The winding and wild road of careers – told by three Canberrans | HerCanberra

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The winding and wild road of careers – told by three Canberrans

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As my final year of university comes closer to the end, people are starting to ask me what I’m going to do when I finish. And while I have some ideas, I’m still very uncertain as to what my future career may look like.

But this is okay!

I’ve spoken to many people around me who shared that their career has changed multiple directions, many times, and that often they’ve ended up doing something they never thought they would.

So, I thought I’d ask three locals to share their story about the winding and wild road of their careers to inspire me as I look to the future.

Introducing AMANDA WHITLEY.

Amanda hardly needs an introduction – she’s the face and founder of HerCanberra and someone who’s created a very successful company we all know and love. Amanda has established a highly curated publication and welcomed many writers from all walks of life to contribute to help connect Canberrans and share their stories.

Introducing NICOLE WEATHERSTONE.

I met Nicole on one of my first trips to Club Lime – I was faced with a complex array of machines and truth be told, I was tempted to leave and never return. But Nicole, gym manager and group fitness instructor, welcomed me into her world and taught me how to love working out. She’s passionate about what she does and her dance classes are always high energy and high fun!

Introducing WILL TRAN.

Will works behind the scenes at the National Zoo and Aquarium in his marketing/media role but this wasn’t always the case. He’s danced his way around the world, nursed sick animals back to health, and studied Arts/Law at the University of Canberra!

What was your first casual/part-time job?

AMANDA: I worked at Ganmain Hardware in my hometown of Narrandera every Saturday morning, tallying up the client accounts that had accrued during the week.

NICOLE: Waitress/cook at Caltex Roadhouse.

WILL: Working as a Vet Nurse in Wanniassa.

If you studied at university, what did you study? If you didn’t go to university, what was behind that decision?

AMANDA: I studied a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (specialising in Public Relations) at the University of Canberra.

NICOLE: I didn’t go to university; it wasn’t on my radar. I finished school in the early 90s and I was in a country town, so unless you wanted to be a doctor, teacher, etc. you didn’t go.

WILL: I studied Arts/Law with a Major in Creative Writing/Counselling at UC but left mid-way through as my dance career was taking me all sorts of places across the globe and around Australia. I eventually returned to UC.

What was your first full time job?

AMANDA: After university, I desperately wanted to work in magazines with Australian Consolidated Press but jobs in the industry were tightly held and usually went to people with contacts (my dad worked on the RTA and my mum was a part-time library assistant…). So, I went for the next best thing – my first job was with a small boutique publicity firm in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs that handled accounts for Maybelline, Yardley, Ray Ban, Redken and a few others.

NICOLE: It was a clerical traineeship at a law firm, I was an office junior. I was halfway through year 11, so I left school for the job.

WILL: It was at The National Zoo and Aquarium where I started as an Education Officer, then Zoo Keeper and finally Vet Nurse.

What job are you doing now?

AMANDA: I’m the founder and Editor-in-Chief of HerCanberra and Head of Communications for our parent business, Supercurious.

NICOLE: I am a gym manager and a group fitness instructor. I was going to the gym and doing ‘aerobics classes’ when I was 16. I loved the movement to music, and the motivation of the class and though the instructors were absolute gods and wanted to be just like them. I was teaching classes just after my 18th birthday. On the management side, I really enjoy the gym environment, helping members with their fitness goals and providing a good place for them to come and exercise.

WILL: Working in Marketing/Media for both the Zoo and Jamala Lodge. I work to get across our message of conservation, preservation and protection of our environment and the animals that call these spaces home for our Australian and Global Community.

Did you ever think you would be doing a job like this?

AMANDA: This job wasn’t even a figment of my imagination when I was young – mainly because the internet was something we learned about at uni very much as a ‘future office technology’ thing, and not something we’d dreamed would replace magazines!

NICOLE: Yes, it was my absolute dream job. I travelled to Canberra twice a week for a year to do a Certificate Three in Fitness to do it.

WILL: Actually, this was an aspiration when I started in the company and made sense due to my decade long industry experience as a dancer and performance artist. The opportunity wasn’t there to move across throughout the years, but when the offer was given to me, I grabbed it with both hands and ran with it.

What has been the most unexpected part of your career?

