Timing is everything.
This is what Will found whilst pursuing their career as an aspiring musician. From promoting their music through organic social media posts to paid Facebook Ads, Will decided to explore the career path of a digital marketer as this was something they did already.
Will was introduced to our Skills Bootcamps in Digital Marketing through their local Job Centre at the time, which led them to apply. Fast-forward to March 2022, and they successfully completed the course, landing their first Apprenticeship.
“I had some skills already but they were ones which I had picked up when doing my own marketing and part-time jobs. It made sense that the next thing I do was training to see where I was at: including what I was good at and what I could improve.”
During the course, Will learnt a lot about the more traditional forms of Digital Marketing, including Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), the importance of keywords and Pay-Per-Click. They recognised how these forms of digital marketing are still very much used today, despite the increased emphasis on social media which was what they tended to focus on when promoting their music. They also learnt the importance of marketing products correctly, through being taught by an industry professional, so they could acknowledge what would work when marketing a particular product; applying it to their music career.
“I think it is something that is and can be ignored when you are initially getting into marketing as you are more focused on social media. So learning about SEO to optimize articles and social media posts, and making sure they perform well in search queries was really important.”
Will was also given 1-2-1 support from their trainer Nicola, who helped look at their CV and recommended some changes which landed them their first Apprenticeship role once the course had finished. Unfortunately, Will found this role was not meant to be due to their daily tasks not aligning with what the job post had promised in terms of digital marketing, along with feeling they did not fit into the company environment and this lead them to leave. Despite this hurdle, Will continued to stay in contact with their trainer and apply for other digital marketing roles.
“One misstep in your career is not going to spell the end of your entire career it is just a little hiccup. As long as you keep honing your skills in and working out what you are best at then you eventually end up in a role you will enjoy.”
Not long after securing their second role as a Social Media Executive, Will was made redundant six months later. Despite another hurdle, Will was able to find their niche in graphic design and visuals: leading them to produce a portfolio of podcasts and visuals of their work.
I was there for 6 months and unfortunately, I was made redundant but, I learnt an enormous amount whilst I was there, so it was disappointing but equally, it gives you a lot more opportunity.”
Will is still pursuing their career as an aspiring musician but has since landed a new role which they are due to start soon. Despite not having an easy introduction to a career in digital marketing, Will continues to be positive and utilise the developed skills learnt from our Skills Bootcamps in Digital Marketing.
“Just do it – I did it as I had a skill set I wanted to build upon. You learn a lot whilst on the course and it helped me with a bunch of jobs which I found to be quite fulfilling so if you are thinking about it, just do it.”
“The hardest part is getting your foot in the door, but once you are through and there for a few months, the things you learn are actually immense; you will get so many skills from being in a company for say six months which happened to me.“
