Please Note: This is an interview we conducted with Lorena, a fellow that completed the SkillBank program in the Spring 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.

I’ve been in marketing for the last 5 years and prior to this role, I was a marketing communications manager for a non-profit organization. I was in charge of their social media marketing strategies and email marketing. I wore many different hats.

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

Before marketing, I was in music. I was in the opera because I loved storytelling, I loved people, and the psychology behind the dynamics of what goes into a story and the relationships between groups. Marketing has always been something interesting to me, very curious inducing. I got into marketing because it was a great combination between science and art. You get both the creative side and you also get the analytical side. I was looking for something similar in that respect.

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

SkillBank was very key to the positing of my career. Even though I had already done my career change, I was having a difficult time getting my foot in the door, especially because I wanted to get into the tech scene. SkillBank was crucial in connecting me to the right people and reassuring me that with specific steps I can get to where I want to be. The course gave me a good foundation in growth marketing and paid media.

I had the most success in networking and confidence-boosting. When you are navigating a career change, it’s exhausting, when you have a support system and a network of people not only to support you but walking the same path as you, it’s energizing. My accomplishment was finding SkillBank and having a group that was able to help me push through.

How did you find your current job?

In general, the job process took quite a while for me, due to both personal and circumstantial reasons. However, I was connected to Miles through SkillBank. The career coach connected me to the recruiter at the company and I went through the interview process. In the end, the whole process was worth it, because I love my current role.

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

I applied a lot of my skills in the beginning when I was working with paid ads and ad concepts. I come up with ad concepts on a weekly basis, and I do have to think about the process, design element, and how it will fit into our revenue and our overall goals and objectives. That was something that was very fundamental for me to bring and that came from SkillBank. Other things that I currently use in my role that I am grateful I learned are all the marketing terminology such as CPM, CTR, how the numbers are related to each other, and how everything fits in together.

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

Networking is everything. Asking tons of questions, don’t be afraid to speak up about what you don’t know. Keep in touch with people in your network and build your mentorships and relationships. That’s what business is, business is all about relationships.