Nancy Dinh is a 4th year student studying a Bachelor of Science (Adv). She joined 180 Degrees Consulting UNSW as a Consultant last year and is part of the team as an Events and Marketing Director.
Q. Why did you join 180DC?
I joined 180DC because of my curiosity for consulting and my desire to learn. Putting myself in a position where I could challenge myself with something different gave me a lot of room to grow and added to not only the skills that I’ve learnt but also the motivational people I have met. 180DC became an avenue for me to be able to problem solve with real clients and see the countless hours of work come into fruition which is something I think I am not able to get from any other society. Working within the community and alongside non-for-profits was a driving factor to want to join 180 but as a result I have mentorship and career guidance, consulting, research and presenting skills and driven friends and leaders who push me to always be better.
Q. What was your experience like as a 180 DC consultant, coming from a science background?
My experience at 180 was fulfilling and immersive. Coming from a STEM background, it initially seemed a bit intimidating and dauting however everyone was so welcoming and willing to listen to ideas. Being trained to creatively problem solve and how to go about implementing ideas is something 180 focuses on a lot so regardless of the level of experience someone may have, they still feel like a big part of the team. I did not think my background limited me to apply myself to projects, in fact learning a lot from other disciplines such as the skills learnt in training and from other team members, added a lot of value to my 180 experience. It allowed me to grow and challenged me to think outside the box.
Q: Was there a time you were able to apply your science knowledge to add value to your 180DC project?
Being able to apply knowledge to projects is very versatile since each project and each person is different, however I was able utilise the skill from my background moreso than concrete hard knowledge to help guide me along projects. Things such as data collection, being able to extrapolate from research and numbers and putting together reports. Regardless of the discipline, all skillsets are valuable to being part of the team at 180, problem solving is most definitely not exclusive to any particular degree. Within my project team we had disciplines such as law, engineering, commerce and town planning and we worked cohesively as unit to present our deliverable.
Q: What do you look forward to the most this year as an Events and Marketing Director?
I look forward to creating innovative events as well as revamping pre-existing events through consistent work and marketing. I also look forward to seeing new and old consultants grow from the experience of being apart of 180 as well as learning a lot and applying myself to projects.
Applications for consultants are now open! We encourage students from all backgrounds to apply.
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