IT's not all about chips and motherboards

[Standard Bank Graduate team]

You just need to spend a couple of hours at an IT Careers Fair to realise that IT students often have little idea of the range of work that the IT world actually offers. Therefore it is natural as an IT student, when considering graduate programmes, to question applying for the Standard Bank Graduate Programme.

Why would any competent IT student want to work in a bank? Will you be punching numbers into spreadsheets the whole day while wearing a black and gold striped tie and grey flannel suit? A conversation with current graduates will prove this theory wrong and enlighten students to a world of possibilities.

IT is not all about installing memory cards or importing java.util.* (although there is opportunity to do both, if that’s your forté), and it is very compatible with a corporate career. The modern world runs on IT. Almost all technology from laptops and cellphones to cars and DVD players, have some form of programmable chipset controlling modular hardware. Banks, and in particular Standard Bank, are heavily reliant on IT for their basic existence. Think about ATM's, credit cards, mobile banking and online share trading, none of these would exist without technology and thus Standard Bank acknowledges IT as the backbone of its core businesses.

Most graduates choose a career in either development or business analysis, although there is room for each graduate to pursue a path most commensurate with their strengths. Since the graduate programme has a strong leadership focus, your exposure will be as tall as it is broad. You will be placed in a variety of positions for the duration of the graduate programme (an opportunity that most employees would dream of) and will be given access to managers and high-level executives, with whom you can form career-shaping relationships.

This graduate programme is not a simple data-entry or call centre job. Standard Bank is looking for its next generation of IT executives and Chief Information Officers. We are waiting for you take the first step and tell us you are ready for greatness. We are waiting for you to apply and let us know that you exist, and we will do the rest.

Click now on www.standardbank.com/graduates