Luke Phipps didn’t set out to build software for farmers, hospitals or conservationists. Like many students, he arrived at university with an interest rather than a plan. Luke’s was gaming. 

What he didn’t see at the beginning was how far those skills could travel – or how much they could matter beyond the screen. 

Growing up in Kununurra, technology wasn’t an obvious pathway for him. Trades and traditional careers were everywhere he looked. 

“My dad was a mechanic and a lot of my friends did trades,” Luke said. “You’re a lot more exposed to those career options up there.” 

“But I liked video games. I still do.” 

A high performing student at school, he felt the usual pressure to translate his marks into an expected set of careers. Medicine. Law. Engineering. But Luke didn’t feel drawn to any of them. 

What he did feel was a pull towards doing something useful – towards work that helped people in tangible ways. He just didn’t know how that could coexist with a career in technology. 

Murdoch University gave him room to work it out. 

I chose Murdoch because it felt practical rather than performative – smaller classes, accessible staff, and I got the sense that learning would be applied, not abstract. 

That impression was confirmed early. 

“Shri Rai, the course coordinator, played a big role in shaping how I thought about software and my future,” Luke said.  

“Literally on the first day of orientation, I changed my majors because of something he said.” 

Shri explained that games were a valid interest, but if Luke wanted flexibility, longevity and local opportunity, he needed to think more broadly about what software could be. It wasn’t a dismissal of games so much as an expansion of what was possible. 

That framing stayed with him, and by third year Luke could clearly see how software could be used in service of real problems. 

“We had a unit on serious games applications that paired students with experts from other areas,” he said.  

“Conservation scientists, health researchers – people working on problems far removed from the tech industry itself.” 

Luke joined a project connected to Carnaby’s cockatoo conservation, using gamification and emerging technologies to support education and engagement. For the first time, he saw his skills operating in a living system. 

“You’re sitting with people who are experts in their field,” he said. “They’re telling you what they’re trying to achieve, the challenges they face – and you’re developing software that can actually help.” 

The following semester reinforced that shift.  

Luke worked with the Fiona Wood Foundation and Fiona Stanley Hospital to support burns treatment research and clinical decision‑making, helping make complex data and expertise accessible and usable. 

That was when his world opened up. He understood that software didn’t have to live on a screen. It could sit inside conservation programs, hospital systems, classrooms and communities. It could have tangible, human impact.  

Academics including Kevin Wong, Victor Alvarez and Peter Cole helped cement that understanding – not by prescribing a career path, but by modelling what thoughtful, responsible application of technology looks like. 

The lesson was consistent: technology is not the point. People are. 

You’re not building a technology and then looking for a problem. You’re listening to people who are already trying to solve something and offering your skills in service of that.

Today, Luke works remotely from Kununurra as a software engineer at ag tech company Agworld. 

His work supports farmers and agronomists to make smarter decisions about watering, cropping patterns and fertiliser application – helping them produce food more efficiently while reducing environmental impact. 

By cutting down fuel use, fertiliser run‑off and desk time, the software allows farmers to spend more time in the field doing the work that matters most. 

“To put it simply, we’re trying to make their lives easier,” he said. 

The impact is cumulative – better productivity, more sustainable practices, stronger rural communities. 

Luke’s central belief that software should serve people is why he continues to return to Murdoch open days, talking with students and families who still associate technology careers with Silicon Valley.  

Luke is proof that a career in tech can also be one that makes a positive contribution.  

Software, he says, can be the ultimate chameleon career.  

“It’s a skill you can carry into whatever area you care about and make an impact, without starting again from scratch,” he said. 

What began as an interest in gaming became a way of working that places people at the centre. While he didn’t set out to build software for farmers, hospitals or conservationists, that’s exactly where his skills have made their mark. 

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