Newly qualified Digital Marketer, James from Seed shares with us his journey as an apprentice…
Why did you decide to apply for an apprenticeship?
I applied for an apprenticeship because I didn’t think university would be for me and I wanted to begin a career within digital marketing without having a degree, the apprenticeship route seemed like the best option for me.
Tell me about your job role and what you loved the most?
My role is mainly focused on pay-per-click advertising across Google, Bing, Facebook, LinkedIn and other paid advertising channels. The part I love most about my job is the technical / analytical side of the role e.g. setting up tracking (almost always proves challenging, depending on the clients’ CMS), and creating analytical dashboards, then using this tracking / reports to see great results coming in for my clients!
How has your apprenticeship given you a real head start in your career?
Following the completion of my apprenticeship, I have been offered a full-time role within the agency, which is an opportunity that I do not believe would have been possible if I had not undertaken the apprenticeship, and has therefore put me in a position that I would have not thought possible.
What opportunities did doing an apprenticeship give you?
Prior to beginning my apprenticeship I had no experience within digital marketing, I had explored with side hustles and online courses to gain a better understanding of the industry but had no formal experience. The work that I have done as part of the apprenticeship has allowed me to develop skills in ways I could not have imagined. Even things that seem somewhat simple now such as creating a campaign or tracking a button click on a website, seemed very complex at the time, and the work I have been doing in my role as allowed me to learn how to do this and so much more.
What advice would you give to an employer considering hiring a digital apprentice?
Employers should consider hiring Digital Marketing apprentices as it is a great way for them to bring in determined employees and train them up to become great members of their team whilst also providing the apprentice with an amazing opportunity.
If you had to use one sentence to describe your apprenticeship what would it be?
All the paperwork is worth it in the end!
