Mikayla Lythgo

I entered university in a Bachelor of Professional Communications later in my career as I noticed I had the experience in business development but was being beaten for jobs by those with similar experience and this qualification. I studied part-time online and worked full-time on a range of casual contracts during my studies, including working at CQU casually as a Student Ambassador and also taking on a few contracts in campus administration. Even though all my studies were online, I felt connected with my cohort and school. The trimester system enables me to study part-time while working and raising a family (I even had a baby during my course), which allowed me to graduate more than a year early.

Towards the end of my studies, I landed a program management role at a Defence contractor whose Communications Manager was affiliated with CQU. She guided me through some of my studies and gave me a significant role in a major bid. After this, I was recruited into Business Development as a Bid Coordinator. During this role I graduated and within twelve months I received an opportunity for a role as Consultant, Winning Work. I took the opportunity, and within months I was promoted to Senior Consultant, Winning Work. I have been in this Senior role for two years now and I am consulting with many teams on strategic and complex Defence bids. I also now have the confidence to explore other business development strategies within my local community through relationships I have built through my CQU studies, as well as my previous experience and roles.