Editor’s note: This blog is from the perspective of five University of Pittsburgh students — Kirsten[1], Steve[2], Darcie[3], Erin[4], and Sara[5] — who completed a class this summer called "Digital Marketing Search Fundamentals", taught by Zack Duncan of Root and Branch.
Introduction
Our digital marketing class this summer did not give us credits that count towards graduation (in fact, some of us graduated in Spring 2020), nor did it give us a grade. Instead, we learned about paid search and organic search along with some of the key concepts central to digital marketing. We also became certified in Google Ads Search along the way.
We each had different reasons for taking the course, but we all believe that digital marketing will have value for us in our lives.
At the beginning of the term, in June 2020, we were asked, “What is one thing you’re hoping to get out of this class?” Here are some of our responses to that question:
- I hope to gain a strong understanding of SEO and Google Ads, and to get hands-on experience to understand how both would be used in a work setting.
- I want to learn something about marketing that I might not learn in the classroom.
- I'm hoping to become more competitive in this difficult job market.
- I hope to build on my resume and develop skills for personal use.
- I want to learn a foundational skill that can be applied in many different aspects of business.
Now that we’ve completed the class, we wanted to share our thoughts on why we believe digital marketing matters — both for our lives today and as we look ahead to the future. We’re also going to cover five