Careers in 21st Century Publishing

by by Joanne Butlin and Roisin Duffy

The OPUS Careers in 21st Century Publishing talk, the third annual event of its kind, allowed students and publishing professionals alike, to get a informative insight into various paths a publishing career can take. Ian Campsall, Aaron O’Dowling-Keane and Saskia Watts, all allumi of Brookes publishing courses, were the guest speakers invited to talk at Oxford Brookes on September 27th 2018.

Ian Campsall, the current Project Manager for The Science Direct Article Page at Elsevier, started off the evening by congratulating the students for getting onto the MA Publishing course and for choosing publishing, especially during what he described as ‘transformative times’. Ian spoke about his personal journey from being in the military to teaching. He explained that his previous experiences in such varied fields enriched his ability to progress in the publishing industry and is still relevant to his work today.

Aaron O’Dowling-Keane, Sales and Marketing Manager at Sherlock: The Game is Now, although not working in the industry, shared her experience of the skills that publishing taught her throughout her career. Aaron emphasised the importance of communicating with other teams. She also advised current students to use work experience as a way of understanding individual preferences in company culture.

Saskia Watts, Marketing Specialist for VitalSouce (Ingram), told of her impressive progression in the industry, despite only graduating two years ago from the BA course. Saskia highlighted the importance of using the connections that you make throughout the course and told the audience to never be afraid to take risks in this industry.

The talk was an excellent way to kick off the academic year and without doubt, motivated all of the students who attended. The three speakers gave invaluable advice about getting into the industry, but they also touched on the importance of a healthy work-life balance. They advised students to make the most of their time at Brookes by saying YES to every opportunity that the course offers.

Edited by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 21 Oct 2018 around 4pm

Last edited: 20 11 2021