Hi! I'm Ashleigh. drumBEAT's newest marketing apprentice! ??

Hi everyone!

As you’ve seen in the title, I’m Ashleigh, and I started at drumBEAT Marketing as an apprentice towards the end of January this year!

I’m here today to introduce myself and tell you more about who I am, the apprenticeship I’m taking part in, and my journey so far as a newbie to the industry and drumBEAT Marketing!

So, who are you?

Fun fact - I’d actually already completed a degree before beginning this apprenticeship!

After I finished school and college, I took on a BA in History at the University of York. This lasted three years, and I studied a fascinating range of time periods and topics - from astronomy in the medieval world, to the study of the supernatural in medieval Europe, and the impact that the BBC series Horrible Histories has on the public’s perception of history!

I don’t doubt some of you may have read that paragraph and wondered to yourself, so…why marketing?

Well, I’ve always loved writing. Studying history meant a lot of writing, and I was happy with this. I knew that after university, I would enjoy a role that included lots of writing.

After a lot of research, I came across content writing. This was my introduction to the world of marketing, and as I read and learned more about the field, I realised that the unique blend of creativity, strategy, and networking involved sounded like something I would enjoy.

However, I realised two things very quickly.?

Firstly, I’ve never worked in a field quite like this. I’ve worked in many roles over my years in education and for some time afterward, but nothing that would have prepared me for this.

Like how your favourite crime thrillers probably don’t show the most realistic depiction of what it’s like to work as a detective (sorry!) I wasn’t sure if what I had been reading and learning about was an authentic depiction of working in this industry.?

Second, it would be a challenge to find my place in the industry with little prior experience. I had done my research, and even taken on a few courses that I’d hoped would teach me more, but experience is crucial, and without that, it was likely that?I wouldn’t be able to bring the value that many marketing roles would need.?

That’s how I decided that my best course of action would be taking on a marketing apprenticeship.?

Can you tell us more about the apprenticeship and why you chose it????

When I first saw Baltic Apprenticeship’s advertisement for a level 3 multi-channel marketing apprentice who would be based at an agency named drumBEAT Marketing, I felt I had a lot to think about. I wondered if a university graduate could even do an apprenticeship (yes, as I have now found out) and if I would be the odd one out amongst a group of much younger people on my apprenticeship courses (surprisingly, no!)?

However, I recognised the value of gaining hands-on experience while I studied. This way, I could provide value through my work while not having to worry about having countless hours of experience, as I would learn and develop as a marketer with my apprenticeship providers and the company willing to take me on. It would also ease me into every day of working as a marketer, allowing me to experience the role's reality rather than relying solely on what I had read before.

Plus, I spent a lot of time looking at the Baltic Apprenticeships website and reading about the experiences of others who completed their apprenticeship with Baltic. The course seemed comprehensive and interesting, and it was clear that the Baltic team truly cared about its apprentices and their success.?

With that in mind, I sent off my application and went through the hiring process with Baltic and drumBEAT. Everybody involved was lovely, which eased my initial nerves. Eventually, an offer was made, and I started work at drumBEAT.

After recently having my onboarding session with my coach (who was equally as lovely as all of the other members of Baltic I had met) I can safely say that I’m happy I chose this specific course with Baltic. I’ll be learning about Google Analytics, developments in AI, and how to best interpret data - far from my initial interests in writing, but the newness and the element of challenge that these topics present are exciting!?

(Plus, I help create the content as you can see, so you know, still plenty of writing!)

What Has Your Experience of Working At drumBEAT Marketing Been Like?

I can safely say I’m 100% more caffeinated than I was pre-apprenticeship.???

Jokes aside, I’ve really enjoyed this first month-and-a-bit that I’ve spent working here at drumBEAT.

The whole team has been supportive and it’s clear how knowledgeable every member is. It’s been great to have the opportunity to watch and hear about how they complete certain tasks, and then try them for myself.?

As an agency, we have lots of very different projects ongoing at once, which has been really exciting and great for somebody who is learning the ropes - in just one month, I’ve seen and interacted with a huge variety of projects, meetings, and people, and I know I’ve learned a great deal.

Again, I really can’t understate how supportive the whole team has been, helping me with the tasks I have been given and teaching me new skills wherever possible.?

Also, back on the subject of caffeine - the coffee is always flowing, and it’s great. A culture shock for a tea drinker? Perhaps. But great, nonetheless.?

And that concludes my introduction! If you’ve enjoyed this article, be sure to keep a lookout for future posts, and hey, why not check out some of our past content??

I’m looking forward to writing more, and I hope our readers are looking forward to reading more! Thank you again,

Ashleigh ??