Sisters Grace and Ella Patterson reaping the rewards of computing study and career outcomes.

Sisters Ella and Grace Patterson are like bookends in their choices for tertiary study.

From Havelock North, both enrolled for EIT’s Bachelor of Computing Systems but at different times. While Ella recently completed her first year of study, Grace finished her degree mid-year and is now working as a business analyst for Fastway Global in Napier.

The pair attended Havelock North High School, were awarded EIT Year 13 Degree Study Grants and have even worked part-time at the same fish and chip shop to help finance their studies.

Grace thinks her decisions influenced her younger sister. Ella, however, feels she has made choices tailored to her own needs. Either way, they’re happy with where they have headed themselves.

“I wanted to go to EIT because it is close to home, saved me money and its flexibility allowed me to do some travel in between studying,” says Grace, who took a semester off for a working holiday in Rarotonga, waitressing in her brother-in-law’s restaurant at Muri beach.

“It was a fun trip,” she says.

Like Grace, Ella benefits from free board at home while she studies and that’s helping build a nest egg for when she graduates. Her aim then is to work freelance and travel, which she sees Grace doing as she accompanies her fiancé whose job, refurbishing gaming machines, takes him to countries around the world.

IT graduates are well-paid and in demand, Ella points out, and the degree is portable.

She has forged new friendships during her first year at EIT, is enjoying the small classes and says her lecturers make the effort to know their students and to respond to individual needs.

“Local high school students should jump at the chance of a discounted degree,” Grace says. “Plus Hawke’s Bay is a great place to live.”