The GDIT is short and after graduating I could get an open work permit

visa. It’s good to study just one year and get

offered a permit.

NaTIoNalITy: JaPaNSTuDIeD: GraDuaTe DIPloma IN INformaTIoN TechNoloGy

Looking to start a career in software development, Rieko enrolled at AIS to study the GDIT via the English for Academic Purposes II (EAP II) pathway.

AIS was the only tertiary education provider Rieko could find with a native Japanese counsellor on campus, and this helped her gain the confidence to speak English. The 12 weeks she spent in the EAP class helped her to develop her academic writing skills. Rieko passed the internal English test at AIS and went on to study for the GDIT.

“The GDIT is short and after graduating I could get a post-study work visa. It’s good to study just one year and get offered a work visa.

“I wanted to do the GDIT and learn about software development and then change my career to a developer. I studied law but luckily with the GDIT, it doesn’t matter what you’ve study previously.”

Thanks to her GDIT, Rieko achieved a deeper understanding of IT and learned to take a structural approach to development.

“I had never studied IT before; I kind of learned through work experience. After finishing the GDIT, I can think about it more deeply. It’s good to learn about databases. This was a very good turning point for me. After the databases class, I think about database structure before programming.”

Rieko applied for a software engineer position at Olympic Software towards the end of her final semester at AIS. One month and two interviews later she joined as a full-time staff member. Later in the year, Olympic Software supported her application for permanent residency. Rieko then supported her husband’s application. Both now live in Auckland and work full-time as developers.

“If you try hard, you can get a lot from this GDIT programme.”

For Rieko’s full story, visit: www.ais.ac.nz/success-storieswww.aIS.ac.nz

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