Chris Hawkins

Towards the end of university some friends and I spun off our final year project into a game development studio, focussing on educational games.

I am the lead developer and founder of Ambition Design, an online media consulting and development firm. Through Ambition Design's short history I have worked with clients from a number of locations in Victoria (regional and metropolitan), assessing their needs and delivering solutions built on custom CMS and ASP.Net (Web Forms and later MVC) technology.

I began my time at Left Right as a Research Fellow in the Policy Fellowships Program. During the course of the program, my team and I produced a document outlining recommendations for the future directions for the Victorian Governments youth involvement strategies.

I then joined the organisation as a volunteer in the role of Online Materials Officer, leveraging my technical skills to pull together the launch of a new website in 2010.

Immediately after high school I began work at AME Systems, where I was responsible for evaluating the use of a SharePoint intranet for the organisation. I was required to analyse business requirements, develop a sample application and present my findings to management. This was my first experience with tools such as source control and SQL Server.

Between my first and second years of university, I returned to work on the redevelopment of a key in-house engineering package. I designed and built a database structure to replace an ageing and denormalised one and built a new UI using Windows Forms.

AME Systems took me on for another month and a half after my exchange to the UK, during which I filled in maintaining servers and responding to support requests as well as working with WPF and SQL Server to bring components of their in-house ERP up to date.

I was also contracted to work for AME in July 2011. I worked remotely, via VPN, from my home in Melbourne.

As an IT Officer in the Division of Residential Services at La Trobe University I was required to provide appointment times and services relating to internet connectivity to residents staying at Menzies College.

I was hired for a six month term from July 2007 to January 2008, but was then kept on for a further term. I wrote a large number of youth-oriented articles for youthcentral during my time with them.

At Mitre 10 I was required to assist customers in the store and at the checkout, and help maintain the cleanliness of the building. I left to persue self-employment with Ambition Design.

Business Administration

Study Abroad in Computer Science

Computer Science in Games Technology
Activities: Menzies College, Faculty Student Representative, Golden Key International Honour Society

Ambition Design, Personal Website, Company Website

Sony Foundation Scholarship

Multimedia, Literature, Music, Technology, Physics