When thinking what to include in the About Me page, I thought the best document ever written about me was for the nomination to the Professions Australia Young Professionals Award. Cathie Kennedy was the writer who interviewed me and gathered all of the information required to then submit the nomination on behalf of Dennis Furini and Simon Kwan (both of the ACS). Like most people, I find it hard to talk about myself. The nomination was superbly written.

I will include bits from the nomination…

Debbie Timmins is a remarkable woman who has made a substantial contribution to the IT profession around Australia.

When Debbie left school, she worked at Target for six years as a sales assistant before moving to Mitsubishi for 18 months to work on a production line building cruise controls and door trims. While she was with Mitsubishi, she saved and bought herself her first computer — a purchase that changed her life.

She fell in love with technology, and began spending her spare time visiting IRC scripting channels and experimenting with programming. Within a short time, she realised that she wasn’t happy to keep learning about computers in her spare time – that she had finally found a career.

So at the age of 25, Debbie Timmins began her IT journey. She enrolled in a diploma in IT at TAFE, and studied full-time for two and a half years. She then went on to Flinders University and studied a Bachelor of IT, which she completed in 2004.

Just one year into her TAFE studies, Debbie decided to join the Australian Computer Society. Not one to do things by halves, she quickly found herself on the South Australian Branch Executive Committee as the student representative – a role she maintained until she graduated last year. During this time Debbie virtually single-handedly changed the face of the IT profession for young people not only in her home state, but throughout the country.

She has volunteered thousands of hours to organize events, workshops and networking sessions for young IT professionals in South Australia, to promote the IT profession at University open days, career expos and conferences, and to organize the inaugural National ACS Bootcamp – an intensive three-day live-in event for students and graduates from around Australia to help them secure a job and prepare for the workforce.

She is a founding member of the ACS Young IT Professional (YIT) Committee, and this year, when the Committee was officially endorsed as a Board, she became Vice Board Director.

Below is a summary of the key activities Debbie has undertaken on behalf of the IT profession. This is by no means exhaustive, but is an indication of how actively she has been involved.

2001-04 Student Representative on the South Australian ACS Branch Executive Committee
2001-05 Organiser and chair of the annual South Australian Young IT Conference
2003 Founding member of the ACS Young IT Professional Committee
2004 Project Leader for the ACS National Bootcamp, a three-day event aimed at helping students and new graduates prepare for the workforce and secure a job
2005 Appointed Vice Board Director of the ACS Young IT Professional Board.
2005 Mentor to the new Student Representative on the South Australian ACS Branch Executive Committee

Debbie has taken a very strategic approach to promoting the development of the IT profession to young people. When she took on the role as Student Representative on the South Australian ACS Branch Executive Committee, she ran a series of focus groups where she invited young professionals from around South Australia to discuss their needs.

She then used the insights from these focus groups to develop a program that met the demand.

Just some of the ways in which Debbie has promoted the development of the IT profession are outlined below.
• Debbie has been instrumental in helping the Australian Computer Society form closer working relationships with allied professional associations, particularly Young Engineers. Through a relationship developed and nurtured by Debbie, the two organizations have run joint bi-monthly job workshops for young professionals.

• Debbie initiated an “Ambassador Program” in South Australia, which has a group of people at each SA university campus who represent and promote the IT profession, and its professional association. Debbie provides all the training and mentoring to this group.

• Debbie ensures a presence at – and in many cases personally attends – a range of events, including university orientation days, career fairs, expos and conferences to promote her profession.

• Debbie is currently working to establish an alliance between the Australian Computer Society and the computer clubs at South Australian Universities, to further assist students bridge the gap between study and work, and to ensure they understand issues such as what it means to be an IT professional, their industry’s code of professional conduct, etc.

Debbie has traveled quite a journey over the last six years, from working on a factory line to an analyst programmer. She is leading by example and has become a role model for many young IT professionals, particularly those who are facing difficulties securing employment. She has had her fair share of setbacks and hardships, and her career certainly hasn’t been handed to her on a silver platter. But with sheer grunt and hard work, she has emerged with a determination to help others kick-start their career.

In addition, Debbie is keen to use her skills to benefit others. She has developed websites, databases and programs for people and organizations who have a need – without charge. Her driving ambition is to help our society benefit from practical uses of technology.

Her commitment to her professional body, the Australian Computer Society, is admirable. There has been a sharp rise in student and graduate memberships – some of which is directly attributable to Debbie’s passion, enthusiasm and drive, and to the numerous events she organizes on behalf of the ACS.

That the personal sacrifice, commitment and ethical behaviour should be out-standingly evident

From time to time, Debbie questions the hours she so voluntarily contributes, but in her own words “I then receive an email from a student who attended one of the workshops I’ve organised saying how it helped them, and it inspires me. It motivates me. It reminds me why I do what I do.”

As a member of the Australian Computer Society, Debbie is committed to the Society’s code of ethics and code of professional conduct. She is a person of great integrity, fairness and understanding. She is one individual who has made – and continues to make – an outstanding contribution to her profession, and to furthering the beneficial use of technology within our society.