5 things you’ll learn as a Digital Mum-to-be
I’m just over a third of the way through my Digital Mums training and about to go live with my campaign (gulp.) While there’s still a long way to go, I’ve already learnt an incredible amount so thought I’d share a few insights into what you can expect. SPOILER ALERT… it’s the best thing you’ll do this year.
1. Google hangouts are your saviour
Don’t worry if you’re thinking, “Google what now?”. I’d never heard of Google Hangouts either when I started the course (Reason 1 for wanting to digitally upskill). I spent a good hour fretting about how I was going to actually get ON the first conference call with the rest of the new starters, let alone what I was going to say. Now they are my weekly point of sanity, catching up with the other Digital Mum trainees in my peer group and realising we’re all as stuck/ overwhelmed/ in need of wine as each other. The best part has been seeing how much everyone has learnt — we’re all starting to sound like we ACTUALLY KNOW what we’re doing, chatting about analytics, Hootsuite v Buffer, engaging influencers… Not to mention we’ve all perfected Hangout Resting Face, a must for any Digital Mum-to-be.
2. You’ll have an ‘I can’t do this’ wobble
Mine was in week 1 when I realised I hadn’t actually studied since uni circa 1997 and I had a *slight* meltdown, thinking I’d forgotten how to learn. Not to mention panicking about how on earth I’d keep the lessons in my head when there’s so much OTHER stuff in my mind that wasn’t there in the uni glory days. You know: kids, work, life. But here’s the thing. You DO learn. Okay it might take a bit longer to sink in but the beauty of the training is that you’re actually doing everything you’re reading about in the coursework. So don’t freak about about forgetting what you’ve read about ‘optimising platforms’ or ‘metrics’… as soon as you start actually doing it, it will become second nature.
3. It’s okay to be clueless
Facebook ads? Twitter lists? LinkedIn groups? What the actual… When I started the course, I had no idea how any of the platforms really worked — and no clue at all about how you could use them to build brand awareness or engage your followers. So if you’re feeling completely clueless, just remember you’re not the only one. In fact, that knowledge gap is the very reason you’re doing the course. I’ve been a journalist for 18 years and while I can write about pretty much any topic, I had no idea how to future-proof myself and be a digital expert. I’m still learning, but I feel so much more confident now. I can even talk to my teenage nephew about the merits of Snapchat without him rolling his eyes. Result!
4. You don’t really have to work that hard
Okay, that’s a TOTAL lie. If you’re anything like me (I’m balancing a freelance writing career while studying), you’ll have to work early mornings before the kids get up and late at night when they’ve gone to bed. My client is based in Kathmandu and we have our weekly conference call at 6am. But you know what, although it takes a lot of work and hours, it’s totally worth it to get that brilliant piece of feedback from your client, that lightbulb moment of finally understanding Twitter or realising you are upskilling in the best possible way.
5. You get an NUS card
Which means a Topshop discount. And if that’s not worth signing up to be a Digital Mum-to-be, I don’t know what is…
