Work ethic the key to future success for Media and Communications student
A summer internship has helped a GCU student decide on her future career path as she heads into her final year of university.
Media and Communications student Beth Drummond landed a 10-week paid placement with sustainable start-up company, QUICKBLOCK. The opportunity came to light thanks to the GCU Careers Service, who made Beth aware of Entrepreneurial Scotland’s ‘Saltire Scholar Internship’ programme.
We caught up with Beth to hear about her experience and find out what else she’s been doing to boost her CV.
How did this opportunity all come about?
“In September or October last year, I got an email through from GCU Careers with information about an online talk with Entrepreneurial Scotland, who were going to be discussing their Saltire Scholar programme. I thought it sounded interesting, so I decided to go along.
“I heard from quite a few people who had been involved in the placements and it was amazing to find out that it had been a life-changing experience for them. You could tell they were genuinely really thankful for the opportunity – it made me decide that I really wanted to do it.”
What was the process for applying?
“The applications were due in November, so I went to multiple GCU Careers appointments to try and get my application sorted; there were 12 questions and each needed about 300-words.
“Once that was done, I sent it off and heard back from them in December. I’d got through to the next stage and had to go through two 15-minute interviews: one with someone who works with Entrepreneurial Scotland and one with a past Saltire Scholar.
“I then heard back from them in January to tell me I’d got into the programme. At that point you’re then in their ‘Candidate Pool’ and they send you out lists of internship opportunities that you can then apply to through their website.”
What appealed to you about the internship with QUICKBLOCK?
“The opportunity actually came up in May and it was actually the second last round of internships being offered out. I had almost given up hope because I was being quite specific: I didn’t want to go abroad because I thought it would be harder to make friends and I wanted something specifically relevant to my degree.
“The internship with QUCKBLOCK then came up; it really appealed to me because it was digital marketing and based in Stirling. Their whole purpose as an organisation ties into sustainability – their blocks are made out of 100% sustainable plastic and can be used to build anything. I really care about the environment and climate change, so it all fitted perfectly with what I was looking for.”
So, what have you been involved with?
“Being in a marketing role with them has been really fun because you’re not just sitting at a desk 24/7 - you’re doing stuff and getting to build things. For example, the other day I packed up and went outside to build a bar and captured it all on Tik-Tok.
“I’m mainly in charge of their social channels at the moment: Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn (their biggest platform) and, as I mentioned, I’ve also started a Tik-Tok. I’ve also been doing newsletters and events for them as well, so it’s been really busy!”
Has it given you the appetite for a future career in a role like this?
“100%! I feel like I’ve learned a lot about digital marketing and realised that it’s definitely the career path I want to go down.
“It’s also been great to be part of a small business as well. I’ve learned a lot about how businesses work and how it all runs – my line manager is CEO of the company and that’s given me a real insight.”
You’re also very busy away from your internship as well, tell us a bit about that?
“I’m a radio presenter with Cumbernauld FM and I’ve been doing it since November 2020. I got really lucky with it during the middle of lockdown when I wasn’t really doing anything. I saw someone on Facebook had started volunteering with them, so I just dropped them a message.
“I went in to see how it all worked and they were like ‘YOU NEED A SHOW!” and I really wasn’t sure about it. By the time I was walking out, I was coming up with a show concept. It started with a Christmas special and I’ve now got a show that’s all about positive vibes with happy, feel-good music.
"Back at GCU, I’m the vice-president for the Fashion Society and I’m also social media and committee member for the Dance Society.”
The big question: how are you possibly balancing all this alongside your degree?
“I’ve always been a bit like this. At high school, I was involved in every single club every day after school. My biggest accomplishment to date is that I started a Mary’s Meals group in my second last year of high school – my friends and I raised £5000 within the two years.
“It kind of made sense that I kept that putting myself forward for different things at university. My grades aren’t 100% all the time, so I’ve always had a really strong work ethic to balance that out. That’s why it’s really important for me to take on these opportunities and gain as much work experience as possible.”
Fancy a bit of support from GCU Careers Service? Check out their page here
By Ross Clark
Got an SHLS or GSBS story? Email me at Ross.Clark@gcu.ac.uk or message me on Twitter