Why Am I Switching My Career From Engineering To Digital Marketing?
Because of the significant increase in ‘alone time’ due to the pandemic, I had a moment of reflection of my past, present, and future career path. Working from home as an engineer provides some financial stability and comfort, but I often felt that my work is irrelevant and redundant. The passion and energy I used to have as a young professional are not here anymore. “Maybe,” I thought to myself, “it is a time for a career change.”
First, I decided to write down three virtues I value the most. They are freedom, innovation, and flexibility. By analyzing my experience, I felt the happiest when I was able to make my own decision and continuously advance myself and the organization with innovative solutions.
Once I discovered my values, I browsed through some Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) platforms, such as Coursera, edX and Udacity. As an avid learner, I have been using these platforms to educate myself, and I knew that they had some online programs that are useful for people like me, who are considering a career change.
Of all the potential paths I have considered, Digital Marketing was the most attractive option for me. Yes, for an engineer, programmer or even a career in finance may be more appropriate. However, I really liked the creative aspect of digital marketing and how ubiquitous it is in our daily lives. For instance, we are always surrounded by creative ads and commercials, and they are mostly transferred to us through a digital medium. I thought to myself that “digital marketing is the new sales skill of the 21st century,” especially with the great boom of e-commerce. Learning about it will have me relevant not only for today’s society but also for tomorrow’s society.
After deciding to pursue digital marketing, I had to choose an educational program to teach me some foundation. A place to start. Among many programs offered by traditional institutions (like colleges and universities) and online learning platforms (i.e., Coursera, edX), I have chosen Udacity’s Digital Marketing Nanodegree (DMND) program as a starting point. The main reason I chose the DMND program over others as it provides the most concisely teaches you the fundamentals of digital marketing at an affordable cost. The program touches upon various aspects of digital marketing from social media marketing to email marketing and allows learners to work with real projects. All they are offering sound suitable for a beginner like myself.
It has been a few weeks since I first enrolled in the DMND program and I am satisfied so far. I still have some fears about the big change but I am confident with this program, I can get to where I want to go. Who knows, soon, I can finally call myself a professional digital marketer.
For those of you who are looking to change, why don’t you consider digital marketing?
