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Levelling Up: Casey McCarthy's Publishing Journey

December 17, 2021
Casey McCarthy working in her professional placement for her Master of Publishing.

When SFU School of Communication alum Casey McCarthy received a promotional email about the master of publishing (MPub) program, she decided to pursue the program to upgrade her strengths and abilities.

“I just wanted to take my skills to the next level. I was looking for something more transferable. I didn’t want to focus on one set path, but focus on things that I really enjoy doing — which is writing, research, and conveying information,” McCarthy says.

Self discovery

Not only did the Master of Publishing program teach her the process of writing, publishing, and selling a book, but McCarthy expresses that it also helped her learn more about herself on a deeper level.


“I've learned more about what my values are, the kind of career path I'd like to see myself have, the kind of organization I'd like to work with, and the kind of people I'd like to work with,” she shares.

In addition, the program helped her work on her decision-making skills. Receiving criticism on her projects from different industry guests taught her to make solid decisions and understand why she made them.

In these scenarios, students would present, pitch, and defend their ideas in a way that made people understand it clearly.

“I learned that you cannot please everyone. Not everybody is going to agree with you, so you need to be able to explain your rationale for making your decision, and try to persuade them about why it’s a great idea. You need to stick to your guns,” McCarthy emphasizes.

Skill development

Although she has been pursuing her masters degree online, she says the program helped her develop interpersonal skills through group dynamics.

“In the program, you learn a lot about working in a respectful and collaborative way. Great ideas come out of this positive, collaborative, creative environment.”

Drawn to work on communications and publication projects for an institution like SFU, McCarthy hopes to also explore her passion for writing and research in her long term career.

If you have an interest in hosting a Master of Publishing student for their professional placement, please contact Suzanne Norman at snorman@sfu.ca