Performance executive

"I am currently a Performance Executive looking after digital campaigns at the advertising agency FCB New Zealand.

"I work in an agency that believes advertising shouldn't be dictated to the general public but should be a catalyst for changing how a society as a whole works and operates. FCB is known internationally as a top-performing ad agency, but working here doesn't feel like you're part of a huge conglomerate.

"Studying in the Faculty of Arts opened up a lot of pathways for me. I started university thinking that I would go into teaching or anthropology, but a General Education paper that I took in Marketing during the second year of my BA made me realise that advertising was a way that I could combine the skills I had gained from my English and Media, Film and Television study into a job I could enjoy.

"I would advise prospective students that want to work in advertising to make the most of the digital media papers offered by the Faculty as advertising is becoming more reliant on digital media. You also need to socialise, make connections, and meet new people — I was lucky enough to be introduced to FCB by a friend.

"Studying arts set me up to be able to adapt to my surroundings and learn what I need to follow the career path of my dreams. Without the structure of an arts degree I would have started my working life in the deep end with very little knowledge of how to gain real-world skills.

"An arts degree gives you the freedom to change your mind, the flexibility to try different things, and the time to discover which career is right for you — like I did."