Matt Hiser has taken many interesting turns on his career. He has gone from dishwashing to chemistry to a job as an advertising representative at the Southern Highland News.
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In the late 1990s, 15-year-old Matt secured his first job as a dishwasher at Bowral cafe Palate Pleasure. As is common in a country town, the job was offered to him through a friend of a friend. Matt enjoyed working there and when he occasionally left the kitchen, he was able to meet interesting locals and tourists alike.
However, one encounter had something of a comical twist for Matt. Nearing the end of a shift one afternoon Matt decided to break out of his behind-the-scenes role in the kitchen.
He stepped into the front area of cafe with a latex glove on his head, singing and dancing in true Peter Garrett-style to Midnight Oil’s Beds are burning. His performance was cut short when he realised Midnight Oil frontman, Peter Garrett was actually sitting in the cafe. A somewhat embarrassed Matt returned to his day job washing dishes.
Once Matt finished school, he went to university in Wollongong where he studied chemistry. He finished his degree in 2006 but a career in this field was put on hold when he took up a job as a casual sales person for MAC1.
He said he was burnt out after the intense university course and needed a change of focus. He worked his way up through various sales jobs to eventually take on a more adventurous role travelling around the country to train others.
Matt joined the Southern Highland News’ team as an advertising representative in early 2017. He said he loved meeting people in his current role but hadn’t ruled out pursuing a career in chemistry in the future.
Matt said he would like to some day return to studies to secure qualifications as a science teacher. In the meantime, he keeps himself busy as an advertising sales representative and pursuing a passion for photography.