Recently I interviewed my student George, who was working in the service industry in Europe when he found my course. He had absolutely zero experience in digital marketing, yet after applying what I teach diligently for about 6 months, he was offered a $60K/YR AUD remote job in his native country of Australia.
George is thrilled to be away from the service industry and have a career that is more intellectually stimulating, with better pay and perks, and more potential for growth. Here is the interview I did with George along with a transcript below.
Transcriptions
Seth: Hey, this is Seth with In Demand Career. I show people how to get jobs in digital marketing, with no previous experience or education, all over the world! And that includes my very special guest today, George, who was working service jobs and is now, after taking my course, making 60k Australian dollars a year, which is about 44/45k US dollars a year, as a digital marketer. And as you can infer, he lives in Australia, which is a great international success story. So I’m very excited to share his story with you. Thanks for being here, George.
George: Thank you so much, sir. It’s good to be here, as well. And hey, everyone on YouTube.
Seth: Awesome. So why don’t you tell people a little bit about what you’re doing right now?
George: Yeah. So I am currently a Performance Marketing Coordinator, which basically means running paid ads, doing some affiliate marketing as well. It’s with an e-commerce company, which is really big in Australia. It’s called Kogan. If anyone’s from Australia watching this, you’ll know the brand. But to put it into perspective, last year, we grossed about 400 million Australian dollars, which is maybe 350 US or 300 US. And yeah, it’s a big company. Really happy to be working with them and running paid ads is a real game changer for me.
Seth: That’s fantastic, man. That is really, really great. So we’ll get more into the job in a moment, but just to clarify, so where do you live, exactly?
George: Yeah, so I’m living in Melbourne now. I’m originally from Adelaide, but moved here just for the job. And I think I got here maybe a month and a half ago, something like that. So yeah, enjoying it. It’s great. I love coffee, so it’s good to be in Melbourne.
Seth: Okay, cool. Yeah, I haven’t been. I said, when I moved to Southeast Asia, I thought I’d just hop on over to Australia. I didn’t know it was also a 13 hour flight.
George: A little bit far, yeah. Yeah. I’m going to have to come up to Thailand or something to visit, as well. I need to do some traveling around Asia a little bit more.
Seth: Definitely. Definitely. So let’s talk a little bit about how you got here, and you know, the job itself. Let’s take people through how you got here. So you were taking the course. I know you were living in Germany at the time. And why don’t you tell people a little about what happened?
George: Yeah, so I guess that is quite a long story for me. Cause I do have a big background. For instance, I was in tourism before working service jobs. And as much as it was great and I was meeting people from around the world, I think ultimately it wasn’t very fulfilling. And I guess I consider myself a little bit sharp, so I wanted to use my brain at my job. And I saw digital marketing being a great opportunity to do that. Thing is, I was living in Germany, didn’t speak German. And I was trying to make everything work over there. Sending out applications. Actually got very close, but in the end, I gave myself a deadline. And by that point I didn’t manage to get a job. So I was like, “Okay, I’m going to come back to Australia “and I’m going to make it work.”
Seth: Got it. So, and just to clarify for people, when did you start the course?
George: Actually I started, I’m not sure, maybe a year or two ago, now. It was quite a while ago, but I did make the, I guess the common mistake that’s been mentioned before that I came in and I was just trying to get those golden nuggets and kind of run off and do what I need to do, instead of following the course from start to finish. And so I ran off and kind of tried to make things work, but ultimately it didn’t work out. But then I came back to the course, sort of the start of this year, and I was like, “Okay, let’s do it properly this time.” The coaching calls with there, so I started joining the coaching calls. Getting into the course, building the experience, like I should have done from the start. And then finally things started to click and yeah, here we are today.
Seth: Yeah. I just looked up your account, and I see you were a member in 2020, but I didn’t hear from you at all.
[George] Yeah, I know.
Seth: And I know that you were very active this year. So it’s almost like you’ve started this year. Cause you actually, guys, like I said, you just got to follow the instructions. If you try to do it a different way, you’re not going to get the results.
