Faye Ma will be the first to admit she had no idea what she was walking into. And that’s probably more relatable than you’d think.
These days, Faye is an Analyst in the Sustainability and Climate team at Deloitte Australia — helping businesses understand their impact on the planet and figure out what to do about it. But the path there wasn’t some perfectly mapped-out plan. It was a lot of showing up, saying yes, and working things out as she went.
So what does she do?
Faye has a great way of explaining it. Imagine being a doctor — but instead of checking if a person is healthy, you’re checking if a company is healthy for the Earth. You measure how much pollution they’re creating, then help them write it all up in a report so everyone — their customers, investors, the public — can see exactly how they’re tracking.
It’s the kind of work that matters. And in 2026, with sustainability reporting becoming a bigger deal for businesses across Australia and globally, it’s also the kind of work that’s only going to grow.
The thing that sold her on Deloitte
When Faye was weighing up where she wanted to start her career, one thing kept standing out: variety.
Because the work is project-based, you’re never stuck doing the same thing for years on end. You move from project to project, which means you’re constantly working with different clients across completely different industries. One month, you might be deep in the resources sector, the next, you’re working with a retail brand or a government body.
For someone who gets curious easily and likes being challenged, that kind of range is exciting — not just something that sounds good in a job ad.
No, you can’t fully prepare for this (and that’s okay)
“There’s a reason people say you learn on the job, because the type of work you do is so unique and you won’t really know how to prepare for it until you start.”
But that doesn’t mean your time before you start doesn’t count.
For Faye, getting involved in university societies — particularly in comms and events — was where a lot of her most transferable skills came from. Organising events. Managing stakeholders. Communicating across different groups of people. None of that was directly “career training,” but all of it shaped how confidently she walked into her first role.
The takeaway: don’t stress about finding the perfect internship or ticking every box. Get involved in something. The skills you build doing almost anything — if you’re engaged and showing up — tend to follow you.
What a day looks like
No two days are the same at Deloitte — and that’s not just something people say to sound interesting.
Depending on where you’re at in a project, Faye might be doing desktop research, pulling together insights on a client’s industry, building out slides for a presentation, or jumping on a stand-up with her project team. There are also training sessions, catch-ups with colleagues, and room to invest in your own development.
It’s a lot. But it’s the kind of a lot that keeps you sharp.
Her advice, if you’re thinking about a similar path
Two things, and they’re both pretty simple.
- Talk to people. Go to networking events — universities and student societies run them all the time — and have real conversations. Not “can you get me a job” conversations, but honest ones about what people do day-to-day and whether it sounds like something you’d be into. You’ll learn more from a 20-minute chat than from scrolling any number of company websites.
- Get involved in things. Extracurriculars, clubs, volunteer roles, side projects — whatever it is. Not because it looks good on your CV (though it does), but because it helps you grow, figure out what you’re good at, and feel a bit more ready when the time comes.
Working at Deloitte shifted how Faye sees the world — how businesses operate, how big organisations function, how everything connects. She went in not totally sure what she was stepping into. In her own words:
“I honestly had no idea what the professional services industry actually did or what companies like Deloitte really did.”
And she ended up building a career there anyway. Not bad for someone who didn’t know what the company did when she applied.
Curious about where a career at Deloitte could take you? Head to Deloitte Australia’s careers page to explore current opportunities and find out more about life at Deloitte.
