Meet Kayta, our latest Pathfinder: She's on a new career path

Kayta Hackman Riley began her career in marketing, working in busy offices in London and Melbourne. She loved the creativity of the job, but one question kept returning: How does all this actually work? That curiosity sparked a new passion. After teaching herself the basics of coding and building her first website, Kayta realised she wanted to take her career in a completely new direction.

She retrained as a software engineer, studying at a coding bootcamp while working full-time, proving that career changes can start with a single moment of curiosity. Today, Kayta works with a team that creates tools to deliver news directly to millions of readers, helping people stay connected to stories that shape their world.

Switching careers wasn’t easy. Kayta had to start again from the ground up and push through moments of self-doubt. But the same skills that made her a strong marketer, creativity and impeccable communication, helped her thrive in tech.

Kayta is passionate about seeing more women enter the technology sector and encourages others to take the leap, even if it feels daunting. Her advice? Follow your curiosity. You never know what doors it might open.

Her story is the latest in Future You, a series of profiles showcasing real people in science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). Our free program aims to break down stereotypes to inspire children all over Australia to explore STEM and discover their strengths.