Ever wondered what the journey to becoming a mechatronics tutor at one of Australia’s most sought-after universities looks like? Hatch recently sat down with community member Jesse Morris who landed a role through Hatch in his early career. This write-up touches on Jesse’s early career at the intersection of mechatronics, computer science and teaching. 

Finding a degree that was the right fit

During high school, Jesse was interested in history and physics however went on to study mechatronics and computer science at university. Jesse felt as though engineering was the closest thing that aligned with his interests at the time. 

Jesse said, “I think my friend who was studying mechatronics was like if you don't know which engineering to do because there's a number of different sort of streams, you should do mechatronics because it's sort of a couple of them in one.” 

Jesse’s early role at Qantas 

Aside from doing some high school coaching, Jesse hadn’t had any professional experience until he landed a role through Hatch during his first year at uni. The role Jesse secured was a Software Engineering Internship at Qantas. This was a really exciting time for Jesse, considering being so early on in his university degree. When asked what helped him land the role at Qantas he said "If you want something, you should know about what that thing is and you should ask lots of questions. You should appear to be keen and interested and it's ok if you don't know, that's not the point. The point is that you are willing to learn".

Jesse shared his thanks to Hatch, for giving him the opportunity to kickstart his professional experience through this role. Jesse emphasised that the best thing about doing the internship at Qantas was that he got to learn from people more experienced than him and learn foundational technical skills. This experience also helped Jesse decipher that he did not want to pursue a career in a big company. 

The importance of putting yourself out there 

Jesse emphasised the importance of engaging with stakeholders as much as you can and being persistent to move forward in your early career. He highlighted that it's essential to actively reach out to professionals, attend events, and seek knowledge and connections in your chosen field. Passion and curiosity, rather than prior experience, can be the key to standing out.

Jesse also highlights the importance of getting involved with extracurricular activities as much as possible, that align with your interests. This can support you when you go to apply to jobs where you might not have the direct experience, but you can draw on these experiences instead. Jesse had a big involvement with the Sydney University Mechatronics Organisation. Jesse said, “I made a lot of friends through this society they were like a great addition to my life, I built great social skills, and just had heaps of fun”. 

Diverse work experience

After Jesse’s summer internship at Qantas, he embarked on a new experience at a startup that analyses airborne diseases. This was Jesse’s first job in mechatronics Jesse said “I helped build their first product, which was an amazing learning experience…I spent a lot of my formative engineering years there.” He also spent time at a space robotics company, further highlighting the flexibility and adaptability that have characterised his career path. Jesse learned a lot through these diverse experiences and emphasised that each experience contributed to a deeper understanding of what he wanted for his career.

Becoming a mechatronics tutor 

Jesse’s diverse range of experiences in his early career and passion led him to his current work, being a Master's Student and Researcher at The University of Sydney. Alongside this, Jesse tutors in a range of mechatronics subjects at the university.

When asked how Jesse landed the tutoring gig, he responded “ I sent a bunch of emails to the head of my degree asking if I could tutor subjects… then he sort of tested me a little bit with small workshop-style classes”. As a result of that initial starting point and building a strong reputation, Jesse is now teaching final-year elective subjects.

Jesse loves that he can have a direct influence on young people coming through and see their progression first-hand, having been there not too long ago. 

The not-so-shiny stuff 

Throughout our conversation, Jesse acknowledged the hard work and challenges that have gone into building his early career. He admits it hasn’t been simple or based on luck, but as a result of persistence, putting himself out there and having a willingness to adapt. Jesse said, “For example, a lot of my career opportunities came from cold emailing people, and throwing myself in the deep end, it wasn’t just about my resume”. 

What will you take away from hearing about Jesse’s journey to becoming a mechatronics tutor at one of Australia’s most sought-after universities? If you’re on the hunt for your next career-building opportunity, discover live roles on Hatch and put your best foot forward to your dream employer.