November 8, 2012, by Anne S

From Psychology to… social media

Maebellyne Ventura, University alumnus

I have always been interested in behaviour and mental health so it was an almost natural choice to study Psychology. During my degree I was able to explore different aspects of psychology – biological, neurological and social, to name a few. In the process I also learnt a lot more about statistics than I ever imagined!

I enjoyed my course but knowing that I was already studying something that I love and after seeing the range of courses and activities on offer at the University, I was motivated to seek out interests outside of my comfort zone. I tried some volunteer work, studied linguistics and philosophy modules, learned how to snowboard and even created a website as a Publicity Officer for PsychoSoc.

After graduation, I started writing my own blog and eventually put what I learnt and my interests together to create my own start-up called Clever Biscuit, building Facebook applications and web-based tools. These days, I work in Switzerland for a recruitment company managing websites and social media campaigns on Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks.

I think what set me apart in the eyes of my employers was my broad set of experiences. As far as digital marketing is concerned, every employer will look for writing skills, statistics know-how and an understanding of psychology. I learned all of those during my time at university.

My advice for any student would be: study what you love, grab new experiences where you can and then just see where life takes you. What you do later in life doesn’t have to depend on whether you did the “right” course at university, as employers won’t necessarily examine your module choices. Instead they will focus on the skills you’ve honed as well as the experiences you’ve had along the way.

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