My experience as a Digital Marketing Apprentice
Hello, my name is Trudi. I am a Digital Marketing Apprentice working at a Media agency in London. I started my apprenticeship at 21 and I am now 22. I thought that I would be one of the oldest people starting an apprenticeship but that was not the case! I met many apprentices on my scheme that were aged between 18-26. You are never too old to start an apprenticeship!
Throughout my time at school I always knew that university was not the right place for me. It was the idea of moving away from home, having to make new friendship groups and having to work independently that did not appeal to me, so knew that when I left college my future career would be via an apprenticeship. I knew that I would benefit more from learning on the job with people around to help me develop.
I am halfway through my apprenticeship and so far I have really enjoyed my experience. I have made some great new friends, developed new skills and overall become a much more confident person. I am having a great time in my role as a Paid Search Account Executive and I feel really supported by my coach and the people in my team who I closely work with.
Below is a list of challenges I faced and how I overcame these problems.
Challenges I have faced in my apprenticeship
-
Balancing my apprenticeship time and job hours
How I overcame this
-
Make sure you take any study days or off the job time you are entitled to so you can work on your apprenticeship assignments. When you take this time, put yourself on, ‘do not disturb’ or ‘out of the office’ so you can’t be distracted.
-
Set goals on what apprenticeship work you want to complete each week and keep a to do list.
-
Low confidence and doubting my abilities
How I overcame this
-
Sometimes we get a little voice of doubt in our head that whispers ‘I’m not good at this’, ‘this isn’t for me’, ‘i’m not learning as quickly as I should be’. You have to ignore that voice and remind yourself of what you are doing well and what you have achieved so far.
-
Everyone learns at different paces because we are all different in how we absorb information. Take your time and you will notice improvements in your confidence and skills as you develop further into your role.
-
When your work colleagues are showing something new if you are on a Teams call, ask to record the session and download all the recordings into a Training Folder. If not, make sure you are writing notes and if they are going too fast for you, don’t be afraid to ask them to slow down.
-
Set up a training time table and a list of additional training you want to complete each month.
-
If you’re not sure on what training to do, speak to your line manager and they can direct you to the right resources.
-
Don’t be afraid to ask your work colleagues for help. They would be more than happy to explain or show you something again. They are there to help you and support you.
-
If you don’t feel supported enough then reach out to your line manager or HR and set up a meeting on what additional support you need.
-
Speak to someone if you feel you are struggling. Talking about it definitely helps and most of the time self doubt is all in your head.
-
Don’t give up!
What I enjoyed most during my apprenticeship
-
Working in London
I really enjoy being part of the busy rush of people as we all commute into London. I love the atmosphere and you forget how pretty London is when you are not there everyday!
-
Working with my team and with clients
I have always been a sociable person but my confidence has held me back. Since starting my role I have seen a big improvement in how confidently I can talk to people and how less anxious I feel speaking with clients.
I have also made some close friends who are also on the same scheme as me and we are there to support and help each other as we complete our apprenticeships together.
-
Company social events
There have been a few events that I have attended with the next one being the work Summer party. It’s a great opportunity to talk to people in your company who you don’t get the chance to speak to day to day. It’s also a great chance to build up your network.
-
Learning and developing my skills and seeing my progress
It’s satisfying to see how far I have come since starting my apprenticeship and how I’ve changed as a person with all the experience and lessons I have learnt.
I hope you have found this post helpful if you’re currently looking for an apprenticeship, whether you are deciding if you want an apprenticeship, or if you already have an apprenticeship and want to hear from other apprentices. I hope what I have learnt on my journey helps you!
