Advertising Student Gets Graduate Job A Year BEFORE She Graduates

Destiny Smith, 22, hails from Bermuda, but decided she wanted to Study in South Wales after visiting the area to see her sister perform in a show. Now on the second year of a BA (Hons) Advertising Design course, Destiny has already been offered a full-time graduate job as an account handler, with Cardiff-based agency S3. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“I wanted to study in Cardiff because it’s a good place for working with agencies” explained Destiny. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The best thing about the course is the amount of time we get to spend presenting to industry – so we’re being judged on their standards, which is so important in getting a job”. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

One of the many live briefs which Destiny has been involved in was one for S3 – to come up with a promotional campaign for the company’s fifth birthday. Destiny’s group, for which she was art director and account handler, was a runner-up in the brief. The group won a prize, but, most importantly, Destiny was approached by Matt, CEO for S3, who describes Destiny as “infectious” and offered a job, starting when she graduates next June. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“I chose advertising because it’s the perfect mix of business and art and it’s based around idea generation, and where I’d get the opportunity to do a lot of presenting,” explained Destiny, who admits that she absolutely loves presenting – a skill which will be crucial in her new role. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The course in Cardiff was great because the employability rate was good, the location was spot on and I read about how they work with industry, which for me was so important – I could actually see myself getting a job at the end, although I didn’t know that would happen so soon.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Destiny added that one of the benefits of the course has been course leader Lee Thomas. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Lee has been awesome, he’s helped us so much. He really cares about the students and pushes us to be the best we can be. That kind of support, it’s just incredible,” she said. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Having visited USW’s Grad Fest last week, Destiny is even more excited for her future. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“This time next year I’ll be part of the end-of-year show for advertising, and what I’ve seen this year has been fantastic in terms of the projects – I’ve got a lot to live up to, but a lot to be excited for too,” she said. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​