[George] Yeah, yeah.
Seth: It’s worked for five years now. So that’s really interesting though. It’s a unique background, so yeah. You know, working in tourism, like you said, it’s fun, you meet people, but you said you weren’t being paid very well. And you wanted to use your brain. I’ve had a similar experience. So what happened? You say you were in Germany, obviously. You know, I had one student who is… he’s from South Africa, living in Austria. And he got a job. He didn’t speak German, but he worked at an English speaking. It’s not that common in Germany, obviously they speak German. So that’s totally understandable. What happened when you moved back to Australia?
George: Yeah. So obviously with the current situation, things are a bit tricky and I did have to go into quarantine for two weeks. But I saw that as a good opportunity to focus on sending out applications. And surprisingly, I got my first job offer in Australia two days after coming out of quarantine. And then the very next one, which I ended up accepting, at Kogan, I received the very next day. And so after thinking about it for the weekend, I ended up going with the Kogan job. So yeah, it was kind of crazy, cause it was, I found it quite challenging in Germany. But still, I was making progress. But then when I came back to Australia, the response I received was so, so encouraging that I was like, yes, okay, this is definitely going to work, and it won’t take long at all. So yeah.
Seth: That’s awesome guys. And remember most of you guys aren’t in a foreign country. So think about that. It’s like, it’s a lot easier. It’s doable. Like I said, Ross is one of my students who got a job, but he was also married, you know, married to an Austrian citizen. And that was a whole other story. But you know, I love that. I remember you posting, like the fact when you got back to Australia, it was so quick and you got two job offers. So what was that like? Obviously you have never worked in the field before, you don’t have any “job experience”. How did the interviews go? Like how did they end up wanting to hire you?
George: Yeah, so like for a lot of them that was quite a process, but surprisingly, the first job offer, we only had the one call. And really what I was doing was leaning on the experience that I built through doing what’s in the course, you know? Running the Google ads and everything. And I even did some apprenticeships as well. So I brought up the experience that I built there as well. And yeah, I think they were really impressed. With the experience that you go out and build, I was very confident to talk about all the different aspects of digital marketing. And I think they saw that, and they were also very happy that I’d gone and built my own funnels and built experience in the field of my own fruition. So yeah, it was a very positive response. Yeah.
Seth: Great. And so, with your second agent, with the job you actually took, what was it like? How long have you been there? A couple months, now?
George: Yeah, yeah. About a month, month and a half.
Seth: Oh wow, so you’re really fresh. So what’s it like, are you managing any ads or are you kinda like shadowing somebody? What did they have you do, coming in with no experience?
George: Yeah, yeah. I mean, they really just threw me straight in. I think in the first week I was already running a campaign that was spending $5,000 a day. And yeah, it was really big, they have quite a big ad spend, as you can imagine. And yeah, there was such a big learning curve. And I have to say it actually has been quite challenging, cause there are so many different aspects to what we do. And especially at that scale. Learning how to do everything at such a large scale, it’s kind of a completely different ball game. But yeah, like it’s been a challenge, but everyone has been really good. The help is there if I need it. I’m shadowing. So I’m the Performance Monitoring Coordinator, and I have the Performance Marketing Manager, and in a sense I’m kind of shadowing him, but very often I’ll be given full reigns on a campaign. And take care of all the different steps that we need to.
Seth: That’s awesome, man. And that’s a lot, I mean… I had another student like that, where they kind of threw him right into the weeds. And other places they’re a little more slow. They’ll start you out with a thousand or 5,000 a month, not a day. But it sounds like you have a good support system in place. And guys, this is it. This is like bootcamp. What better training can you get for your next job, and for your career, than to be thrown into a real life account with support? You can’t reproduce that. You can’t get that in a classroom, it’s invaluable. And it’s going to go right on your resume and the recruiters will start knocking on your door.
George: Yeah, yeah.
Seth: Especially in Australia, where I’m sure there’s an even smaller talent pool. And so what about the job itself? This one isn’t fully remote, right? You have a little bit on, a little bit off?
