From Intern to Senior Engineer: Kate Appleby’s tech journey

At a very young age, Kate learned how to work a computer. Her father, a software engineer, owned a Windows 95 computer, and her interest in all things technical started growing from there.

Kate is a success story of Nine’s internship program. She joined during the concluding months of her undergraduate studies and swiftly advanced over the following six years to achieve the position of Senior Software Engineer within the commercial products team at Nine.

Interestingly, Kate’s entry into the program was sparked by a high school friend already participating in it. Encouraged by the opportunity, “I came in for an interview, and the rest is history,” she said.

A pivot from games to media

Kate didn’t expect to find herself developing complex advertising platforms for a media company like Nine. Her educational background includes IT studies in high school and a Bachelor of Science in Games Development at UTS. Her original ambition was to become a video game developer.

While she enjoyed studying IT, it wasn’t always easy. “Elephant in the room, I guess—I was just aware from a very young age that tech was a male-dominated profession.” Despite being one of the few women in her classes, both in high school and university, Kate persevered and thrived, ultimately completing her degree.

Career advice for aspiring women in tech

Asked for advice for women pursuing tech careers, Kate recalled a pivotal conversation with a careers advisor in high school. “You should do this now because this is something you are very passionate about,” she was told. Kate adds, “It was nice to have that encouragement, and I did need that push at the time as I was a bit unsure.”

Kate advises women to “just go for it! Find a good support network, whether at school, uni, work, or online. Remember your values, skills, and experience. Be willing to work hard and try everything.”

Kate believes early exposure to STEM is key. “From a young age, girls need to be shown the STEM field is for everyone, not just boys. Girls should be encouraged to play video games, use computers, do science experiments, and solve problems on their own.”

Written by Glen Brown & Vahini Iyengar – Women in Tech, Nine