AMANDA: After about a year in Sydney, I moved back to the Riverina to live in Griffith, about an hour from my teen hometown of Narrandera, after my dad was diagnosed with MS.

I started working as a Communication Assistant with a little organisation called Riverina Citrus Marketing – surprisingly, I had more scope to flex my skills here than I had ever had in my city role. My advice was appreciated, and I was given great opportunities to grow and develop.

After about a year, my boss departed suddenly, and the Management Board asked if I wouldn’t mind ‘looking after things for a while’. And so, at the age of 22, I found myself Executive Officer of an organisation and managing four staff, most of them older than me. My learning curve was huge. I frequently thought to myself ‘what on earth am I doing here?’ – but I must have been doing something right, because they never did advertise for a replacement, and I did that job until I resigned four years later, ready for another challenge.

At the end of those four years, I had lobbied politicians, met with the Deputy PM, hosted food media and celebrity chefs to the region, run national advertising campaigns, and appeared regularly on local television news and on live radio. I could write press releases, address hostile crowds of hundreds, I’d travelled to South Africa to study citrus marketing techniques, I could tell you the difference between drip irrigation and microjet (and can still sound reasonably intelligent talking about mealybug and fruit fly).

I never imagined that I would do a job like that. But it was, without a doubt, the best learning experience of my career.

NICOLE: I think when I started teaching classes, it was all about me and being on stage, but what I quickly learnt was how rewarding it was to have a positive impact on people and knowing that they really looked forward to coming to my classes and that they felt good after the class. I still love hearing that feedback – I feel so grateful I get to make people feel good and enjoy the gym.

WILL: That I would love it so much. I am lucky enough to say that I absolutely LOVE what I do and the people I work with! Every day presents something new and I love the challenge. Also, the feeling that my small contribution goes to protecting animals, the environment and educating our communities. Lastly, how supportive the 200 odd team are at the Zoo and Jamala, it really is like a family.

Where do you think your career will go?

AMANDA: I mean, I’m 52 – I’ve been working really, really hard for 30 years – I want to make sure the remainder of my career is spent doing something that is meaningful and fulfils me creatively. HerCanberra gives me all that and more, so I think I’ll stick with this gig 😊

WILL: I’m not sure, hopefully here! Right now, I get such pleasure and motivation from the work and the people I work with. In an ideal world, I would become a part of the furniture here and continue the amazing work both the Zoo and Jamala do.

What do you wish you could tell the younger version of yourself about figuring out a career?

AMANDA: Find something you’re good at AND you enjoy – that’s the best place to start. Listen to your gut and your heart more than anything – or anyone – else!

NICOLE: Shut out the outside noise, what society etc expects you to do and do what is right for you. Only you know what will make you happy, what interests you, what will give you career satisfaction because at the end of the day, you are the one who has to live with your choices and decisions. That could be extended to other aspects of life really.

WILL: Patience is key and comparison is the thief of happiness (this is something I am meditating on for 2025). It’ll all work out in the end but probably not in the way I expect it nor in the time you hope it will happen. And lastly, embrace culture, identity and experience and hold it as something to be proud of, instead of a crux you need to justify.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given about building a career path?

AMANDA: I sometimes talk to school and university students and they ask for advice on how to climb the career ladder. They’re young and hungry and want to get to the top as soon as possible. To me, career progression doesn’t always need to be a linear journey – sometimes it’s the detours you take that teach you the most. And honestly? Most of us spend more than 40 years working – you have time to explore what you enjoy and what you don’t, to get sidetracked, to take breaks and recharge. It’s a marathon, not a sprint!

NICOLE: Just keep taking the next best step for yourself.

WILL: People don’t know what they want until it is put in front of them. I guess this is more applicable from a casting position, but I take this with me where I go and it gives me the freedom to add more creativity to my work. In partnership with that, patience and openness for anything you do to change, somethings are entirely out of your control and that’s ok, all you can do is present great work and let go.

These are just three people’s stories. And they couldn’t be more different!

These words are proof that a career can change and adapt as many times as you so desire. It’s filled me with excitement about the thought of what’s to come and is reassuring to know that things will happen that I hadn’t even thought of and that’s okay too.

So, take this as a sign, if you’re not loving what you’re currently doing in life, you have every reason to change it up and find something new that will bring you joy.

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