Squared: Honest Final Thoughts
So, I started Squared in January, and here we are 6 months down the line. Hopefully(!) I pass, but there are some final thoughts on the course over all:
Because it's only 6 months, they condense a lot of information into a short amount of time. Your evenings will be taken up by research into content marketing theory, and every time you see a good (or bad) ad, you'll want to share it with someone. Occasionally I would have the lectures playing at 4.30AM in Australia - as that's when they were streamed live.
It's all consuming, I guess.
2. You work internationally.
Actually, this can't be said for all groups. But as one of the few (3) based in APAC at the start of the course, I can say this has helped my working communication & project management skills on an international level. I was working across continents with people in Australia and the UK, co-ordinating our efforts into marketing proposals and insights reports for 6 months. I don't know whether you have tried working as a team without an office internationally, but it's hard! That said, we did it.
3. You develop time management skills like a mother pucker.
Trying to balance freelance work, a degree and a digital marketing course whist attempting some semblance at a social life in a different country was an interesting challenge at times*. My calendar and I now have a special relationship.
*see also: forgoing sleep, forgetting relatives birthdays, strong reliance on caffeine/sugar
4. You meet such a variety of people.
As someone starting out in the industry, I got to meet people I never would have met otherwise, and I guess these are the "connections" they gesture toward in the prospectus. I haven't even graduated yet, so you can imagine what an eye opener this was - I'm 21, and I was often in classes with people trying to "get their heads round social media".
It's really shocking how the marketing industry isn't actually prepared for the digital turnover at all, or the way that it's changed the B2C relationship. This is why we have Squared.
5. It does "translate" into real life.
And this is the most important part for students - we studied this course to enrich our own digital marketing acumen. This week I have a marketing proposal for a job interview (probably not great mentioning that on here!), but I know I'll be able to pull resources from Squared for it.
I can now say I've learned from the best, literally from Google's HQ & with IPA affiliated tutors. How many people can say that?!
6. It's not for everyone.
From the live classes, I've been able to see that not everyone has taken as much as they would have liked from the course, so if you are considering it my best advice would be to research it as much as possible first. Ask previous Squares, ask the tutors, ask your employer.
