When 17‑year‑old Rianna Libdy joined WiseTech Global’s inaugural Earn & Learn cohort in 2023, she knew she was stepping into a unique opportunity.
What she didn’t expect was that her growing capability, confidence, and curiosity would also accelerate her university studies, setting her on track to graduate from University of Technology, Sydney (UTS) a full year early.
Rianna’s journey illustrates how capability accelerates when passion and talent are challenged, supported by structure, and grounded in real‑world experience.
Enabling the next generation of tech innovators
The Earn & Learn Program was created to support the next generation of home-grown software engineers straight out of high school, combining university study with practical, on-the-job experience with mentorship to build a rigorous foundation in software development.
The impact is clear. Last year, Earn & Learn associates achieved an average of 90% across all core Computer Science subjects, with many earning a place on the UTS Dean’s List for Academic Excellence.
We spoke with Rianna about her journey so far, how she balanced work and study, and what’s next on the horizon.
Finding the right challenge
Rianna works in the Accounting AUS Team 1, tackling financial‑related code, from tax calculations on shipments to cost and sell amounts. Rianna chose the team intentionally, knowing it would stretch her capabilities.
The work is complex, high‑impact, and exactly what she was searching for. The team’s welcoming culture, paired with senior team members who are always willing to help, made a meaningful difference in her growth.
“I felt safe asking questions from day one,” Rianna says. “There are so many people who genuinely enjoy mentoring. It made it easier to lean into the hard problems and keep pushing myself.”
Learning faster through real-world practice
Motivated by her work, Rianna began accelerating her study plan so she could learn advanced concepts earlier and apply them directly on the job. “I wanted to learn the university content early so that when I get work items at WiseTech, I could apply it practically,” she explains. “That’s how I learn best - seeing how things work in the real world.”
This interplay between theory and practice lies at the heart of the Earn & Learn model. Rianna credits the combination of study and hands-on engineering work for building her professional maturity and human skills alongside the technical knowledge.
“You learn how to organize your time, how to handle stress, how to work with different people, and how to stay calm when you don’t know the answer yet,” she shares.
Discipline, structure, and follow-through
Balancing full-time work with an accelerated degree requires commitment. To be successful, Rianna applied discipline using detailed calendars, strict time-blocking, and distraction-free focus sessions.
“When I dedicate time to a task, my phone is gone,” she says. “Sometimes I give it to my dad and don’t get it back until I’m done!” Rianna shares.
That structure gave her room to be efficient, and crucially, to recover when things felt overwhelming.
“There were moments when I thought I was going to fail a subject,” Rianna shares. “But I reminded myself: I’ve studied hard, I’ve done the work. If you’ve done that, why assume you’ll fail?”
Backed by people who believe in her
Rianna is quick to point out that she didn’t do this alone. Family, friends, mentors, and her WiseTech team all played a role in supporting her accelerated path.
“My team lead was incredibly patient and understanding. He encouraged me to take leave when I needed it and supported my decision to accelerate.”
That support extended beyond logistics. Mentors challenged her thinking, helped reinforce her learning, and made the process feel achievable rather than isolating.
“It eased the stress and made me feel confident about wanting to go faster.”
Growing as a Woman in Tech
Working in industry while studying also shaped how Rianna sees herself in the tech community, especially in moments where she found herself the only woman in the room.
“There have been times at university where I was the only woman in the group,” she says. “But you have to be brave enough to put yourself forward.”
Rianna brings this mindset into WiseTech, where she embraces opportunities to step forward, support other women in tech and encourage careers in the industry.
As well as co-founding the Young Women in Engineering networking group for early and mid-career software engineers, she regularly represents WiseTech at careers and education events around Australia.
“If you want to see change, you have to start with yourself,” Rianna says. “Be brave, have courage, and be patient. Change takes time.”
What’s next?
With her degree finishing early, Rianna is already looking ahead. She’s diving into personal research projects, exploring cybersecurity and penetration testing, and participating in bug bounty programs, driven by a desire to stay adaptable in a fast-changing technology landscape.
“It’s about keeping yourself valuable,” she says. “The industry keeps evolving, so you have to keep learning.”
Rianna’s journey shows that by combining real-world experience with academic rigor and strong support, the Earn & Learn program enables high-performing students to accelerate faster, build capability earlier, and go further than traditional pathways alone.