Alumni Stories
Grads 2024: Bryce O’Hara
“I love working with people,” says Bryce O’Hara, who began carving out a career in human resources (HR) well before he graduated from the University of Canberra this September.
Bryce graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Human Resource Management), the degree he switched to after a suggestion from his father, deciding to move to UC from another university. After finishing school at Marist College in Canberra, Bryce took a gap year before starting uni, but wasn’t happy with the course he’d chosen at the time.
“My dad said to me: ‘You like helping people. How about HR?’, so I enrolled at UC,” Bryce says.
“I was nervous about it at first, but it ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made due to the student support that was available to me, the quality of teaching and the quality of the units being delivered.”
In 2019, Bryce started the degree full time while also working full time in retail management. He also squeezed in opportunities to engage in social activities on campus and joined the UC Music Society.
“Being part of the music society was an awesome way to meet other students and connect over a shared interest of music and study,” Bryce says.
“I even played bass guitar in some shows here and there.”
Things shifted when he took on some more advice from his parents, which set him on a path for career success.
“My folks were always saying that you can't just rely on having a degree to get into the job that you want,” Bryce says.
“I switched to part-time study so I could explore opportunities for real-world experience.”
As a proud Queanbeyan resident, Bryce set his sights on working for Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council. The decision meant he left a higher paying role in retail management to get a foot in the door to work towards a career in HR.
“There was a customer service role that came up at the Council and I applied for that because I had an end goal in mind – to get into the HR department that offered some great career pathways,” Bryce says.
“Sticking with the customer service role paid off as I eventually moved into an entry level HR position, which I did for about year and then I landed the position of Team Leader in Talent Management.”
With his degree behind him, Bryce now oversees the careers team at the Council. The team looks after talent acquisition, engagement, retention, separation and workforce planning.
“The reason that HR exists within an organisation is similar to that of a finance department or IT department, they’re there for support and giving other business units the tools they need to perform. An organisation can't succeed without a high performing, qualified, experienced, cohesive and collaborative workforce.”
“I think that's a major part of whether a business sinks or swims in terms of sustained performance and financial sustainability as well.
“An organisation is only as good as its people and that's what HR is there to achieve – to align your people strategy with your operational strategy, to foster sustained performance.”
Bryce remains connected to UC through an internship program he developed with the University, giving students valuable Work Integrated Learning (WIL) experience at the Council that aligns with their area of study.
“Establishing the internship program is one of my proudest achievements. I'm really passionate about supporting students to get some industry experience under their belt,” Bryce says.
“As a recruiter, I know that when I open someone's resume, the first thing I'm looking for is that professional experience.”
The program was six months in the making. Bryce was able to progress the idea with support and guidance from Dr Doug Jackman, Assistant Professor in Human Resource Management at UC. Doug chairs UC’s HR Advisory Committee.
“We didn't want this to be something where the intern goes and fetches coffee for the whole office or just does admin support. We want to make sure they have a valuable experience that they can take back to their studies and be ahead of the game when they graduate,” Bryce says.
To ensure that it delivered on its aim, the first person to trial the program was a UC Bachelor of Business (Management) student to intern with the Council’s HR department. Now it’s being rolled out across areas from finance to environmental science, based on operational capacity.
“We’re trying to offer internships that match degrees being offered at UC,” Bryce says.
“Once we’re a bit more established, we’d like to offer internships in tourism, events and economic development, as it’s a growth area for our region, with Queanbeyan already winning a truckload of awards for events like Music by the River and the Queanbeyan Multicultural Festival.”
After walking across the stage for his graduation, with family members watching on, Bryce describes the milestone as surreal and bittersweet.
“There have been moments when I get home from work and think that I’d like to be back in the weeds of studying – it might sound bizarre, but I really did enjoy my studies,” he says.
“I'm not treating this as the end though. My relationship with UC will continue as I’m so grateful for the experience I had and where it’s landed me now.”
Words by Emma Larouche, photos by Liam Budge.
This September, we celebrate the graduating class of 2024.
Many have overcome challenges with grace and resilience, and all have grown in remarkable ways. We congratulate them on achieving this milestone.
We celebrate those who are already making an impact in their chosen fields, those who have changed careers, and others who have embarked on their postgraduate study path – we look forward to seeing what you achieve as alumni of the University of Canberra.