Connor Gibbons has many talents and is passionate about a number of things but sport, travel and creating digital content rank high. In terms of sport, he is particularly fanatical about soccer and cricket. Being a 2017 BA Mass Communications grad, majoring in Web Media and Marketing, he has developed a range of exceptionally valuable skills. Connor enjoys leading teams, he was Head Boy at his old school and immersed himself in Curtin Leadership activities while at uni. He is now heading to work in digital communications management.

I was somewhat drifting through a Mass Communications degree with no real ambition or end-goal in sight. It was quickly approaching the half way mark of my course and I was without a clue on what direction I was headed in.

I decided to book a meeting with a careers counsellor and fast realised I definitely needed a change. After a few sessions with the Curtin Careers, Employment & Leadership team I decided to switch streams, from Creative Advertising to Marketing, and set both monthly and semesterly targets.

The content within the Marketing units was far more aligned with what I wanted to do as a career and so it became much more engaging and relevant, enabling me to be much more productive with my studies.

The careers team also encouraged me to get as much industry experience as possible; which I did, undertaking three work placements in different fields of work.

Career Interventions

I think the newly-found enthusiasm for studies that would help develop specific employment related skills, in combination with various workplace experiences, were crucial in the hunt to find a relevant graduate job.

The development process was ongoing and involved multiple check-ins with the careers team at various points throughout my degree. This culminated in mock interviews; which helped hugely in preparation and building confidence for high pressure job interviews.

I attended my graduation ceremony last Sunday and the following day was offered a full-time position as a Digital Communications Officer with a well-known property group in WA. I see this as an accumulation of all the things I’ve done in the last 18-24 months with the initial plans set in place from my very first meeting with my careers counsellor.

If you’re even slightly unsure of the direction you’re heading in, or even if you are but just want to explore some different options or make sure you are on the right track, I highly recommend visiting your university careers team first.