Student Profile

Master of Marketing, Deakin University, Melbourne Burwood Campus and Online), 2010

Currently: Marketing and Events Coordinator, ANZ Private

While still at school it can be difficult to understand what a particular career is all about. So finding you have made the wrong choice should be no surprise says Deakin Master of Marketing graduate Kasia Maruszak.

Initially, Kasia studied physiotherapy. 'I worked as a physiotherapist for one year but it was not for me,' she says. 'It is quite a physical job and I didn't expect it to be.' However, the qualification did allow her to gain a taste of a different path. 'Because of my physio degree, I was able to move into corporate health and safety by being accepted into the Coles Myer graduate program,' she explains. 'It gave me a sense of what other things I could do.'

The opportunity to try life in the corporate world soon alerted Kasia to other possibilities. 'I had some experience collaborating with the Coles Marketing team during our health promotion for Mental Health week and it really gave me a buzz,' she says. 'I knew then that marketing was what I wanted to do.'

As she began investigating her study options, Kasia quickly gained some 'word of mouth' recommendations for Deakin. 'Because I was working full-time, the online component was really important for me - especially the online lectures,' she says. 'Everything is based around DSO (Deakin Services Online) and it far surpassed some of the other unis in that area.'

Describing her Masters as 'a really great experience', Kasia says she thoroughly enjoyed the subject matter involved. 'One of my favourites was Advertising and Consumer Behaviour with Nicola Robertson. It was about the theory behind creating an advertisement and she delivered it in a really engaging way.' The mix of on campus and online study also appealed. 'I enjoyed participating in class discussions during evening classes and online study was really helpful.'

Kasia is now a marketing and events coordinator for ANZ Private - a sub branch of ANZ that looks after high net worth clients. 'I bring to life a very busy sponsorship and events calendar and ensure that the face-to-face ANZ Private experience is befitting of our high-end brand,' she says. 'We do things like educational and investment seminars to share knowledge with our clients to help them make better wealth management decisions. Sponsoring the Australian String Quartet and events including the Australian Open also provide face-to-face opportunities to build client relationships.'

The online facilities and quality of the lecturers are the main reasons Kasia says she would 'definitely recommend' Deakin. 'I can really see the difference when I hear people from other universities complaining about their lecturers. I feel quite lucky,' she says. And there are no regrets about her change of direction. 'I really love the job and I am very happy I made the transition to marketing.'