Maddi landed her dream job just before finishing her cultural heritage studies at Deakin and has been working full time as the Heritage Advocacy Advisor for the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) since October 2021. She shares her professional journey below.
Did you undertake any professional experience or internships as part of your degree?
Maddi: I undertook a Significance Assessment Internship with Lovell Chen. The internship involved cataloguing a collection for the Whitehorse City Council, assisting with decisions for objects to be accessioned or deaccessioned according to interpretative value and packing and storing the collection to an archival standard. I loved the hands-on aspect of this work and it was a great experience to give me a taste for working with collections and in conservation, which helped me understand the kind of work I might enjoy.
Tell us about your experience of Deakin’s teaching/academic staff.
Maddi: All my lecturers at Deakin were established professionals in the field of Cultural Heritage, Museum Studies and history. They each had years of experience in the industry and were able to call on their networks and connections to provide guest lectures from other practising professionals.
What has your professional journey been since completing your course?
Maddi: I scored my dream job two weeks before I finished my final assignment at Deakin. I have now been working full time as the Heritage Advocacy Advisor for the National Trust of Australia (Victoria) since October 2021.
In my current role I have been able to put my studies directly to use, conducting research, coordinating projects and assessing the significance of heritage sites.
Over the next five years I want to gain as much varied experience as I can before I plan to specialise further as my career progresses. I specifically want to further explore my minor thesis focus, interpreting shared histories at heritage sites, in a professional capacity.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Maddi: A particular highlight of my career has been assisting with the creation and then coordination of the National Trust’s first Climate Action Plan, which linked strongly with my final Cultural Heritage and Museum Studies Unit, “Sustainability and Human Rights”.
My work with the Climate Action Plan Working Group, is continually showing me the gaps the National Trust can fill in heritage based sustainability solutions in Victoria.
What has been the biggest influence on your career?
Maddi: The biggest influence on my career was my time volunteering with the Boon Wurrung Foundation. Before I started the Master of Cultural Heritage at Deakin, I assisted with a number of research projects. A spark of inspiration hit one night when I realised, I didn’t want to do this work only in my spare time anymore. So, I began looking at potential graduate courses.
What advice would you give graduates wanting to pursue a similar profession?
Maddi: Cultural Heritage is a wide-ranging profession, you can easily specialise or maintain a broad scope of work, which is perhaps what is most appealing about the field. Even if you think you know what you want to do, keep your mind open to trying different things because you may surprise yourself where your passions guide you.
Tell us about your experience of studying online.
Maddi: All my subjects were online/cloud based, particularly during 2020 and 2021. The Cloud was a great platform for weekly readings and regularly schedules lectures and tutorials. Due to the course already being established online, this meant the only change to subjects during the pandemic was unfortunately missing out on site visits. The quality of the coursework didn’t change and certain lecturers made every effort to utilise the opportunities of the pandemic, such as arranging guest lectures with professionals from overseas.
Is there anything else you’d like to add about Deakin that we haven’t covered?
Maddi: The Cultural Heritage and Museums Studies course had launched some new and interesting subjects in my final year of study. Units regarding sustainability etc. have a really contemporary focus and show just how relevant the coursework remains.
