L'Oreal Executive

Elizabeth, National Account Executive, L’Oreal (King’s, 2007)

Whilst what I do day to day nowadays, working in a commercial role at the multinational beauty company, L’Oreal, might not seem to be directly related to my degree, there are two ways, for me, in which it has been infinitely useful - both in terms of the skills I’ve learned, and my area of interest. Firstly, I’m told that Classicists often make good marketers and salespeople because of our dexterity with language and our ability to problem-solve: I’m able to formulate a compelling consumer insight to be used in an advertising campaign, (a current one being ‘mythic hair oils’) or deliver a well-argued presentation with a logical conclusion - now an easy task when I think back to the practice I had with those weekly essays! And on the second point, my subject of choice for my thesis was around the reception of classical bodies and body image from ancient times through to the modern day - a topic which I continue to engage with through challenging what beauty means to different people, why those perceptions exist, and how best to communicate ideals of beauty to a diverse audience. 

Classics is a fascinating and diverse degree at Cambridge, which can take you into pretty much any area of interest you choose, and will leave you with pockets of knowledge that provide endless entertainment for friends and colleagues during the most mundane of meetings (V Shape = facial contouring technique, or the appearance of Adonis’ lower torso?) And, sad though it may seem: no matter how successful Cambridge is in preparing you for the world of work - the world of work cannot alleviate how much you will miss Cambridge.