Amanda Meegan: From St Cat's to the Big Mouse
See how Amanda grew her career from a semester exchange in Perth to working at the Walt Disney Company in the United States.
How did you find your time at St Catherine's?
The friends I made at St. Catherine's made my time there unforgettable. Even though I am back in America now, I still keep up with my close friends from Cats daily! Cats also introduced me to my partner Luke, who I first met in 2018 while staying at St. Catherine's on Park for a few weeks. As a guest at the hotel, I had so much fun being included in events hosted by the College RA's, that I knew I had to return for a full semester on exchange. Every one of my friends at St. Cats showed me a different part of life in Australia.
What is your current role/ where do you work?
I am currently an Associate Digital Analyst at the Walt Disney Company, working with data for products in our Disney, Marvel, and Star Wars brands. I help our partners understand the why behind our performance numbers, and strategize ways to improve them.
What was the process like to get into your role?
An unexpected part of the hiring process for this role was having to complete 11 rounds of interviews. It seemed quite intimidating to have to complete that many interviews, but I quickly found that each interviewer I met was so kind and did such interesting work. While it helped that my coursework prepared me to answer technical questions about coding and data analysis software's, I found Disney values your attitude and who you are even more highly. Disney's brand is all about building an incomparable experience across all of our television, movies, resorts, and products, and they cultivate a workforce that is passionate about innovating the future of entertainment.
Do you have any advice for students looking for work after they graduate?
My advice to students looking for work after graduation is to pursue internship/work experience. No matter the industry, you will learn skills that you could not learn at uni. Internship experience is a great way to find out what you do/don't like about a career path, which is invaluable to know early on. If you're struggling to get accepted to internship programs, I found that many local governments and small businesses are willing to bring on part-time/unpaid interns. Every new work experience adds more credibility for your next job application, and often these environments are in great need of extra assistance! And if you're interested in Disney, we have an international internship program that has had many Australian Alumni!
What are some of your goals for the future?
My goals for the future are to establish myself as a leader for international business data strategy by continuing to learn new programming languages, work with industry professionals in various countries, speak at international events and conferences, and eventually obtain my MBA.