We caught up with British Academy of Digital Marketing graduate Karen Mcbride to find out why she chose to study digital marketing and how the course has benefitted her.
Karen worked in marketing before starting the home-study Diploma in Digital Marketing. “I’ve been working part-time in marketing for many years now. I have a full-time job, but I also look after an After Sales and Service position. In my marketing role, I look after social media posts, website updates, and email marketing, and I come up with ideas for new content,” recalled Karen.
Why Digital Marketing
Karen explained why she decided to start her training in Digital Marketing and how she intended to keep up to date with new trends and digital skills. “I have been in my current job for 17 years, and I found that my MA Marketing degree, which I completed in 2003, was not relevant anymore to my career. Everything has moved online, and this was not covered in my degree. Therefore, I needed the training to keep me up to date and in line with the new digital world of marketing.”
She also explained how she was struggling to carry out her current role. “I just felt that I was struggling to carry out my marketing role with little to no skills/experience in this field.”
Finding the right course
Karen explained that the course content and the flexibility offered, with no deadlines, were the main factors that attracted her to enrol at the British Academy of Digital Marketing. “I just researched some courses, and this (Diploma course) seemed the best fit as I could do this at home in my own time and over three years. And the course content also looked really interesting.”
As she was working full time and with children, she didn’t want to rush the course. “I wanted something I could work on in my own time and not have strict deadlines to meet. I needed flexibility,” she added.
Benefits of the course
“Being able to do this in my own free time to work around my busy life.”
Karen explained that the possibility of working in her own time has helped to fit the course into her day-to-day life. “It was great as there were no exams, just assignments to work on in my own time. All the notes and research were online, so any work could be done any time of the day/week. Sometimes, understanding the assignment without being in a class to ask the tutor was a challenge, but doing each assignment has pushed me to do lots of reading and research on specific topics, which has opened my eyes a lot.”
Developing her skills
Thrilled that she’s been able to bring her digital marketing skills to the next level, Karen now has plans to develop the marketing activities in her workplace. “I have been working on new projects for our website and understanding and focusing on the user journey.”
For Karen, the course has helped her “understand and know how to work in marketing in the digital world.”
As for her career plans, she explained that she sees herself in her current company, “but doing more things such as online advertising, producing content, and becoming more creative.”
What advice would you give to someone considering a career in Digital Marketing?
“There’s so much to get involved in and it changes all the time, making it very exciting. Definitely push for it and look out for a good course like this one to help with your foundations in this career path.”
Customer Newsletter developed by graduate Karen McBride. Image courtesy: Karen McBride.
Inspired by Karen's story and looking to pursue your interest in digital marketing? View our full list of courses here.