Caitlin Armstrong

Caitlin graduated from GCU in 2023 with a BA (Hons) in International Fashion Branding and is now working as a social media and content creation manager for Glasgow-based digital marketing agency GRA.

During her studies, Caitlin had many modules that taught her various aspects of the fashion branding industry.

“Because the course was so broad, it really helped me limit down what areas I was interested in and what I would want to pursue as a career in the future,” she says.

While studying, Caitlin initially struggled to find a job that allowed her to gain industry experience.

“My career journey has been a bit rocky due to the pandemic as it really limited my ability to gain first-hand experience,” she says.

However, at the end of her second year, Caitlin started working with Glasgow restaurant, Kcal Kitchen, on their social media marketing and content creation.

“While working here I helped gain 35,000 followers for the company's social media pages with my top post reaching 5,200 likes, as well as having my content featured in the Glasgow Times newspaper,” she says.

Due to her success in third year, Caitlin also gained the opportunity to work as an intern with The Social Cow, a company that helps brands grow their engagement on social media.

“I began building up a portfolio and in my third year alongside managing Kcal, and luckily gained the opportunity to intern at The Social Cow which was great experience and really helped me understand the industry in more depth,” she says.

In her fourth year at the University, she worked with a PR and marketing agency called Flat White Communications that creates print, digital and social media campaigns for leading UK brands.

“Working at the agency was a lot more hands-on and content creation-based and it was such a great and rewarding experience,” she says.

Since graduating in 2023, Caitlin now works full-time as a social media and content assistant for GRA.

“I manage nine clients across all sectors of the industry, which is super fun, and I get to work in major campaigns for well-known Scottish organisations like Lees of Scotland conducting shoots, tracking analytics and having free reign on creativity across my clients and content, which is amazing,” she says.

“I am also studying an IPA (International Profession Association) certificate in digital marketing which has been super insightful and has enabled me to grow myself in my career and become a more informed marketer to my clients.”

Looking back, Caitlin says gaining real-world, industry experience as a student was vital.

"Get as much experience in your chosen field as possible - the more internships and placements, even if it’s a week or two over the summer, the better,” she says.

“I found that employers really are looking for experience and sometimes it’s not just about your degree classification, but also about industry training to show how well-rounded you are as an individual.”