Are you interested in being or hiring a DCI Apprentice? Since all of our apprentices work with different companies, each experience is unique. Everyone comes into the apprenticeship with different backgrounds, expectations, and goals.
We got to hear from Matt Reiter of SA4, Adrianna Ramos of ATX2, and Erin Winch of SA4 about how it all compared to their actual experience with DCI. Hopefully they can answer some of your nagging questions about the DCI apprentice experience!
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Our apprentices come from various backgrounds, and each of them bring a different set of skills to the table. Both Reiter and Ramos studied marketing and PR in college and were excited to apply the skills accumulated through their studies to their apprenticeship.
Before joining DCI, Reiter was working with GE in their appliance test labs, but he found himself wanting a change, “I really enjoyed the other lab technicians and the job I was doing, but wanted to use my marketing degree and get into more of a business role.” Ramos, on the other hand, joined DCI after having trouble finding a job within her desired field after graduation.
DCI doesn’t just want marketing and PR majors. We encourage people from all across the academic world to apply as long as they desire to pursue Digital Marketing. In fact, many of our past and current apprentices come from different fields of study.
Winch graduated with a degree in Theater, and looked to the DCI apprenticeship as an introduction into the world of marketing. Her interest in digital marketing stemmed from her personal blog. “ I decided to go into digital marketing because of a blog that I started a while ago called Drinking In SA. I created a ton of content and came up with social media followings for my blog, and decided that it was something that I had a passion for and wanted to learn more about.”
While everyone comes into the DCI apprenticeship wanting to learn different things, we still encourage them to learn as much as they can while in the program. While you may think you don’t need everything you are learning, marketing managers are expecting more and more from their employees.
“The skills gained range from HTML/CSS to Google Analytics and Marketing Automation. It is valuable to get exposure to all topics in the digital world to gain a better perspective to how all the pieces to the digital puzzle fit together” said Reiter.
We don’t just want to teach you hard skills though, “Besides the massive amounts of knowledge of digital marketing and best practices, I have gained confidence and conviction in the work I produce at work and for my personal blog” said Ramos.
Building your confidence in what you do will translate to a better work experience. If you trust the decisions you are making, you will be more efficient. Here at DCI, we want to facilitate both personal and professional growth. “I hoped to gain more knowledge in digital marketing as well as the confidence to carry out tasks and campaigns relating to the tactics I would be implementing in my job. I have definitely gotten that and more,” said Ramos.
Excelling within the DCI apprenticeship requires a level of self-directedness. You need to be able to find the topics that interest you and pursue them. Some people will benefit more from diving deeper into understanding SCRUM, and others may see SEO as their main focus.
The good part about being in the apprenticeship program is that you have access to mentors and professionals who know about these things. So it is important to take some initiative and reach out when there is something you want to know more about.
“[The DCI Apprenticeship] is for people who are willing to put 110% over the course of a year, absorb the knowledge like a sponge, directly apply it to your position, connect with other cohort members and instructors and more. DCI and work will take up a chunk of your time but if you're willing to make that sacrifice for a year, you will be rewarded with numerous opportunities” said Ramos.
Doing the apprenticeship on top of working a full-time job will force you to become good at time management, which is a skill that will benefit you long after graduation.
The DCI apprenticeship program is made for people who are willing to take initiative. It is for people who will put in the time and effort necessary to succeed. It is not like most traditional education models where the instructors will guide you through every single step and tell you exactly what you should be getting out of every session.
We understand that everyone has their specific skill sets, and we are here to help you come into your own as a digital marketer. Being successful in this program requires hard work, dedication, and a level of self-directedness that will push you to dive deeper into the topics you think will benefit you and your company the most. We aim to create not just hard workers, but the marketing leaders of tomorrow.