George: Yeah, exactly. So we do two days at home and three days in the office. Right now, because of everything going on, we’re actually, completely working remotely. And even though, in this case, it is something where I do have to come into the office, it is always nice to know that I have a skill that I can do remotely and do from anywhere basically. So it was a nice feeling to know that.
Seth: Compared to your previous career, working in tourism, doing service jobs, how do you like what you’re doing now?
George: Yeah. I absolutely love it. I’m a very analytical, sorta strategic kind of guy. So I like to use my mind. And it’s nice to be able to apply that and ideate and strategize and everything. So it’s a lot more rewarding, a lot more fulfilling, which is something you don’t really get when you’re working in a service job. So very happy to be there.
Seth: I’m happy to hear that, man. I mean, that is one of the things I found when I got into this field, is that I was using my brain. I also had been working service jobs, and it’s just so fulfilling to be able to use your mind and your creativity. And every day it makes the job more than just about the money. But speaking about the money, just to recap it, what is the pay at the job, again?
George: Yeah, so it’s about 60k Australian dollars.
Seth: And again, that’s I think about 44,000 US, which is fantastic for a first job with no experience. And also you’re, like I said, I mean, you’re making this in Australia, so I don’t know what the cost of living is like there, but I think it’s probably a little better than the US.
George: Yeah. Very, very comfortable with that wage. Yeah.
Seth: And to come in with no experience. And did you say something else? Like they have some kind of… What is it? Something like…
George: Superannuation. Yeah, yeah. So in Australia we have, it’s kind of like a mandatory 401k, I think is a good way to compare it. So it’s also on top of that, there is sort of money being put away for my retirement as well. So yeah. That’s good.
Seth: That’s great. I love to hear that for the future. And in Australia you guys have a decent healthcare system, right?
George: Yeah. It’s not something to be concerned about, for us. That’s why there’s no mention of it here. It’s completely fine.
Seth: Oh yeah, it’s a big deal in the States. And I’m curious, because I’ve talked to a lot of people in Europe and I know they always get certain vacation. Do you get paid time off at this job, at all?
George: Yup, yup. I believe it’s four weeks. Four weeks, or so. Which maybe seems like a lot, but I know when I was in Germany, like five, sometimes six weeks is kind of a standard.
Seth: I will say this, and again, in the US, in digital marketing, you’re gonna get much better paid time off in the US. I even had one of my students, Kayla, saying that her manager was yelling at people, “You have to take days off.”
George: Oh, wow.
Seth: Americans aren’t used to that. Most jobs outside of digital marketing in the US, you’re looking at either zero. Like literally when I got hired from my first really well paying job, it was a great job, but you had to accrue vacation.
George: Oh wow, yeah.
Seth: And definitely never four weeks. If you do four weeks, you’re fired. I think making 44k US/60k Australian plus four weeks vacation, that’s fantastic. And you’re learning.
George: Absolutely.
Seth: I kind of vent about that little, just cause I think in the west they should… I mean, that’s why the salaries tend to be a little higher, usually, over there, but I would take the vacation, myself, if I was still, you know, working a day job.
George: Yeah, that’s a great point to bring up.
Seth: And so what’s the culture like there? What are the people like?
George: Yeah, yeah. So they’re really great. You know, I have to say, to bring up like previous jobs, as well. With a lot of service jobs, a lot of people, you know, they come in, they do the bare minimum, and then they go home. They don’t really care about the actual results that they bring. But that’s one of the great things about the culture there. They care about the results. They care about the work that they’re doing. You know, people aren’t just slacking off. They’re going in and they’re giving it their best effort. I like to be surrounded by people that are trying to do their best. So that’s a really cool thing for me. But they do appreciate that, like, you know, their whole culture is “work hard, play hard”. So they do appreciate that, you know, people need to enjoy their time off of work as well.
