Check out advertising’s exciting (and somewhat unexpected) career opportunities.

Social Media Coordinator Callam Hanks, and the dog he made famous on social media “Poncho the Pug”

Ever since the Internet came along, the way we advertise things has been changing at an astonishing rate. The rise and rise of content driven social media advertising and now, app oriented mobile advertising can take your breath away if you are not holding on. But with these exciting new broadcast mediums comes a whole swagger of new employment opportunities for young people wanting to get a break and carve a career out for themselves on the forefront of advertising’s brave new frontiers. Now longer solely the realm of art director’s, copywriters and account managers, advertising now offers exciting new job opportunities at the coal face of new media and their associated technologies. Young graduates are finding employment as social media coordinators, digital designers, user experience strategists and content producers – job titles that were unheard of 10 years ago. And they are exciting about it. Andy Wright, co-founder of “For the People”, and regular on the Macleay College industry advisory panel, when asked to put together a new creative team of an art director and a copywriter, came back with “It would be more forward thinking to combine a strategist with a technologist. You will get a much more innovative result”.

Social Media Coordinator

The recent advertising graduate and northern beaches local Callam Hanks, wanted to upgrade his graphic design qualification to become an art director in advertising, but on the way he took on the pub courtyard challenge of making his dog, Poncho the pug, famous. He launched his own social media campaign primarily over Facebook while he was studying adverting at Macleay College, and before he new it, he has scored a social media coordinator position at Australia’s leading digital agency SOAP CREATIVE. Click here for more of Callam’s story

Digital Content Producer

DJ and all-round talent James McInerney knew life could offer him more than just his nocturnal, throbbing, head-phone wearing night job, so after reskilling through the advertising course at Macleay, he landed himself a position as a content producer with KONTENTET, combining his abilities as a strategist in steering concepts and developing creative ideas, with his know-how in getting things done as a producer. James has been making videos and great (and fun) content ever since.

Click here for more about James James McInerney went from DJ to Content and Strategy Producer.

Digital Designer

Dance teacher Jamie Astley wanted to channel her creativity into an second career pathway, and after getting her teeth into Adobe’s creative suite digital software, found herself graduated and working as a digital designer for Lowe-Profero. First job, for famous communications brand – and an overseas trip for the briefing.

 User Experience (UX) Designer

Kean Edwards was a bit of maverick while studying advertising at Macleay College, he excelled in both the creative and account management subjects, and now finds himself working in User Experience at the Sydney agency Razorfish. What really drew him to UX was the blend of strategic and creative thinking. UX is all about really understanding the needs, goals and pains of the customer – so you can create an experience (whether that be a microsite, website or app) for users that actually solve their problems.

Why this is important (and exciting) for young people looking to start (or kick-start) a career, is that advertising offers so many new and somewhat unexpected career opportunities. Advertising is no longer just about flogging a product. Now that we’re seeing technology and content coming together under the guardianship of marketing, career opportunities in advertising are popping up for storytellers, entrepreneurs, technologists, social media addicts, gamers, bloggers and courageous people who love to think outside of what we know. So all you ambitions, creative, quer-thinkers out there, please introduce yourselves.

Ian Thomson is Head of Advertising at independent education provider Macleay College and has previously worked across Europe and Australia as an award-winning freelance creative and director.