Straight sevens set the scene for career in e-commerce

A run of straight sevens - the highest grades possible - has earned Clint Feuerherdt the inaugural $1500 Accenture Prize for first-year e-commerce at UQ Ipswich.

He has scored sevens in 14 subjects since enrolling for the Bachelor of Electronic Commerce in 1999, the year the University opened. He switched from part-time to full-time study in 2000 and plans to do honours in finance after graduating in 2002.

Clint, 26, was offered a place in civil engineering at Flinders University in Adelaide after leaving school but joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) instead and was posted to Number Six Squadron at Amberley.

Before starting university, Corporal Feuerherdt supervised up to 10 subordinates in maintaining communications and radar systems on the F-111 aircraft. Now he serves part-time with the RAAF, working on weapon delivery systems for the F-111.

He says he can hardly wait to graduate and he'll "go anywhere" to follow a career in what he calls the booming field of e-commerce.

"I'm glad I didn't go to university straight out of school," he said.

"I'm pretty good at maths and over the past 10 years I've developed a pattern of internet useage along with strong interests in the stockmarket and finance.

"I was looking for a university with a strong reputation, offering a leading-edge course. UQ Ipswich satisfied those criteria and now I'm highly motivated towards study and my new career."

For more information, contact Clint Feuerherdt (telephone 07 3818 8240, email clint_ann@hotmail.com) or Moya Pennell, UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2846, email m.pennell@mailbox.uq.edu.au)