From a love of writing to a rewarding career, Pallavi is following her dream.
Pallavi knew she wanted to study Creative Writing at RMIT from the moment she started researching universities.
“The Bachelor of Arts (Creative Writing) was unlike anything offered at other universities. At RMIT, creative writing was the focus of the degree - not a singular unit or area of study,” she says.
She notes that the impressive industry connections listed online and at Open Day also helped her make her decision early on.
“I felt reassured that I wouldn’t just be spending three years studying something I loved - I’d also get a career out of it at the end.”
In the course, students are taught how to hone their skills for creative expression and prepare for a career as a writer, editor, screenwriter or publisher.
For Pallavi, this meant studying classic and emerging literature, crafting her writing practice, and getting to know the world of publishing.
However, with the opportunity to study other electives during the course, Pallavi quickly became interested in marketing and copywriting.
“I did a marketing elective that laid the groundwork for my venture into the industry and I got to study film, Indigenous literature, genre writing, poetry and non-fiction at the same time.
"It’s such a unique degree that lends itself to all kinds of industries and career outcomes.”
But although it was an easy choice for her, Pallavi explains that it’s common for Year 12s to feel pressured to select a degree in a field they may not truly love.
The advice Pallavi has for students choosing what to study at university is to choose something that you will drive yourself to succeed in.
“If you don’t study a passion or interest, it can be difficult to keep up at uni because you aren’t chased up by school teachers anymore,” she says.
“Because I studied a very unique course, people would ask me, ‘What kind of job comes out of that degree?’
“In Year 12, that question flustered me. But I’m glad I stayed confident with my choice, because now my degree helps me stand out immediately from other job candidates.”
In her time at RMIT, Pallavi made the most of the opportunities available to students, and credits her success to this approach. This included working on a 10-day internship with the Emerging Writers’ Festival, completing a study tour to China, attending career workshops and choosing electives to broaden her knowledge.
But when asked about the most useful part of her degree, Pallavi references RMIT Career Centre, RMIT’s job database where employers can post listings.
“RMIT Career Centre is exclusive to RMIT students and recent graduates, so it gives you an immediate advantage against thousands of other uni students.
“I found my first agency copywriting job through RMIT Career Centre during my third year of study. After I graduated from my degree, they offered me my first full-time position!”
Pallavi went on to pursue a full-time copywriting career, which has recently led her back to RMIT’s marketing team.
“If it wasn’t for my degree, I would have never discovered copywriting. It feels great to come full-circle and help promote a place of study that I genuinely believe in.”
Thinking about what’s next, Pallavi feels she is well on the way to her dream job.
“I would love to end up copywriting and content writing for a well-known travel or lifestyle company one day, or even start a freelance business.
“Either way, I’m excited for what the future holds.”
