We’re exploring the way in which technology can help us break barriers, empower us and develop new potential! Today’s case study features Liam, who works in Digital Marketing. Liam tells us all about how remote working and technology has empowered his industry and workplace.
Tell us about you and your career journey!
I’m an archaeology graduate from the University of Manchester. I started working as an art valuer in a North West auction house. Auctioneering let me use my degree and was something a bit more ‘current’ than traditional archaeology (Digging up a stone-age village on a rainy Yorkshire moor is not my idea of fun). Auctioneering was an interesting profession but I felt that the industry lacked innovation. It literally had one foot stuck in the past! I wanted to move into a role that was more strategic and let me harness my creativity.
Digital marketing was a great fit. My first role was with an IT recruitment agency called Venturi, my main responsibilities were producing our podcast and writing onsite content for our blog. I now work for a company called Passion.io. We’re a 100% remote company that has produced a no-code, drag-and-drop app builder platform for personal trainers and online coaches. When I’m not working I run my own music blog called All My Friends.
Passion.io and King’s Careers & Employability are excited to bring you an upcoming employer masterclass. Join the event on 2 October (as part of our Future Advantage Festival): Understanding Remote Working: The future of Careers in the 21st Century with Passion.IO
Technology can break barriers
For me, accessibility is giving people globally the chance to work for the companies they want. Technology is the power behind remote working. A company that operates distributed teams can draw on a pool of talent that isn’t tied to its physical location. Passion.io is a global company, and we have team members in and from Europe, Asia, & the Americas. Having such a melting pot of cultures creates a diverse and exciting workplace culture, and we encourage our team members to ask about other people’s cultures, customs, and passions. Our remote setup gives everyone an insight into different countries and cultures, and in this way, technology has really helped us break down cultural barriers for everyone in the company.
Since the start of the pandemic, tech giants Facebook & Twitter have announced that their staff will be working from home forever. This change in policy allows people to apply for roles at world-leading companies without having to ‘up sticks’ and move cities or even countries. Remote working can give anyone access to roles anywhere. I think this will diminish the pull of big cities like London & San Francisco when it comes to attracting graduates. I’d hope that this leads to a fairer distribution of wealth around the country and a happier worker.
King’s Careers’ Take: We are living in changing times for the world of work. Students & graduates today have a great chance to work on their knowledge, attributes, skills and experiences while at university. Your careers service, King’s Careers & Employability is here to support you, wherever you are on your career journey.
Empowering technologies for students & graduates
Technology has a great way to empower. Students and graduates have a lot of great tools available to support and empower their university journey. To start with, there are hundreds of free to use tools on the internet that can be used to help you create CV’s, presentations, and essays.
- Canva – Canva is a free graphic design tool. It’s got a simple drag-and-drop user interface and can be used to quickly make images for CV’s or essays.
- Google Drive – Google Drive is essentially Microsoft office but in the cloud. All you need to use it is a Gmail email. Your work is safe on the platform too, so if your computer breaks you won’t lose it.
- Zoom – Zoom is a video conferencing platform. You can use it to create video presentations and CVs by opening a call on your own and recording your screen.
Here are some free skills and industry courses you can use if you’re interested in digital marketing as a career, along with a few recommended remote jobs sites.
- FreeCodeCamp – FreeCodeCamp is completely free. It has courses ranging from responsive web design through to Javascript & Python certifications. If you’re interested in the technical side of digital marketing it’s definitely worth learning a bit about programming.
- Hubspot Academy – Hubspot is a market-leading website to learn about CRM & CMS (customer relations management and content management systems). They also produce free marketing and sales courses for beginners in the industry.
- King’s CareerConnect – Your top go-to job vacancies site for full and part-time opportunities advertised by global companies, exclusively for King’s students and graduates, with individual tags for remote working opportunities
- We Work Remotely & Remote.co – Jobs board for remote workers. You can find anything from HR to programming.
Advice for students who are interested in working in Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is such a varied industry. You can be a web designer, videographer, or writer and find a niche in the sector that suits you. You can do a degree completely unrelated (ahem Archaeology) to any of these and still find a role. It’s a vocational field and you can learn the ropes in your first job.
If you’re interested in a career in digital marketing my biggest advice would be to seek out work experience and internships now. Use your summer breaks to earn some money working in a digital agency. They’re really fun environments, and you can get a head start on gaining the industry knowledge and skill you’ll need after graduating.
Interested in finding more about the world of Digital Marketing? Learn more about the industry by clicking on the Marketing & PR handout link via our KEATS pages!