Hear straight from our graduates.
Working in the industry post-Shillington, I have never once felt incapable as a designer, which is a testament to the teachers and the content of the course.
Junior Designer, oOh!
Alexander Rog
What were you up to before Shillington? Did you have any previous design experience?
Unfortunately at a young age I fell victim to the get-rich-quick theory of decision-making when choosing my university degree. I had gone through high school really enjoying and excelling in design and dreamt of one day becoming an architect… until I convinced myself a commerce degree was a smarter career path. Fast forward to 2017 and 6 years of international trade experience was enough for me to re-fuel the creative itch I had to scratch.
Why did you decide to study design?
I have always enjoyed creative endeavours in any aspect of life — countless times in my previous employment I would attempt to ‘beautify’ excel spreadsheets as unfortunately a commercial role was very limiting in that regard. I also appreciated the visual storytelling of information and concepts so I eventually decided graphic communication and design would be something I would find a lot of value in.
After doing a lot of research and attending many information evenings across the industry, Shillington stood out to me firstly from a commercial standpoint. I have always been a strong believer in experience-based learning and completing a course in the quickest amount of time was optimal. I completed the 3-month full time course over winter — of which I strongly recommend as it makes the worst months of the year highly enjoyable — and was back out in the job market in no time.
How did you land your job at oOh! Media?
Funnily enough I remember exactly the words from my teachers in the final week of the course, discussing strategies for job hunting. ‘Don’t just go looking for design jobs on SEEK’. Well you can guess where I found mine. oOh! are one of the largest Advertising agencies across Australia and NZ and luckily for me were hiring for a Junior Designer role a couple of weeks after I graduated. Once I got to an interview they were very impressed with the portfolio but more-so how well I was trained practically and how well Shillington set up students for employment with industry in mind.
What would you say to people who are sceptical about Shillington’s fast-paced design course?
I’ve always been a firm believer that you learn and grow the most when thrown into the deep end. The full-time Shillington course was incredibly immersive and really focussed you as a student across a short period of time. It became easy to get swept up in a small, tight group of like-minded creatives and whilst you don’t have a great deal of time for other things in your life it’s only 3 months and well worth investing in for a career in the future you can really enjoy.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Working in the industry post-Shillington, I have never once felt incapable as a designer, which is a testament to the teachers and the content of the course. I felt I have been guided well and as I go through the design process their words of wisdom always pop into my head. I’ve also had the opportunity to compare my skills with some of the students coming out of other institutions and can strongly confirm Shillo alumni can hold their own. Because the course was so focussed on staying industry-relevant and up-to-date I have been able to pass on a lot of skills and knowledge to my more-experienced colleagues.
Visit Alexander’s website.
Working in the industry post-Shillington, I have never once felt incapable as a designer, which is a testament to the teachers and the content of the course.
Junior Designer, oOh!
Alexander Rog
What were you up to before Shillington? Did you have any previous design experience?
Unfortunately at a young age I fell victim to the get-rich-quick theory of decision-making when choosing my university degree. I had gone through high school really enjoying and excelling in design and dreamt of one day becoming an architect… until I convinced myself a commerce degree was a smarter career path. Fast forward to 2017 and 6 years of international trade experience was enough for me to re-fuel the creative itch I had to scratch.
Why did you decide to study design?
I have always enjoyed creative endeavours in any aspect of life — countless times in my previous employment I would attempt to ‘beautify’ excel spreadsheets as unfortunately a commercial role was very limiting in that regard. I also appreciated the visual storytelling of information and concepts so I eventually decided graphic communication and design would be something I would find a lot of value in.
After doing a lot of research and attending many information evenings across the industry, Shillington stood out to me firstly from a commercial standpoint. I have always been a strong believer in experience-based learning and completing a course in the quickest amount of time was optimal. I completed the 3-month full time course over winter — of which I strongly recommend as it makes the worst months of the year highly enjoyable — and was back out in the job market in no time.
How did you land your job at oOh! Media?
Funnily enough I remember exactly the words from my teachers in the final week of the course, discussing strategies for job hunting. ‘Don’t just go looking for design jobs on SEEK’. Well you can guess where I found mine. oOh! are one of the largest Advertising agencies across Australia and NZ and luckily for me were hiring for a Junior Designer role a couple of weeks after I graduated. Once I got to an interview they were very impressed with the portfolio but more-so how well I was trained practically and how well Shillington set up students for employment with industry in mind.
What would you say to people who are sceptical about Shillington’s fast-paced design course?
I’ve always been a firm believer that you learn and grow the most when thrown into the deep end. The full-time Shillington course was incredibly immersive and really focussed you as a student across a short period of time. It became easy to get swept up in a small, tight group of like-minded creatives and whilst you don’t have a great deal of time for other things in your life it’s only 3 months and well worth investing in for a career in the future you can really enjoy.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Working in the industry post-Shillington, I have never once felt incapable as a designer, which is a testament to the teachers and the content of the course. I felt I have been guided well and as I go through the design process their words of wisdom always pop into my head. I’ve also had the opportunity to compare my skills with some of the students coming out of other institutions and can strongly confirm Shillo alumni can hold their own. Because the course was so focussed on staying industry-relevant and up-to-date I have been able to pass on a lot of skills and knowledge to my more-experienced colleagues.
Visit Alexander’s website.
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