Hard work pays off for graduate

26 May 2008

 

UQ Business School graduate has combined her university degrees with industry-relevant experience to score a top job with a Queensland retail giant.

Samantha Anderson, 26, of Kenmore completed a Bachelor of Business Management and a Bachelor of Commerce at UQ majoring in marketing, international business, finance and banking and is now a marketing manager for Retail First, which provides specialised retail and commercial property services to business and property owners.

"The UQBS course gave me all the elements I needed to be a successful marketer. It allowed me to be able to 'talk marketing' and I was even able to use my assignments in job interviews," Ms Anderson said.

"While I was at university, I also started my own business making jewellery and had a casual retail job, which I later took on full-time, and that hands-on experience, combined with the theory (degree) really boosted my marketing credentials," she said.

Ms Anderson is responsible for two of the 18 shopping centres that Retail First, a subsidiary of The First Group, manages in South-East Queensland.

"I started with Retail First in 2006 as a marketing assistant and worked my way up to my current position," she said.

"The practicality of the course means that what I did at university is basically what I do in my job."

UQBS academic Liz Ferrier said Ms Anderson's story showed that hard work combined with a top degree from a quality institution was a platform for success.

"Samantha was working hard outside university, running her own business and working part-time as well as coaching tennis, but she also managed to achieve a Dean's Commendation for her academic work," Dr Ferrier said.

"There is no doubt that our courses produce confident and capable business people who, with a bit of hard work of their own, are capable of rising to the top of their chosen industries."

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