Why I decided to enroll in Udacity’s Digital Marketing Nanodegree Program
I’ve spent a large amount of the last 5 years of my life picking up Digital marketing skills and learning how to sell products and services to people who use the internet, in the most effective way. I have read countless books and articles about telling stories, creating social media and multi-channel campaigns, running ad campaigns, writing content and different aspects of digital marketing in general. I have also managed a lot of campaigns- most of which have been successful(I measure success as whether or not the goal of the campaign was reached).
In my discussions with people in my industry and with employers, I have found that it is difficult to show solid proof of my skills. I also discovered that I have some gaps in my knowledge. Not all campaign metrics I claim to have achieved are publicly available to prospective clients and employers, and there’s almost no way to prove that I have achieved exactly what I claim to. I also found out that I wasn’t being considered for a lot of high level jobs, due to this, despite the fact that I possessed a lot of the relevant skills. It then occurred to me that I needed to get endorsement from a trusted source, and leverage on that to get the best jobs in my industry.
I needed some proof of skill and endorsement by a brand that wasn’t just popular but backed by some of the world’s largest digital marketing platforms. I searched the Internet for courses and saw that platforms like Google, Facebook and Hootsuite had courses. However, none of them seemed to have a follow-up to those courses. It was just the course and certification they provided, nothing extra. How would I make myself more employable after taking Google’s AdWords certifications or Facebook’s blueprint exam? What would make me stand out?
I read about Udacity’s digital marketing nanodegree on my friend’s blog. She gave it great reviews and particularly praised the post-certification efforts of Udacity’s team. She also talked about how taking the course gave her a lot of new opportunities and improved her career. I decided at that very moment to save up and begin the course this year. So, here I am!
