After spending 3 years at university, Katrina Fowler was attracted to Macleay Advertising’s short course time. In just 12 months, Katrina had completed a diploma of advertising, gained industry experience and secured a job at Southern Cross Austereo.

What’s your day like as Copywriter at Southern Cross Austereo?

A normal day in the job is a long one, but that’s how I love it. We come in the morning and its straight to my emails. There’s a lot of back and forth between Account Managers and clients, making sure we advertise the product correctly and to the best of our ability.

I spend most of my day addressing briefs for Account Managers, I write creative solutions to there business problems. The rest of my day is broken up between production and voicing. I’m lucky in the sense that I’m allowed some time in production producing ads and watching the masters at work. That’s something you learn fast in my industry, you’re always learning. I’m also used to voice acting as I’ve done some acting in the past.

So I do a bit of everything in my job. There’s never a dull day in advertising. I’m doing something I love and it took less than a year at Macleay to get here.

Why did you choose to study at Macleay?

I chose to study at Macleay College because of the short course time. The intense, fast-track advertising diploma meant I could be out in the workforce doing what I love in just 12 months. That’s an amazing opportunity, especially because I already spent 3 years studying. I wanted to focus my studies, but I didn’t want to spend another 3 years as a student.

What did you enjoy most about Macleay?

I enjoyed learning from the industry professionals at Macleay. The teachers don’t just lecture, they are also all currently working in the industry. Not only was I getting up to date relevant information, I was learning from real situations – not just something scribbled in a text book.

I also enjoyed being able to work with the other students in the course. It’s a cliché, but true – I’ve made lifelong friends at Macleay as we all have similar passions.

The other part of it is the people I’ve met at Macleay – not just the other students but my lecturers. They genuinely wanted me to do well and get where I was going. I’ve never had so much personal help from lectures before. They truly inspired me to work for what I wanted.

How did the course help you prepare for your current role?

Again, I would have to say for the industry professionals. I was taught how to act in my industry’s environment. That’s not something taught at universities – it’s a life skill. I can’t imagine anywhere else that could teach you such invaluable information in under a year.

What’s the most interesting part of your job?

The most interesting part of my job is the people I work with. Creative people are super unique, so when we all get together it’s crazy, but so much fun. I’m lucky I get to work in a job I love, with great people, and that’s hardly ‘work’. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Macleay College.

What’s your career goal?

My career goals change daily. My end goal would be to own my own company or agency.

I’ve always been one to aim high and the lecturers at Macleay encourage that too. No one ever told me I couldn’t do something. They showed me how to start and I’ve learnt that as long as I put in the effort I can get there.

Click here to find out more about the advertising course at Macleay College.