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Last summer my career took an unexpected turn due to restructuring.   I packed up my desk after five years as the Relationship Manager for a national not-for-profit association. I had to do some quick thinking about where I wanted to put my energies next. I had a great resume, lots of education, broad experience – both paid and volunteer, and wonderful references.  I was old enough to have some level of maturity and young and energetic enough to take on exciting new challenges. I knew my next path would include writing, marketing, and social media (as well as a little more exercise).  While I am formally trained in writing and marketing I was just dabbling in social media.  I lacked the confidence to pursue opportunities in social media though I knew it was something I was very interested and would be a great complement to my other skills and interests.

As part of my job search I did a lot of networking both in person, through traditional methods, and through social media. I spent hours daily on LinkedIn, rebuilding my connections and joining special interest groups. It was through a social media group that I met and became friends with Andrea Vahl and through her Phyllis Khare. These incredible women are the Co-Founders of the virtual Social Media Manager School which is destined to become the world’s largest organization for training social media managers.

They were offering an amazing, intensive, online course for under $300 U.S. so I signed up in October and I have never looked back. I immediately got lifetime access to their private Facebook group of students and alumni and am in touch with them all daily now. They supported me through the large learning curve of mastering the course materials, sharing best practices, and so much more. They come from the entertainment field and are some of the most fun people I know. Their enthusiasm and support is so infections that they have built a community of over 300 social media managers and students who are helping each other worldwide.

I completed my Certificate in Social Media Management in January and am now one of the alumni helping the newbies that have just joined for the Spring/Summer session. Registration deadline is midnight tonight, April 16 2014. Click here  for more info or to register. I am now an enthusiastic affiliate of the school and spreading the world!

Meeting Andrea and Phyllis has put me on an incredible path. I now have a long list of people who want to work with me and I am doing social media management and writing for some of the world’s most creative and worthwhile projects.  I now have the confidence to continue expanding my skills. I can’t thank Andrea and Phyllis enough and this is just one of the ways I am doing it!

Register online  by midnight EST today if you want to get into the session starting now. Many new students are already on board.  After that the doors will close after midnight until October 2014. I look forward to meeting you in the private Facebook group! If you have any questions about the course feel free to contact me at gm@glendamacdonald.com .

by Glenda MacDonald

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Last updated: April 16 2014 4:48 p.m.