How Rob Cairns Became a Digital Marketer
Key Points:
- Early Education (1986):
- Studied Business Administration (Programmer Analyst major) at Centennial College, Toronto.
- Initial goal: Become a computer programmer.
- First Encounter with Marketing:
- Took a mandatory conventional marketing course in the first year.
- Had a very negative experience with a professor who was disengaged and taught strictly from the textbook.
- This experience initially turned Rob completely off marketing.
- Early Career Path:
- Despite the poor teaching, Rob excelled in the marketing course (over 90%).
- Worked in programming, then tech support.
- Managed projects and tech support for a large Toronto hospital.
- Transition Towards Marketing:
- Started building WordPress websites on the side while still employed full-time.
- Eventually transitioned to doing websites full-time.
- Quickly realized websites alone weren’t enough; they needed marketing (SEO, ads, email, word-of-mouth, reviews, etc.) to attract visitors.
- Becoming a Digital Marketer:
- Decided to invest time in learning digital marketing.
- Credits mentor Paul Toby for reinforcing his knowledge and foundation through courses.
- Reflection:
- Never imagined becoming a digital marketer when he was younger.
- Finds his career path interesting and unexpected.
Call to Action:
- Rob encourages listeners to take five minutes, record a video, and share their own career stories.
Closing: Rob Cairns, signing off. Have a great day!Key Points:
- Early Education (1986):
- Studied Business Administration (Programmer Analyst major) at Centennial College, Toronto.
- Initial goal: Become a computer programmer.
- First Encounter with Marketing:
- Took a mandatory conventional marketing course in the first year.
- Had a very negative experience with a professor who was disengaged and taught strictly from the textbook.
- This experience initially turned Rob completely off marketing.
- Early Career Path:
- Despite the poor teaching, Rob excelled in the marketing course (over 90%).
- Worked in programming, then tech support.
- Managed projects and tech support for a large Toronto hospital.
- Transition Towards Marketing:
- Started building WordPress websites on the side while still employed full-time.
- Eventually transitioned to doing websites full-time.
- Quickly realized websites alone weren’t enough; they needed marketing (SEO, ads, email, word-of-mouth, reviews, etc.) to attract visitors.
- Becoming a Digital Marketer:
- Decided to invest time in learning digital marketing.
- Credits mentor Paul Toby for reinforcing his knowledge and foundation through courses.
- Reflection:
- Never imagined becoming a digital marketer when he was younger.
- Finds his career path interesting and unexpected.
Call to Action:
- Rob encourages listeners to take five minutes, record a video, and share their own career stories.
Closing: Rob Cairns, signing off. Have a great day!
