Has it always been your ambition to work in technology?

Funnily enough, computer science wasn't on my radar for most of high school. I was more interested in music and science. It was only in my final year that my maths teacher suggested software engineering to me. He explained that it was the most creative of the engineering disciplines and offered some of the best opportunities for problem solving, which is something that’s always interested me.

I took his advice and have never looked back. I wrote my very first line of code in my first year studying Computer Science at the University of Sydney. Fast-forward to my final year, I was awarded the Electrical and Information Engineering Prize and the University Medal for my honours thesis, as well as a High Distinction average.

What led you to enter the world of trading and finance with IMC?

Trading seemed like an exciting, fast-paced industry where I could really put my passion for problem solving to good use. The people I'd spoken to described it as a high-stakes environment where both accuracy and efficiency are paramount.

From that initial interest, it was just a matter of finding the company that offered the best cultural fit. Of the firms I researched, IMC's culture resonated most with me. The people I met were very approachable, and they spoke of the strong focus on collaboration and how the best ideas are championed, regardless of hierarchy.

The interview rounds confirmed that IMC was the right place to begin my career. I immediately felt very at home in the Sydney office, so when I was offered a place on the Internship program, I jumped at the opportunity.

How did you find the Internship, especially coming from a non-finance background?

I was a little overwhelmed at first. Like most people on the Technology Internship program, I'd had little exposure to finance during my degree – and certainly not to the world of algorithmic trading! However, the Internship quickly brought me up to speed. IMC traders gave us a crash course on financial markets and the tools used by IMC, and I had regular one-on-one sessions with my mentors throughout the internship to fill in any gaps in my understanding.

After that, leaders from every team, including the various trading desks, the development teams, and HR hosted presentations. Many of the IMC colleagues who gave the talks are also trainers on the Global Traineeship, so they structured their classes to give us a head start when we (hopefully) returned as graduates.

Classroom training was only part of the internship. While some companies have their interns focus solely on menial tasks, IMC likes to make sure that everyone is involved in real work. As such, all developer interns were assigned to a specific project. In my case, I worked with another intern to overhaul one of the systems IMC uses to collect data for backtesting to increase the amount of logging that could take place.

You’ve just started your Traineeship in Chicago – what are you most looking forward to?

I’m really looking forward to getting to know the people and the city. I've been to Chicago on holiday before and I absolutely love the culture here. My experience of the IMC Chicago office has been really positive already: it has that dynamic energy that you naturally associate with an American workplace, while still being very much part of IMC’s culture.

Naturally, I’m excited to get stuck into the training. The Global Traineeship will be more in-depth and cover more ground than the Internship and I'm particularly looking forward to my personal development project. Just like the Internship, the Global Traineeship projects are based on IMC's technology and systems, so it should give me a good feel for the kind of work I'll be doing when I link up with my team back in Sydney. Spending time with the other graduates on the Development Program will also be a great chance to get to know each other and begin collaborating before the real work begins!

What are your longer-term ambitions once you finish the Global Traineeship?

It's a long way off, but eventually I'd like to be the go-to person for a specific topic. I think well-functioning, collaborative teams thrive when everyone has good general knowledge and expertise, but there's also room for people with specialist knowledge who can support others. I think this is the way I can really make a difference and add value to the business.

Another area I'm interested in is mentoring and possibly managing others in the future. I worked as a tutor and teaching assistant throughout my degree and it was one of my favourite experiences at university. I find it incredibly rewarding to help others develop their knowledge and skills. I know from talking to others that IMC is open to providing management and mentoring opportunities for people with an interest in this area.

Do you have any advice for engineering students considering joining IMC?

IMC has a strong, distinctive culture – this is clear from their website, but to get a real feel for the place, spend time talking to current IMC employees when they visit your university campus. You'll quickly see that they have a deep passion for what they do. It's also a great insight into the optional extracurricular activities offered at IMC, for example, the IMC Weekend Trip and the various events and charity activities that are organised throughout the year. A five-minute conversation will give you a great sense of the company and what it's like to work there, so it's well worth your time!

Want to get a taste of life as a software engineer with IMC?