Three Questions for Joel Payne

This Udacity graduate went from working night shifts in a hotel to a great new role as a Digital Marketing Specialist!

Joel Payne is a graduate of Udacity’s Digital Marketing Nanodegree program, and he’s achieved a remarkable career transformation—he’s gone from working night shifts in a Melbourne hotel, to landing an amazing digital marketing role at a fantastic company.

Joel emerged from his college years with a degree from a great university, but he wasn’t confident it was practical enough to help him get on a good career path. That’s how he ended up at the hotel. Before he knew it, he was trapped in a cycle he didn’t think he could escape. But then he found Udacity.

We spoke with Joel to learn more about how he got his career on track.

Can you describe your Nanodegree program experience for us?

When I started the Nanodegree program, I was working nights in a hotel as an administrator. I was sleeping poorly through the day, then working from 10pm to 7:30am every night. I had great colleagues, but I knew I couldn’t stand to do that forever. My problem was I didn’t feel like I had the time or opportunity to find anything else.

Then I discovered Udacity’s Digital Marketing Nanodegree program. Digital marketing was something I’d always been intrigued by, but hadn’t really considered as a career before. The projects and curriculum sounded really interesting, so I decided to go for it, and I enrolled. At first, I was worried that committing to studying each day would be a struggle, because I felt continually sleep-deprived and was working a 50-hour week. But within a few weeks I was hooked! I found myself sneaking in as much digital marketing study as I could, and I ended up completing the program ahead of schedule.

“I found the program really compelling, and the material was broken down in a way that made it easy to pick up the basics of the industry. It also inspired me to read as widely as I could beyond the course material.”

Has the program had an impact on your career path?

After a few months of applications, I managed to find myself a paid internship at Digital Squad Melbourne. I was delighted for the opportunity, and working in a startup was perfect for my personal growth because I got to work on lots of different projects. I continued to develop my skills alongside an excellent, growing team, and I was quickly promoted to a Digital Marketing Specialist.

“My current position is a complete transformation from where I was when I started the program a little over a year ago. I’m proud of the work I’m doing for my clients, and excited to expand my skills further.”

Have you achieved the goals you had when you began your studies?

My initial goals were simply to complete the program on time, while taking as much as possible from the material. Then, after I graduated, I wanted to find a job within the industry. And I achieved both!

“Udacity’s career resources were invaluable in helping me improve my resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn profile.”

Since then, I’ve had many goals — both personal and professional. I recently took part in the Google Specialist Challenge Australia, where I completed all six of the Google AdWords Individual Certifications. I also finished the Analytics Individual certifications, and I’ve become highly proficient at AdWords (now Google Ads), Google Analytics, and Tag Manager.

My next goal is the Facebook Blueprint Certification. But I also plan on improving my Data Analytics skills with Udacity’s data programs. I believe more advanced data analytics will become increasingly essential to data-driven digital marketing agencies. I’d also like to further improve my knowledge of HTML, CSS, and Javascript. Udacity will be my first choice for developing all these skills!

Congratulations on your new career Joel! Thank you for sharing your story, and best of luck with every new goal you set for yourself!