Seth: That is, that is great. And you spoke to something we don’t talk about. Cause I know a lot of times we’re talking about the money, and career advancement and stuff, but that is so true. Like when I’ve worked in other jobs, yeah. If your coworkers are kind of ‘eh, if people are complaining about their work, if they’re not all excited to be doing what they’re doing, it’s very draining.
George: Yeah, a hundred percent.
Seth: Yeah. And it’s super great when you are in an environment where everybody’s focused and everybody’s high energy and everybody’s really positive. It affects your whole life, because you spend so much time at your job.
George: Exactly, exactly.
Seth: What about your friends or family, or anybody have a reaction to this? Since you got hired, were they surprised that you were able to do this?
George: Yeah, yeah. A little bit. So the company that I’m working for is actually quite big in Australia. So, you know, when I mention it, it’s not just some small company or something that they don’t know anything about. Everyone’s always like, “Oh Kogan, oh wow that’s cool.” They’ve heard of them before. So it has been really positive. And yeah, like from my parents as well, they’re really impressed. Yeah. Overall it’s been really good. And I’m not sure how to put it into perspective, but everyone’s been really impressed and positive about the whole thing. And kind of surprised, like, “How did you do that?” You know? It’s been, yeah, it’s been really nice to let people know about it.
Seth: I love it. I love people’s surprise. Like the course that promised it would deliver these types of results that it actually did, because there’s like practical advice. You know? It still blows my mind. I actually just had somebody email me about like, they got an advertising degree, and I look at these curriculums and I’m just scratching my head. I mean, these kids are spending years studying all this crazy nonsense. Like one curriculum, University of San Diego, you gotta learn managerial accounting, consumer behavior. I’m like, do you need to know accounting to do what you’re doing, George?
George: Absolutely not. Absolutely not.
Seth: Right. So I love that. People will still be surprised. I hope someday in the future, it’s just more like normal, like, oh yeah, I got a really well paying job that stimulates me intellectually pretty easily. That would hopefully normal. But for now I’m happy to help you surprise people. But anyway, man, I appreciate you sharing your story. And again, if you guys are watching, whether you’re in the US or Australia or Europe or anywhere in the world, where there are these jobs, you can get one. And you’re a really good example of that. So is there anything else you want to say to me or anybody watching the interview?
George: Yeah. Shout outs to all the other guys in the course, I have to say that was a big benefit of the course. The community. A lot of people are now my friends, you know, Eric, Heidi, MarTech, Eli, Chris, even Morgan that you interviewed a week ago. So shout outs to all you guys. Also, yeah. I know when I was looking at the course, I was a little bit like, “Oh, I dunno, is this legitimate? “Am I really going to be able to get into this, “thanks to this course?” And you know, I must’ve gone through all the testimonials before I was finally like, “Okay, it has to be legit. “I’m going to just take the plunge, go for it.” And I would recommend that to you guys, as well. Jump in, do it. Don’t wait for a year to finally feel like you can do it. Jump in to it, get that career started, and start growing in digital marketing.
Seth: Awesome, man. Thanks. Thanks for that. And I know I hear that a lot, and I get it. You know, I’ve become aware even recently, just what the world of online… Unfortunately it’s like, the colleges are charging a hundred or a thousand times as much as most online courses, and they’re scamming people. But there’s also other courses where, yeah, I’ve seen ads that exaggerate things and shady testimonials and who knows what else in this niche. So I’m really proud of the fact that I’ve attracted people like you, who are genuine, hardworking. You know this isn’t overnight, you have to work very hard and be persistent to get the results. And then I’m really appreciative that you will come on the channel and, you know, give people this, a detailed account of what happened.
George: Thank you so much, though. I’m really happy to come out and join that long list of testimonials to kind of really show that this is legit. So yeah. Thanks so much.
Seth: You’re welcome, George. And, and it’s nice to, as I said, to interview someone who is almost in the same time zone as me. So it’s been good talking to you. Anyway, keep us posted. I’m gonna start doing followup interviews in six months or a year. I’m excited to see where you go. This is just the beginning for you. And thanks again for sharing your story and we’ll talk soon.
George: Thanks, Seth. See you soon.