My apprenticeship has changed my life!
Since completing my digital marketing apprenticeship a year and a half ago, I have been promoted to a Marketing Assistant, Marketing Team Leader and now, a Marketing Manager. This is by no means a way to boast, but I wanted to share it as this is all thanks to my apprenticeship!
So, in this blog, I'm going to talk about the things my apprenticeship has taught me that have helped me grow my career.
As part of my apprenticeship, I took on my own clientele and carried out digital marketing campaigns for them. Being solely responsible for my clients' campaigns and social media pages was scary at first, but it's taught me a lot about how to cope with that responsibility.
I got into the habit of always proofreading work before it was published. It also taught me to always carry out lots of research before having meetings with clients so I could be confident in what I was presenting and suggesting to them! These are two key skills I've used ever since qualifying and will continue to use for the rest of my career.
My apprenticeship has really helped me improve my communication. Being in a working environment every day meant I had to communicate with lots of people. My clients, my colleagues, my managers and my suppliers of the business! I also had to communicate over various platforms, e.g. emails, phone calls, video calls and in-person meetings.
All of this experience helped me learn how to communicate effectively and sensitively, as well as the importance of communication overall! These communication skills are vital in any role and are definitely something I use daily in my job now.
The next thing my apprenticeship taught me was how to balance my life. When studying and working at the same time, it's not just a work-life balance you need to achieve, but a work-study-life balance!
It was my responsibility to ensure my apprenticeship study was done as well as my deadlines at work, and I had to make sure I was making time for myself too! I quickly found a balance that worked for me, which is vital to being productive.
Granted, digital marketing is an industry that's always changing. However, what I loved about doing an apprenticeship was the fact I got to learn the latest skills and tools in the industry. I then used that to benefit me in my career!
For example, TikTok is taking over the world right now (I absolutely love it!), and my apprenticeship allowed me to gain experience in TikTok content creation and an understanding of how you can use TikTok for marketing. This is something I may not have had the opportunity to learn if I had been studying a course.
Finally, my apprenticeship helped me learn so much about myself! Taking that step into a real working environment allowed me to understand my strengths and my weaknesses.
I understood that I was good at communicating with my clients and taking on new skills. However, my weakness was that I took on too much and wouldn't ask for help when I needed it. Knowing that information has allowed me to work on my weaknesses so I can spot signs before I start to overwork myself. Then I can be more productive!
I am extremely pleased that I took the route of doing an apprenticeship after my A-Levels, as I wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't!
Becoming a manager in just three years is an impressive accomplishment, but it's not impossible. With hard work, dedication, and a willingness to learn, anyone can make the transition from apprentice to manager quickly. It's important to develop both technical and soft skills, seek out learning opportunities and take on additional responsibilities whenever possible.
Having supportive mentors also plays a crucial role in developing your skills and building confidence. While there are challenges to transitioning into a management role, being proactive and taking risks can lead to rewarding career advancement opportunities. If you're interested in moving up the ladder quickly, keep these tips in mind and don't be afraid to reach for success!
During my apprenticeship, I learned technical skills specific to my industry as well as soft skills like communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. These skills were valuable when I became a manager because I could understand the work being done by my team and communicate effectively with them.
I was proactive in seeking out learning opportunities and taking on additional responsibilities whenever possible. I also had supportive mentors who provided guidance and helped me develop my skills.
One of the biggest challenges was learning how to manage people effectively. It's very different from doing the work yourself - you have to motivate and support your team while also holding them accountable for their work.
It's important to stay up-to-date on developments in my industry so that I can provide guidance and support to my team. At the same time, I need to prioritize my managerial responsibilities like setting goals, managing budgets, and providing feedback.
