Coming to a point in life where it was time to get more serious about a career was stressful. After endless apprenticeship applications and thoughts about returning to school, I encountered an opportunity of a lifetime. About a month ago I received the best news possible, after months of applying for apprenticeships I’d finally secured one in digital marketing at Rocket Creative.

Before The Apprenticeship 

I wasn’t always able to put a name to my passions, but they started at an early age. I have had a passion for filming and editing since I was 9 years old. At 11 years old I first discovered what a freestyle scooter was. This changed my life for the next 8 years and counting, by opening my eyes to the world of social media and marketing. When I saw the power of social media, I was inspired to push my ideas out there. I started up a YouTube channel and built it up to 5000+ subscribers over the years. In 2014 I started my Instagram account and have flooded it with content since. It currently sits at 10.4K followers as of February 2019 and the page continues to grow.

Digital Marketing is upcoming and not many colleges teach the course. After completing a year of Level 3 Interactive Media at New Stamford College, I knew it wasn’t the right course for me. I began checking daily and applying for new apprenticeships on multiple websites for months and didn’t seem to have much luck. I took on the advice from big social media influencers by going off to travel the world and document my adventures. Leaving the country for months at a time to live and work abroad appealed to me. I never knew what I wanted to do as a career choice but travelling has really shaped who I am today.

How I Found Digital Marketing

At 18 I received my first professional contract as a scooter rider. I knew that soon enough I’d have to start looking into life long career choices as riding was becoming more of a hobby rather than a full-time profession. When a YouTube Ad caught my eye and I realised that my passions for social media could translate into the workforce. Looking into it, I knew that this was the career path for me.

  • Picture by – Shelby Grimnes
  • Picture by – Benjamin Voros

The Good News Arrives…

Finally, after months of applying I was asked for an interview for an apprenticeship with Rocket Creative. The 20-minute interview went amazing. I spoke about all my previous experience in running social media accounts, taking photos, editing videos and everything digital related. They really liked the sound of my experience and I was invited in for a trial day to see how well I worked in the office.

During the trial I was given 3 different tasks to complete. At the end of the trial, I showed the managers what work I had come up with. The following day I received a phone call from my training providers telling me that I was successful, and Rocket wanted me to start immediately! This was the best news I could’ve woken up to and was truly a confidence booster.

My First Day

I was very nervous and excited about starting a new job (as would anyone be). But the staff members were extremely helpful and very welcoming when I arrived. Tasking me with work right away. I have training every 6 weeks that helps me achieve the Level 3 qualification at the end of my digital marketing apprenticeship. My first weekly session of training went really well! I normally struggle to learn in a large classroom setting. However, with only 3 students and 2 teachers, it was a very comfortable atmosphere.

One of my favourite tasks at Rocket is creating monthly social media content plans for different companies. At first, I did plenty of research into the different companies and learnt everything I could about their niche. Another thing I love doing is looking into the analytics of companies social pages seeing how I can drive more engagement in any company.

Life At Rocket

I am learning new skills every day within digital marketing at Rocket, and I don’t even feel like it’s a job. I travel an hour to and from work every day because the apprenticeship is that fun! The office life isn’t what people expect. It’s a small team of 14 people but everyone gets on like a big family. Jokes are constantly being made in the office and the dress code is quite relaxed which makes it a more comfortable work environment. 

I’m excited to finish my Digital Marketing apprenticeship with Rocket and see how this experience can help me reach the next level.

Words by – Dan Lornie