of Biomedical Science, but when adulthood hit, things didn’t go as planned and he moved to Victoria to complete a Certificate IV in Information Technology at Federation University.
LOOKING FOR A TECH PATHWAY
“I wanted a pathway into the technology sector, and I knew at the time there were a lot of Closing the Gap efforts to create opportunities in technology for Indigenous youth like me,” Alexander explained.
Making the most of his experience, he connected with Indigenous community support and gained hands-on skills as a Multimedia Designer Assistant trainee, leading to a six-month role as a Multimedia Assistant with Federation University's marketing team.
When the contract ended, he faced significant challenges securing a role in the technology sector.
“I felt deeply upset that I left my whole lifestyle to be able to get my foot in the door during a financially unstable two-year commitment, and I was unable to find further employment, let alone an equitable career path.”
After applying for many roles, Alexander was eventually accepted for a casual contract at the Federation University Aboriginal Education Centre, where he used his IT skills and reconciliation knowledge to support the updating of their digital multimedia.
He continued to apply for permanent roles and joined RMIT University as an IT Strategy and Innovation Intern.
Then at the end of last year, Alexander re-joined Federation University as the Project and Administrative Officer for the National Centre for Reconciliation, Truth, and Justice, aiming to contribute from a reconciliation matters perspective.
BRINGING UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES
Now with knowledge of perceived culturally acceptable roles, reconciliation matters, and emerging technologies, Alexander explains he has witnessed an employment divide due to perceived cultural expectations from non-Indigenous Australia.
“From my journey, I’ve found that people perceive Indigenous roles in technology are limited to call centre operators and that’s it,” he said. “Community focussed roles are more than just employing Indigenous people to make or answer calls."
Alexander says Indigenous employment in technology should be about bringing unique cultural perspectives and equal opportunity to the sector, beyond entry-level roles.
“The current practice in the technology sector is a bottleneck - there’s insufficient support to help Indigenous people advance their careers, and therefore there are almost no Indigenous people employed in leadership positions that understand Indigenous culture and community from lived experience,” he says.
Thankfully, Alexander’s persistence, resilience and commitment to equitable entry and desire for substantive equality has paid off.
“I finally feel like I have real opportunities to get to help others. It’s already had a huge impact on my wellbeing, mental health, and self-esteem compared to my last 12 months.
“I hoped my journey as an Indigenous youth would take me directly into the technology sector but thankfully, I now have the experience, leadership, knowledge and skills that can hopefully help get others into the careers they want to be in.”
Learn more about studying IT at Federation University here.
Learn more about Internships at RMIT here.
Learn more about the National Centre for Reconciliation, Truth, and Justice here.
Visit the Federation University Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students page here.
Visit the RMIT Indigenous here.