Twenty years ago, I graduated with an honors degree in Business specializing in Marketing. As it turned out, I never used that specialism. I followed a completely different career path and everything I had studied at college slowly became irrelevant. Then, in January 2019, I took the life-changing decision to walk into the world of Creative Services in a team lead position. Boy, marketing had CHANGED in 20 years. Everything I had learned back then is now void. I don’t even remember anything I was taught. Obviously, I wasn’t hired for my creative flair, ability for content marketing or design skills, but I do know how to lead people and get the best out of them (but how do I lead people when I don’t know what they are talking about). After Day One, panic set in; all my colleagues come from a marketing background in some shape or form. I was the odd one out. I didn’t know what they were talking about. How would I ever fit in? How would I ever be successful?   

Over the past 21 years, I have always wanted to upskill. But like so many people, I let life get in the way: a full-time job, a husband, two kids and a dog. I had no time for anything but homework, cooking, cleaning, and bringing the kids to Scouts, drama, football, karate. The excuses were endless but, finally, I ran out of excuses. It was time to learn but how and where would I find a course that suited my needs? 

My clever boss recognized all of the above and came up with a solution: the Udacity Digital Marketing Nanodegree program. Ten hours of commitment every week for three months. I can commit to that. Who couldn’t? How could I refuse? I researched the program and discovered that it was everything I was looking for. The Udacity Nanodegree program covers a full range of digital marketing specialties from Content Strategy, Social Media Marketing, SEO, Display Advertising, Email Marketing and so much more. It will give me a broad understanding of digital marketing and present me with an opportunity to run live campaigns and develop hands-on learning, just how I learn. It will be the foundation I envisioned for my new role. It will be perfect for me. Two weeks in and I have already learned so much. I feel more confident speaking to my peers. When I hear them using the buzz words, a spark of recognition lights up in my head and I know what they are talking about. In 3 shorts months, I will be qualified to continue pursuing a career in digital marketing. I would have no hesitation in recommending this course to anyone. Don’t wait 20 years like me, have faith in yourself and take the leap with Udacity today.