A lot of people who find their way into digital marketing don’t come from a traditional marketing background. I’m one of them.
Before working in SEO and PPC, I was in human resources and then teaching ESL for a public school system. I enjoyed working with people, and I genuinely love languages. However, the ceiling was low and the path forward was narrow. Not likely to make more money without likely moving abroad as a teacher. I decided that I wanted something different.
I’d been tinkering with WordPress since around 2018, building out websites for fun (including a job board for ESL teachers) when something clicked: I had no idea how to get anyone to actually visit these sites. That question pulled me deeper into SEO, and eventually into the broader world of digital marketing.
The turning point that made it real was building a website for a local church (Vision Baptist Church) and then another one for my brother Nate’s plumbing company, NBR Plumbing. Watching them both rank on the first page for local searches for various keywords, I knew that I was starting to get a knack for SEO. This included a few wins where some of my projects have gotten leads, engagement, and even action from visitors on the sites.
I could not have done this without completing a structured Seth’s digital marketing training program. Upon taking the course, I updated my resume, LinkedIn, and indeed and started applying, and within weeks was getting interviews regularly. One inbound message on Indeed from a company I hadn’t even applied to led directly to my current role: a hybrid SEO/PPC position at a digital marketing agency, where I manage Google Ads campaigns, run technical SEO audits, and work with multiple clients.
I recently got the chance to share the full story with Seth Hymes and Shane Hummus on Seth’s In Demand Career YouTube channel. If you’re a teacher, an HR professional, or anyone from a people-oriented background wondering if digital marketing could be a real career move — this conversation is worth 35 minutes of your time.
Resources mentioned:
- Seth Hymes — sethjaredhymes.com | YouTube | Digital Career Blueprint Course
- Shane Hummus — shanehummus.com | YouTube
