From July 2014 to December 2018, Shannon Green served in the Navy. After separating due to medical reasons, she found herself studying human resources and working with VETS2INDUSTRY. In February 2020, she started working at Fullmoon Digital and learning about Digital Marketing and search engine optimization. Here is her 6 week check in.
At first when I got out of the Navy and moved home, I was looking for very specific types of jobs. Ones that fit criteria that I could work easily with, considering some of my disabilities can be frustrating at times. I was also in need of a career change too, since my main duties prior to exiting the military were somewhat physically demanding.
My expectations 6 weeks ago were very different
When I first started at Fullmoon I imagined a lot of typical stereotypes. I haven’t worked with primarily civilians since 2014, and I was in high school. Work is quite different for a teenager working in fast food. I imagined a lot of stress and the immediate supervisor who yells and gets mad if everything isn’t done in one, specific way. I hate to admit it but I also pictured coworkers as cut throat people.
I know that isn’t how every manager or supervisor is, but nerves will tell you anything to get you freaked out! The only thing that made me feel less nervous was that FMDM is 100% remote. I also know that isn’t how all coworkers are either. In fact, mine have become like a second family.
So I ended up getting really comfortable with my job and duties really quickly. I love and enjoy every aspect from social media management to nonprofit assistance.
My biggest issue at the beginning was understanding a lot of the technical side of marketing (you know, all the stuff that isn’t the fun content-creating part).
But then, a global pandemic started…
…And my train got somewhat delayed. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that everyone is getting used to having their lives upended by COVID-19. It took a few weeks for everyone at Fullmoon and at home to settle in for the long haul, but once the dust settled I was able to pick back up on learning.
So I learned Google Ads and did the LinkedIn Learning course SEO Foundations (which was immensely helpful). I even got to do a case study by myself, which was a great learning experience.
So far SEO has been relatively easy to understand. Though after air traffic control school and learning to do that on an aircraft carrier, nothing seems like that much of a challenge. Keywords are easy enough to understand and figure out.
The first 6 weeks of learning have been great
Having been able to work with nonprofits for the past few weeks has been amazing and is my favorite part of the job. Helping them to increase their donations will help them to keep their heads afloat during this messy virus. We need to keep our nonprofits going, since they often look out for those who are under-served in society and by the government. I am so excited to keep working.
Thankfully this job is the glove-like fit I have been searching for since I left the military. I feel very lucky so far, my boss has been supportive and helpful. The team I am on is incredible. Working with people who love what they do is so different than what I am used to.
All in all it has been a fabulous experience and I am super excited to see where we progress to in the next few months!
