“My progression from high school to today has been interesting to say the least!”
Writing, acting, furniture design, violin, travel and construction.
These diverse passions seem an unlikely combination, but for journalism graduate Kitty Danger, they form the less than traditional path that has led to a fulfilling career in public relations at The Red Republic.
While many high school graduates feel the pressure to careen head first into a chosen career, Kitty took the time to explore her options before settling on a Bachelor of Journalism, specializing in PR and Arts and Creative Industries.
This process of discovery led to Kitty securing a role well suited to her diverse and colorful personality. Working as an Account Manager on a variety of events, social media and publicity campaigns, means she is able to channel her creative side and in her own words “never get bored”.
“Our campaigns can go from fun fashion stories to human interest pieces with people who have inspiring and incredible lives. I get to work across a wide range of campaigns which means it’s never boring and often a bit crazy,” she says.
Kitty admits she never imagined she would end up working in PR. She has always been drawn to a wide range of interests, meaning her path has taken a few twists and turns on the way to tertiary education.
During high school, Kitty was an English nerd and was prone to indulge her love of writing – a subject she thoroughly enjoyed. Dabbling in drama and ten years of violin meant career consideration in acting and music were also toyed with.
After high school Kitty gained a Certificate II in Construction and spent 18 months rocking a hard hat and steel-caps.
Despite these creative career options, post high school saw Kitty gain a Certificate II in Construction and spend a year rocking a hard hat and steel-caps on industrial building sites: quite a juxtaposition to life as a PR professional.
After the construction gig, she spent a year and a half working as a film and TV extra in Sydney, something she says was a lot of fun and a great learning experience.
So what was the inspiration for her colorful and varied transition from high school to University?
“I liked a lot of different things and didn’t want to rush into Uni on a whim like a lot of my cohort.”
“So many people I graduated with went to Uni because their parents basically told them they had to, or they had nothing better to do. I’ve had an interesting progression from school to now and haven’t regretted it for a second.”
Initially pursuing journalism, Kitty realised that a career in PR would allow her to channel her creative flair.
It’s clear that hard work was instrumental in securing the coveted role she now possesses. Receiving a Griffith Award for Academic Excellence, Kitty also interned in Sydney and Brisbane in both PR and journalism, with one PR internship lasting a year.
The hard work certainly paid off however, when the CEO of The Red Republic headhunted her through LinkedIn and asked her to come in for an interview. Now Kitty’s profile on the company’s website reads, ‘Kitty is a doer and a safe pair of hands. Task her with something and she will deliver on time, every time’.
Kitty’s success demonstrates that there isn’t a ‘right’ way to finding your career path and sometimes exploring your passions can (eventually) lead to landing your dream job.
Top tips from Kitty
- Get in early with internships to gain experience
- Find a way to stand out from the crowd
- You can’t be a publicist without killer writing skills. Practice makes perfect!
Griffith University Careers and Employment Service 