The Cool Career is the ultimate career guide that inspires girls to follow their dreams, make radical decisions, and leave a positive, but disruptive impact on the world around them. We do this by interviewing empowering women, who live purposeful, fearless lives. With a no BS approach, we extract their career story, advice and knowledge, and package it up into compelling content – to inspire the next generation of strong women.
If you have stumbled upon this neck of the internet woods, then it’s only customary that I welcome you with open arms because The Cool Career is for you.
The obligatory ‘About Me’ page is so aloof; it’s boring and kind of makes me gag, but totally necessary in this instance. Why? Because I want you to trust in me, trust in this moment, and ultimately trust in yourself.
Are you ready? Let’s jump in.
My name is Kura, and I am hand on heart obsessed with helping girls achieve their greatest, most unapologetically epic lives, coupled with a career of their dreams. I want girls to understand what it feels like to be daring, creative and mammoth and to ask for what they want – all of the time.
I loved Year 12. It was one crazy, non-stop lightening fast year for me. I worked part time at McDonald’s, had the most amazing group of friends (which are still my besties today), completed work experience placements at some awesome companies (does the Melbourne Fashion Festival sound exciting?), got my license (after failing once), I was ambitious, loud, and sure of myself. I was so sure of myself that it didn’t once cross my mind that I wouldn’t get a high enough score be able to get into my ‘dream course’ at University.
But that was exactly what happened.
Life certainly wasn’t over; a good friend showed me a backdoor path to the exact same course. I enrolled in an Arts Degree, selected all of the required public relations subjects, and after two weeks I transferred over in the legit Public Relations Degree. Oh! And I majored in Journalism as well.
Over the past 10 years, I have worked for some amazing organisations, brands and even better clients in the world of PR and Marketing, but my true joy is helping my friends, sisters, colleagues, whoever really, find out what they want to do with their lives. I live for it.
So that is why I created The Cool Career. I truly feel that there needs to be more career resources out there for teenage girls.
Girls.
Just.
Like.
You.
A number of women that I have met over the years didn’t finish high school, let alone go on to further study, and are now CEO’s or in senior management roles, through shear grit and determination. I want to share these stories, so girls don’t feel like it’s the end of the world if they don’t get their highest possible marks at the end of Year 12, or if they chose nursing at school, but then decide to be a Digital Content Manager, years down the track.
Life is crazy, and emotional and freeing and fu*king amazing. I wish I had this very resource when I was in Year 12, so let’s get started!
Kura Antonello is the Founder and Director of the The Cool Career, Australia’s premier provider of career networking events, information for Gen Z and Y girls. The Cool Career is a company that supports girls at the education level, and Kura leads a team obsessed with reinventing career advice and the method of delivery in Australia.
The Cool Career has revolutionised the way girls and education providers seek career inspiration and connection.
We believe that the statement “If you can see her, you can be her” – we aim to connect girls with women living and breathing incredible careers. We do this through interviews and storytelling, compelling content, events built to rewire and connect, and a schools program that supports the education system.
As Founder and Director, Kura is responsible for working closely with educational providers at a secondary and tertiary level, external partners, sponsors and big business to create more shared value projects and operate a business with a purpose beyond profit. In 2018, the company will be committing to launch a digital product that will help girls in high school identify their own personal brand, and why that’s important when seeking new age careers.
In her career, Kura has led the marketing effort for many global brands, built thriving marketing teams and mentored many young women that have gone on to be leaders in their fields. Under her direction, The Cool Career has launched three large scale events, a thriving schools program and grown a community of high school students, entrepreneurs and teachers, with a recorded 80 percent growth in the two years since launch.
Kura began her educational journey in Melbourne’s west where she was awarded School Captain in her final year of secondary school. She then went on to complete a Double Degree at Deakin University, majoring in Public Relations and Journalism.
Kura has recently won the 2018 Appscore Women in Tech Digital Grant worth $40,000, and has been featured in various publications including women entrepreneur network Poppy Renegade. Her career highlights include winning the Nickelodeon Marketing Excellence Award and interviewing women such as Roxy Jacenko, Lorna Jane and meeting Business Chicks Founder Emma Issacs.
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