19yr old Nikki studied NZIE’s Diploma in Social Media Marketing and landed a paid digital marketing job in under a year! Here’s how she did it.
After finishing high school, Nikki found herself faced with a pretty common dilemma about where to take her future. Should she start tertiary study? Take a gap year? Try some work experience? She wasn’t keen on the traditional university path and thought about exploring a career in social media marketing.
“I knew that I didn’t want to go to uni, but I still wanted to study something, and thought about digital marketing or something around social media. It was important to me to study but be able to work at the same time.”
Quickly, Nikki realised that to get her foot in the door, she needed more than just enthusiasm — she needed qualifications and a solid foundation of skills. Flexibility was a must, so she started looking for something that would allow her to work and study at the same time. Ultimately, after a quick Google search, she found NZIE’s Diploma in Social Media Marketing.
“I looked at a few Polytechs but I couldn’t find anything that I liked. Then I found NZIE and the thing I liked about it was that it was online and gave me the flexible learning I wanted. It worked for me.”
Diving into Study
The online delivery from expert tutors, variety of current and industry-relevant topics (from content creation to platform management and everything in between), paired with flexible hours gave Nikki the ideal mix of “learn and earn”. She chose the full-time, one-year study option. The fact that she could do it all remotely meant that NZIE was a no-brainer for the Canterbury-based teen.
Passionate Tutors and Engaging Coursework
What really took Nikki by surprise was how passionate the tutors were about their subjects. Each one brought their own expertise and enthusiasm, getting students excited about their subjects. Nikki loved how their passion inspired everyone to keep motivated and eager to learn.
“I love how the teachers deliver the content. It’s simple, it’s engaging, and we have good laughs, a lot of the time. It’s not too hard out, it’s a lot of fun.”
The Standout Class
When we asked Nikki if she had a favourite class, it was clear that choosing just one was going to be tricky!
“Ohhh why would you do this to me, haha! All of them are really good, but if I had to choose one, it would probably be video production.”
She’s talking about the incredibly talented Shay’s class! Students are involved in the entire video production process, from scripting and filming to post-production. They are taught the latest tools and techniques to create compelling video content.
Additionally, Nikki loves that every class is engaging and fun, packed full of information without feeling overwhelming. There’s a great balance—enough challenge to keep things interesting, but not so much that it’s stressful.
“It’s a safe space to make mistakes and learn. They always want you to ask questions – whenever you want. The content is super practical, so during in-class activities we actually put our skills into practice with the help of industry techniques and tools.”
From Volunteer to Valued Employee
For Nikki, the connections she’s made have been a standout benefit from studying with NZIE. With the support of her tutors, and as part of the course curriculum, she connected with a local business (a sushi shop), identifying a gap in their marketing strategy. After volunteering and managing their social media platforms for a short time, using techniques and tools she’s become familiar with in her course, she managed to score herself a paying role within the business. The tutors were really helpful in providing a few negotiation tips too! Now she successfully manages their social media accounts, designs marketing collateral, and is contributing to the company’s growth…less than a year after starting her diploma! They’ve even hinted at a full-time role once she finishes the course, which she’s super excited about.
“I’m really excited to use all of my all the skills that I’ve learned from diploma and using it to grow the business account.”
Multi-discipline Learning
Nikki credits her success in the real world to what she’s learned in her hands-on classes. The tutors have taught her valuable insights on how algorithms work, how to craft relevant content and pair it with the perfect caption. Her graphic design and video production classes gave her the skills to create eye-catching content that flows naturally and remains on-brand. She’s become familiar with industry tools like Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop (among many others). Alongside this, she was introduced to some cool AI tools like Perplexity, Claude and ChatGPT, that will save her valuable time in the future. Every class has been a stepping stone towards her growing confidence in digital and social media marketing. Nikki has no regrets about choosing to study with NZIE.
“I have loved the Social Media Marketing Diploma. I’m actually thinking about doing another course in the future!”
Looking for a way to align your career with your passions, just like Nikki? Check out our Diploma in Social Media Marketing!
