Macauley Cunningham
Solutions Specialist (APAC) – Platform & Service Delivery, Vista Group International
Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Software Development
Deciding to study computing was easy, says Macauley Cunningham who completed a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences in Software Development.
“I was looking for a university degree that offered flexibility in the areas of software you could experience, instead of a one-size-fits-all option. I had a fairly broad interest in all things computer-related throughout high school, so I didn’t want to lock myself out of any options. After a bit of research into my university study options and some chats with the career advisor at my school, a Bachelor of Computer and Information Sciences from AUT is what I figured was the best option for me.”
He says the programme certainly delivered on the flexibility he wanted and he enjoyed the range of courses he could choose from.
“I was able to choose courses for subjects I was passionate about or interested in, as opposed to being locked into a rigorous study path. Instead of taking a minor, I took electives in networking, security and AI just to prepare myself for anything that might come up in the future. I’m definitely happy I took those AI courses considering the rise of LLMs and other AI-powered tools in the last few years.”
Making crucial connections
His favourite memories of AUT revolve around working on projects with other people.
“Everyone working together to make something great, teaching each other new things and having a cooperative vibe was a great experience. A lot of people I’ve spoken to who didn’t go to AUT thought that was an alien concept.
“While I was at AUT I also had the honour of representing students through AUTSA (the AUT student association) for two years of my degree; first as the 2022 Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies representative, and then as the 2023 academic vice president. I helped organise events, sat on a few committees and met with staff to ensure students were getting the experience they were after when they chose AUT.”
There are a few people whose guidance he especially appreciated.
“I’d be remiss if I didn’t shout out Dr Ramesh Lal and AUTSA. Ramesh helped me realise the importance of planning projects properly and, even more importantly, to remember to change the plan if it’s not working anymore. AUTSA is full of amazing people who can offer you any support you can think of, and the clubs they coordinate are a great way to make lifelong friendships and crucial connections.”
Software solutions for cinemas
Now working for Vista Group International, Macauley enjoys implementing software solutions for the company’s cinema clients around the world.
“It’s great work, with great people, and it’s extremely easy to see the impact that I’m having both within the company and with our clients. A lot of my work at the moment is helping third-party vendors and clients like Event Cinemas integrate with our API offering to help build great web solutions. I’ve also managed to spruce up some of our internal tools, which have been adopted by most of my colleagues, and we’re working on some cool solutions using legacy data and Microsoft Copilot to help make everyone’s lives easier at Vista.”
He has some great advice for other students who are still considering their own futures.
“Strive to be ‘the guy’. It doesn’t matter what you’re the guy for; be the guy people go to when they have a certain problem. That kind of reputation will get you far in any workplace or social circle. Everyone wants to have a guy, so be the guy. Especially if you can be paid to be the guy.”
