Sorry, folks, for jumping straight to the latest phase of my career—Digital Marketing—and skipping the journey in between. But here I am, ready to share my experience!

Currently, I am pursuing an Advanced Certification in Digital Marketing and Communication from UpGrad in association with MICA. To be honest, this blog itself is a project assigned as part of the course.

Why This Career Shift?

The idea of transitioning into this field was seeded in my mind a few years ago when I saw a LinkedIn post from an old colleague working in real estate. A casual chat with him revealed how much he was enjoying his new role. At that time, it was just a random conversation and didn’t make much impact.

Meanwhile, I was steadily progressing in my technical sales and marketing career (more on the sales side than marketing), moving from Sales Engineer to Manager and then to Team Leader, accumulating over 15 years of experience. My career was on the right track, but something inside me always pushed me to ask, What’s next?

The Turning Point

In my quest for knowledge, I explored multiple educational fields—finance, data analysis, business skills, and more. But surprisingly, my interest in this field started to bloom again. It’s fascinating how the mind works!

I tried reconnecting with my colleague but couldn’t due to our busy schedules. So, I turned to the internet for answers. The moment I started researching, my online world changed. I began receiving YouTube ads, website banners, and LinkedIn messages about various courses—an ironic proof of how online marketing works! This realization piqued my curiosity further, and I wanted to dive deeper.

Why UpGrad?

While searching for the right course, I came across UpGrad. Their structure, certifications, and pricing seemed promising. My decision was reinforced by positive reviews, the MICA association, and the credibility of Ronnie Screwvala, whom I had seen on Shark Tank India.

And so, the course began!

My Learning Experience

After initial hiccups with the new learning system, I started enjoying the course. It is highly practical-oriented. I learned marketing fundamentals, website creation, AI tools, and even how to run Meta ad campaigns—and there’s still much more to explore! This has turned out to be a fascinating field, and I am excited to see where it takes me.

The program is still ongoing, and I have multiple career options ahead—switching to a digital role, upgrading my position in my current organization, or even starting my own venture. What would you recommend?

Final Thoughts

If you’re considering this field, I strongly recommend learning from a reputed university. I have found UpGrad to be a great platform for this journey, and you might find it valuable too!

What do you think? Share your thoughts in the comments below!