Member StoriesAdnan Tuccar

Tell us a bit about your career before Digital Marketing Institute & what influenced your decision to study in the digital field?

I had been dabbling in digital marketing before I started the DMI course, however despite possessing a Masters degree, I was not able to progress to higher positions in marketing because I had not studied in this specific field before.

I knew I needed to validate my skills and get certified by a program. I wanted to choose a program that would not only provide me with a qualification but one that would also make me a conscious marketer. As far as why DMI? - because it already had a reputation among our team in Ireland and when I checked the course online I realized that it would give me skills in many areas that I was lacking at that moment in time.

Having completed the course - how you think you've evolved as a digital marketer?

The pace at which digital marketing moves is incredible, and I knew I wanted to join this fast-paced industry. It was clear to me that digital was not an add-on, but rather a fundamental part of the marketing mix needed to meet business objectives.

Tell us how membership is supporting you?

For me the best thing is the evergreen content. Digital marketing is always changing - there are new algorithms on Google multiple times a year, there are new formats and AD structures to follow - meaning there is a need to keep up. I have been able to use Membership to support this and love receiving the newest updates through email in bite-size formats. I find that very useful.

I think the CPD is invaluable also - especially with micro-degrees becoming increasingly recognized today, it is very useful to show your credentials are up-to-date.

You're the program manager for the scholarship program 'level up' - that funds and supports individuals who have refugee status, to gain a digital marketing certification and open the door to changing their life. Tell us a little bit about the level - up program?

Level Up is an initiative we run at Zartis for the last 3 years in collaboration with DMI and the Code Institute where we offer people the chance to gain skills in digital marketing or programming together with soft skills that will help them get hired easier in the European job market. The idea arose when Zartis wanted to sponsor someone to go to college and then I suggested that we could actually help many more people gain qualifications through courses instead of 1 person going to college. It was picked up instantaneously and we have helped over 30+ refugees and asylum seekers so far in Ireland, Germany and Spain.

What was it about the DMI program that influenced you to recommend this certification to Zartis / Level-Up?

The biggest advantage was that it was simple to use. It's an easy platform to follow and gain practical skills with pretty much all the resources you could need on each topic.

I recommend DMI to others because it can get you to a very professional level from zero in a short period of time. That is why I had suggested it to Zartis for the Level Up initiative also - because it was perfect for the disadvantaged group of international people that we wanted to offer scholarships to.

It obviously must be so rewarding for you personally to be involved in this scholarship program - what made you decide to be so active in the Level-Up program. Tell us what's involved? What do you do?

It is definitely the most rewarding thing I have done and that alone is the drive for me to stay involved. As program manager, I am the point of contact between all partners, and applicants. I manage the marketing strategy, reviewing applications, selecting participants and provide ongoing support both during the program and afterwards to help people get hired.

Besides program management, I am involved in sourcing new partners for Level Up who may contribute to how we run the program or consider the Level-Up alumni as entry level employees. At the end of the day, the Level-Up scholarship is all about upskilling people to qualify for such life-changing opportunities.

If someone is reading this today and wanted to support the Level-Up program by hiring one of the students as an intern - how do they do this?

They do not need to follow any process beyond their internal processes to evaluate and hire the Level-Up alumni. They can reach out to me directly or to us at Zartis.com website to request more information. I will gladly connect them with the Level-Up alumni that is best matched to the opportunity.

Want to find out more about the Level Up initiative? Click here or contact Adnan directly at [email protected].