After opening yet another email politely informing me I’d been unsuccessful in a job application, a familiar question floats into my mind: why did I choose to study Communications? Despite the challenges of breaking into the industry, I genuinely enjoy the creativity behind managing PR crises, writing media releases, and planning content that helps stories land with the right people.
When I was finishing high school, I didn’t have a clear plan – just a long list of degrees on a university website and a sense of what interested me. Somehow, among all of those options, Communications felt right.
To understand why, I need to go back a few years.
Growing up, I was always obsessed with Motorsport. I loved watching drivers dance their V8 Supercars across the top of Mount Panorama, a world-famous circuit I lived close to and visited often with my dad. It wasn’t just the racing that excited me, but the cars themselves. The bold colour schemes, sponsor logos, and distinctive liveries. Every car served as a wildly expensive, incredibly fast billboard.
As I got older and joined social media, I started following drivers and teams online. I loved seeing behind-the-scenes content from race weekends, explainer graphics, and vlog-style videos that brought fans closer to the action.
When the opportunity arose in Year 10 to take an elective in video editing and production, I took it. Soon, I was editing highlights from my online racing competitions in Adobe Premiere Pro, inspired by the Supercars content I’d watched on YouTube.
By my senior years of high school, my interests had shifted beyond the track to the business side of sport. How teams delivered value to sponsors, why some brands stayed loyal to teams rather than drivers, and how commercial partnerships worked. That curiosity led me to choose Business Studies alongside Multimedia (video production) as two of my Year 12 subjects, unknowingly beginning my happy accident.
As Year 12 flew by, university became the next big question. While browsing courses on my local university’s website, Charles Sturt University, I stumbled across a faculty called Communications. Assuming it had something to do with technology, I clicked on it out of mild curiosity.
As I read through the course descriptions, I had a strong gut feeling that this was the degree for me. Communications combined my two favourite subjects - video production and business - into a potential career path. It felt like a no-brainer.
Next came choosing a specialisation. From my experience editing videos, I knew I didn’t want to work solely in content production and spend endless hours behind a computer, so Digital Media was out. Journalism was appealing, but ironically the thought of sitting at a desk every day writing thousands of words felt daunting.
That left Advertising and Public Relations. “Perfect,” I thought. “Footy players are always getting into trouble and need someone to patch things up with society, that’s PR.” And with that, I enrolled in a Bachelor of Communications (Advertising & Public Relations).
Six months later, as I started university, I was still unsure whether I’d made the right choice. After all, it wasn’t exactly a rigorous vetting process by yours truly! Fortunately, it didn’t take long to realise I was in the right place. I enjoyed attending classes, and for someone who was never particularly academic at school, my marks reflected my interest.
Since graduating in 2024, I’ve continued building experience through internships and have made the move from regional NSW to Sydney. The job search has been monotonous and impersonal, with entry-level roles attracting hundreds of applicants, many of them overqualified. Still, I know that soon my persistence will pay off.
Here’s the thing though, throughout this journey, I’ve had to face challenges that weren’t always obvious on paper. You see, there’s something I don't usually discuss upfront: I’m a wheelchair user.
It’s not the first thing I talk about when I meet new people or when I’m applying for jobs, but it’s definitely in the picture. And, as much as I don’t think of it as defining my career journey, it has played a part.
Take my second year of university, for example. I completed my first professional placement at Orange City Council. While I was initially apprehensive, worried I hadn’t learned enough or that my wheelchair might be an inconvenience, I quickly discovered the opposite. The team was incredibly supportive, ensured everything was accessible, and included me fully. Beyond professional skills, my biggest takeaway was simple: if an organisation truly values you, they will make accessibility adjustments without hesitation.
Ultimately, I wrote this article to remind myself (and anyone else who needs it) that even when you’re not completely sure you’ve made the right choice, following your gut and doing what brings you joy will pay off. Perseverance does too.
The job search can be long and exhausting, but I trust that the right employer will come along and see the value in both my lived experience with disability and my skill set.
For now, I’m off to write another cover letter.
Tom Giumelli
Tom Giumelli is a recent Communications graduate who lives with a physical disability in Sydney. He uses Hireup's platform for all of his support needs and enjoys the flexibility it gives him. When Tom isn’t writing articles for Hireup, he enjoys watching sport, particularly motorsport, spending time with friends and family, exploring Sydney, and eating good food.