Completing one of our training courses not only provides you with amazing and in-demand social media skills but allows you to work flexibly and have the work/life balance you’ve always wanted. One of our incredible graduates Angeline shares below the positive impact becoming a Digital Mum has had on her life.
When the children were very little I was fortunate enough to not return to work - I would have found it difficult leaving my little boy who has autism in specialist childcare. All the therapy sessions and intensive interaction for my son that I did at home in those early years would have been very difficult to keep up with and fit in whilst maintaining a job. If I’m totally honest I guess my mental health may have suffered too. Flexible work is what I needed.
A very good friend of mine suggested training with Digital Mums after she completed one of their courses - it sounded like something very technical that I would never get my head around, after all I’d been out of the corporate world for so many years! When both my children had settled at school, I knew I wanted to challenge myself although I had no idea how much I was capable of. I signed up for the Social Media Management Course with Digital Mums to wake up my brain and do something for me and also prove that I could still achieve something in my own right. I already had an extensive sales background so marketing and social media would really compliment this.
I decided I knew the most about special needs and education therefore I would make my course campaign about that, however after speaking to my tutor I went for my second choice which was a fashion movement. She quite rightly explained that dealing with special needs is my daily life and showed me that I could have fun with a fashion movement - even though I don’t consider myself as a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination! This was all about having fun and pushing me out of my comfort zone. Fun was certainly not what I thought this course would be, but actually I’ve had so much fun laughing at myself in disbelief of what lengths I went to get that perfect selfie, or the most unlikely places to be tweeting whilst being an already multi-tasking mummy!
The course consisted of Twitter chats in the evenings when the kids were tucked up in bed, course guide hangouts and webinars, reading lessons, watching videos and completing assignments. Not to mention running the campaign and posting daily fashion articles on my channels about which outfits suit different body shapes and sharing inspirational quotes to encourage women like me to love their bodies. Taking selfies and pictures of flat-lays were things I never used to do and were a far cry from my full time mum job role. It didn’t take me long to realise that I needed to be on this journey that I was preaching about to be able to really get to grips with it and sound real behind my brand.
I researched the history of fashion by visiting museums, writing blogs, attending fashion shows in London, collaborating with other businesses and hosting a Twitter chat with a well-known stylist company. These were all things a few months ago I’d never have thought I’d be capable of and the list goes on!
Following and supporting my peer group’s individual campaigns made me learn so much from my colleagues. It was so great that any day of the week, any time of day or night, there was always someone super supportive at the end of a Whatsapp message! I enjoyed weekly conference calls with a group of women I’d never even met before the course but now will be firm friends with forever.
Six months down the line I guess I expected to come out the other side less rusty with some polished skills and some new social media tactics to take to a business role, but I never expected to emerge with a whole new outlook on life too. Flexible working became a real possibility and I found myself having the confidence to feel good about myself.
After graduating I finished “Do The Hustle”, a course designed by Digital Mums to help social media graduates find #WorkThatWorks. I found the tips on how to set up in business and go it alone extremely useful. Since graduating, I've set up as a freelancer and have been working for a client managing and successfully building their Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest platforms. Setting up in business, networking and building personal channels is a busy but exciting time and I’m also looking to take on more clients.
My children are now 10 and 8, finding flexible work was paramount to me and working in social media has enabled me to work from home whilst the children are at school and be on hand at all times if I’m needed. Social media never stops, the beauty of this work is that it can be fitted in around family life and the occasional late night Twitter chats are worth it if it means you get to go to assembly or visit the park after school. My advice is If you are still pondering over whether to do this course and do something for you, my advice is just go for it and follow your dreams!
This blog originally appeared on Herts in Fashion. If you are interested in finding out more about training as a Social Media Manager simply click here to find out more.
