Finding a creative career path here at home

I have a vivid memory of a weekday morning nearly twenty years ago.

I was arriving at work. It was a new job, and I’d been there about a week. After five or six years working corporate jobs, this was my first foray into agency life. I was an account manager, and I’d already been thrown into the deep end on a bunch of projects.

The office was on the second story of a heritage building in Saint John, and there was a long set of stairs to climb to get there. As I climbed, a nice realization broke over me. I was proud and happy to be there. The challenge was a good fit for me. The creativity was a good fit for me. The entrepreneurial work was a good fit for me.  

I thought: THIS is what I’m supposed to be doing for a living.  

And oh man, I am here to tell you – that felt great.

Compared to other industries, there aren’t a lot of people working in creative fields in New Brunswick.

But we do educate creative people here. The New Brunswick College of Craft and Design (NBCCD), St. Thomas University’s Journalism program, NBCC’s Graphic Design and Marketing programs, McKenzie College, and others teach writing, fine art, strategy, photography, animation, storytelling… the list goes on.

The above photo captures three of our team members outside their alma mater, NBCCD in Fredericton. Kâté (Class of 2004), Alysha (Class of 2023), and Holly (Class of 2019).

Providing careers here in New Brunswick for these talented people is so important for the growth of all businesses in the province. That’s because at businesses like Duke, their gifts, talents, and expertise are put to work solving business problems and driving growth.

Hey - agency life isn’t for everyone. It is fast-paced, occasionally high pressure, and unpredictable. It needs brave, inventive people – and we are pleased as punch to be employing these three.

~ With many thanks to NBCCD.