Viewing The Marketing World Through the Eyes of a KPU Graduate
Social media coordinator for Jelly Marketing, Jessica MacLeod says that KPU prepared her for her career by offering her real-world experience in the marketing field (Submitted).
Walking across the stage and accepting your university diploma on convocation day is one of the most exciting moments of being a student. Figuring out what to do with your life from that point on, however, can be a challenge.
For Jessica MacLeod, a graduate of KPU’s marketing program, making this decision required a bit of personal exploration.
Initially she wanted to study journalism, but took marketing as an arts elective to “dabble in different arts courses.” Due to her social, extroverted nature, she quickly became fascinated by the ever-evolving world of digital marketing,
“I realized that I can still exercise those writing skills and my writing abilities, but use [them] in kind of a more dynamic way,” says MacLeod.
MacLeod currently works as a social media coordinator for Jelly Marketing. Their clients range from law firms to professionals working in the hospitality industry. It is her job to create and manage the social media platforms of these companies and interact with their customers.
In addition, she recently began teaching the social media component of Jelly Academy’s digital marketing course. The class explores everything from social media to digital advertising and public relations.
During her co-op in school, MacLeod was a member of the Vancouver airport’s “flight crew,”a group of digital marketers responsible for promoting YVR and its community programs alongside the marketing team. She says that the real-world knowledge she gained from her work with the airport was an invaluable experience and prepared her for entering the workforce.
She found the program itself “very hands on” in that students learn not only theory, but also practical experience from doing projects for real marketing clients. She adds that this experience is also useful for developing a work portfolio which can one day be shown to potential employers.
“Not a lot of schools offer … the option to work with real people and real businesses and solve real problems,” she says.
Throughout her time at KPU, she created many personal friendships and meaningful relationships with her professors. Her positive experiences have led her to recommend KPU to other people, citing the campus community and small class sizes as attractions for the university.
Her advice to current KPU students and recent graduates is to explore different work options and figure out what is enjoyable for them. She believes that it is important to go into the private sector and get as much practical experience as possible.
“I have always believed in KPU and what it represents,” she says.
