Sherry Ng
Design and Marketing Coordinator, Calibrate Digital Marketing
Bachelor of Creative Technologies
The people she met were the biggest highlight of her time at AUT, says Sherry Ng who came to AUT to study a Bachelor of Creative Technologies. Her studies were supported by an AUT Vice-Chancellor’s Significant Student Scholarship and a Champlain College Scholarship that enabled her to go on a student exchange to the USA.
“I was so nervous going into university because I came from a small high school where everyone knew each other by name. I didn’t know anyone when I started at AUT but fortunately I was quick to meet new friends during Orientation. Throughout the years, our cohort and studio never felt like a competitive environment. Everyone would be working on their own thing, but they were always happy to bounce around ideas or collaborate on projects.”
As someone who has always been passionate about science, business and design, she was immediately intrigued by the Bachelor of Creative Technologies, says Sherry who is proud of receiving a School of Future Environments Outstanding Creative Technologist Award and an AUT X Challenge Final Judges Award.
“Creative technologies is a very broad degree where some students graduate specialising in a chosen field and some graduate as ‘a jack of all creative trades’. You’re exposed to so much throughout your time studying and end up learning about fields you might not have known existed before you started.
“We had the freedom to choose what we wanted to base our projects on and there was a lot of flexibility on what courses we took. Over the duration of my degree, I ended up specialising in web design and user experience but I really valued that I was able to take courses that interested me such as digital media and marketing.”
The start of a promising career
While it hasn’t been long since she graduated from university, Sherry has already been able to make one of her childhood dreams come true; working at the museum.
“After finishing my degree, I was lucky enough to be one of eight students to receive an Auckland Museum Summer Studentship, which involved working on a on independent project over 12 weeks at the museum. I heard about this opportunity through one of my lecturers. My project was to redesign the look and feel of the museum’s collections online website with a focus on improving the user experience.
“Working at the museum had always been a big dream of mine from when I used to visit as a little kid and it was so cool to learn about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into keeping the museum running.”
Now working as a design and marketing coordinator at Calibrate Digital Marketing, she loves the variety of her work.
“My job involves designing and copywriting social media content, designing digital ads and email campaigns, and setting up email automations for a range of clients. I really enjoy working at Calibrate because of the variety of projects I get to work on, and I like that the company supports professional development, which means that I can keep learning and upskilling. Working at a marketing agency means that I get to work with a lot of clients and every day is different.”
Advice for other students
Sherry, who completed her studies at the end of 2020, has some great advice for other students.
“I know everyone says this, but don’t be afraid to ask questions. Be curious, ask why, and ask for help when you need it. Your lecturers are there to help you succeed!”
Her other piece of advice is to build connections while you’re at university.
“Especially in the creative industry it’s so important to build connections with your classmates, teaching assistants and lecturers as they might be your teammates in the future. I’ve learnt that it’s super handy to have a network of people you can reach out to if you’re working on a project or wanting some help in an area that you’re not too familiar with.”
