After weighing up a number of study options and career paths, Mitchell Bellis followed his creative side and started studying a Bachelor of Design (Interaction Design) with a second major in Visual Communication at QUT. Mitchell shares his story about the courses he was encouraged to take, how he made the decision to follow his passion, and the career outcomes he has lined up.
Following my passion
I didn’t attend university straight after completing high school, and I’ll always be glad I took the time to think about what I wanted to do – not what others thought I should be doing. I was steered towards several career paths, all of which were less creative and more numeric. But during my gap year I worked as an administrative assistant in media and marketing, which really clarified what I wanted to do.
I’d always loved to draw, make and create in any way possible. I’d always had that creative side. But this work experience showed me you can pursue a career in a creative field.
The following year, I made the move from Rockhampton to Brisbane and started my Bachelor of Design.
Cutting-edge creativity
My course has included a lot of subjects that weren’t specific to just interaction design or visual communication. I learned a variety of fields within design, such as fabrication and sketching to design thinking.
But within all of it, I’ve learned powerful, strategic ways to use my individual creativity. As I’ve progressed, I’ve learned how to build tangible media, and some coding I’ll need to bring design to life. I’ve even learned to use the software I’ll be using as I move into the workforce, like Illustrator and Photoshop.
Along the way, I’m being guided by tutors and lecturers working in industry. Sure, the content I learn is the core of the university experiences. But it’s the conversations and the wisdom I gain from those working in industry that have really inspired me most.
The path into industry
The amount of industry contacts and partners throughout the course has been amazing. In fact, it was work I did with Children’s Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service for an assignment that helped me get an internship with them. And even closer to home, I recently started a paid role working within Internal Communications at QUT, letting me use my design skills in a real-world setting.
It's reassuring to know the opportunity to progress your skills, knowledge and experience is there and available with QUT.
