Member StoriesAmber Buckley

Tell us a bit about your story before the Digital Marketing Institute.

After leaving school I didn't really know what I wanted to do so pursued my passion for Art and Design at Furness College studying a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Art and Design. I left college in June 2017 with a passing grade of Distinction*Distinction*Distinction* but was unsure how this would help me in finding a job as I didn't want to go to university. After having a few part time jobs in February 2018, at the age of 18, I began my full-time working career as a Digital Marketing Executive at Maybea Media.

Here, I learnt on the job and specialised in social media marketing by assisting in the creation of paid and organic social activity and email campaigns for clothing brands; 11 Degrees and Urban Celebrity. In June 2018 I, along with another team member took sole ownership in digital marketing for 11 Degrees – myself having a lead in the social side.

After working for Maybea Media for 9 months I felt I wanted to expand on my skills and took a new opportunity at A Digital Ltd in November 2018. When I joined (age 19), they didn't offer social media marketing as a service, so part of my job was to take ownership of this and run social media campaigns for a range of clients on my own and not as part of a team. This was when I realised I wanted more knowledge of the entire social media marketing process including Social Research and Content Creation.

What influenced your decision to study in the Digital Field?

It's a growing industry that isn't going away anytime soon. I felt that with a strong art background and digitally savvy knowledge I could apply this to working in a creative and rewarding job as a Digital Marketer.

Why did you choose to study your course in the Digital Marketing Institute?

As mentioned, I never wanted to study at university so being able to study whilst maintaining a full-time job has allowed me to gain the knowledge and confidence needed to progress my career without having a substantial amount of debt or having to leave my job.

Since completing the course with the DMI, how has your career progressed?

What company are you currently employed with? At the age of 19 now having completed a world recognised Specialist Diploma in Social Media Marketing I feel as though this has given me the knowledge and confidence to progress my career. I am still working at A Digital Ltd and company director Andrew Armitage is incredibly happy with my achievement.

Is there any advice you would give to new or future students at the Digital Marketing Institute?

Taking the time to study and learn with the DMI is incredibly valuable if you are wanting to pursue a career in the digital industry. This is a great opportunity if you are looking for an alternate to university as I completed my studies in only 11 weeks.

What have you been able to accomplish in digital since the completion of your course?

I would say “mapping”, in the sense that it covers the whole landscape and how everything is connected, and allows you to zoom in to detail in all the different areas.

In one word, how would you describe your time in the Digital Marketing Institute?

Valuable