Digital Marketing apprentice at Estio, Ryan Anspach, shares his experience of his first six months learning on the job.
A couple of years ago I remember being incredibly excited to have received an offer to study a computer science degree. After hearing so many people telling me that a university degree would be the only way that I would be able to achieve my career goals, I couldn’t wait to start. However, once I got there, I found that the traditional university style of learning wasn’t for me, so after the first year I decided to leave and find an alternative path where I could learn and develop my skills in a way that was more hands on and that could be applied to real life working scenarios.
After taking some time to ponder what I wanted to do with my career I came across digital marketing. The digital marketing industry really interested me, and I wanted to find a way that I could develop my skills in this area by getting my hands dirty with real hands-on work. So, I decided that an apprenticeship was the right career path for me.
After joining Estio in September as a Digital Marketing Apprentice I now know that it is a great place to learn and grow as a marketer. In celebration of National Apprenticeship Week 2021 I would like to tell you more about my personal experiences as an apprentice and how it has helped me develop my skills and my career.
How my skills have developed over the course of my apprenticeship
During my time at Estio I have been able to develop my skill set by doing meaningful work that will make a positive impact on the business. I have been able to gain valuable experience in many different areas of digital marketing including content creation, social media, SEO, web design and more. I can say that since the start of my job here I have gained many relevant skills that I will take with me for the rest of my career.
Another benefit that I have found of having an apprenticeship was the development of my workplace soft skills. Being able to learn through the world of work means that I have also had to develop my business acumen. Working as part of a business means that you have to learn about all of the various departments and how their role fits into how the business works as a whole. Having real world experience in the workplace has exposed me to many of the skills that I will need to have a successful career like communication, time management, being able to work as part of a team and more.
Support that I have received to help me develop
Getting started in the world of digital marketing without much experience in the field can be quite daunting, this is why the guidance and mentorship that I have received from my team has been incredibly valuable. Working alongside digital marketing experts has allowed me to learn a lot about the industry in a short period of time. Being able to talk with my manager regularly has meant that I have been able to ask questions and get valuable critique on the work that I have done so that over time my skills improve.
How the Covid-19 pandemic has affected my apprenticeship
Its fair to say that starting my career in 2020 has been a bit strange with the majority of my time being spent working from home. However, I have to say that I have still received all the support that I have needed to make sure that I am doing my work effectively. While working from home we have had regular team meetings that have helped me to understand what the current projects that the team is doing and how I can support in our projects.
Being able to make an impact
One of the many myths that I have heard about apprenticeships is that apprentices are only there to make the tea rather than do any impactful work. After being in an apprenticeship for a few months now I can confidently say that the work that apprentices do does make an impact on the business that they work for. Since I started at Estio every day has been different with new projects to do and challenges to overcome I am now far more knowledgeable in my field and I have also gained a lot of valuable experience within a business environment that I will take with me for the rest of my career. If you are someone who wants to learn more in a practical business environment rather than the traditional education routes of college or university I would definitely recommend an apprenticeship for your career path.
Find out more about our Level 3 Digital Marketer apprenticeship programme.
Ryan Anspach
