An Interview with Lily Mass.

Please Note: This is an interview we conducted with Lily, a fellow that completed the SkillBank program in the Winter of 2021. This testimonial was transcribed from an interview we conducted with him.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and your background prior to joining SkillBank.

Before SkillBank, I was working at Starbucks for a while. I knew I wanted to do more with my life. I was in college completing my degree when I saw SkillBank’s ad on Tik Tok. It was the perfect fit for me when I learned more about the program and course because I have always loved marketing. I used to work for a boutique in the past where I manage their content and social media, it has always been a passion of mine to help businesses get their brand out.

What sparked your interest in digital marketing/paid media? Why did you choose to pursue a career in digital marketing?

I knew I wanted to pursue digital marketing and paid media, because I saw that the world was heading in that direction, with everything being online and social media having such a big influence on the ways brands and companies interact with their audience. I liked to learn about businesses' goals and bring them to life through digital marketing because they can reach a whole new audience to help make their business profitable and that has always been a passion of mine.

How would you describe your experience with the Paid Media course?

In the beginning, the course felt very fast-paced. The reading materials and additional resources provided were extremely helpful in supporting me to grasp the material. The instructors were very helpful in providing information, and answering questions and I really enjoyed all the projects which helped put my knowledge into practice. I loved designing landing pages to developing ad campaigns on Google, it gave me a hands-on/project-based approach to learning. The career coach was exceptional, she helped me build my confidence to be ready for a job in marketing and to interview with employers in the digital marketing space.

How are you applying the skills you’ve learned at SkillBank?

The skills I learned were very fundamental skills so it allowed me to have a fundamental platform to build on those skills once I started my role. I primarily work with Google and Bing, which prepared me in helping me build the overall campaign and keyword strategy. I really enjoyed presenting my projects to my classmates and developing the projects that were given throughout the course. It helped prepare me to present to the clients I have now and develop client-facing thoughts.

What advice do you have for prospective fellows who want to join SkillBank?

My advice is to dive in and give it a chance. It’s important to know what you want, you have to be dedicated to this process. You have to be an active participant in the course, ask questions, take notes, and utilize the additional resources and the instructors and career coach. Don’t be afraid to ask questions and don’t get overwhelmed because the staff is there to support you through it.