When Writing and Marketing Collide

When Camille Rasmussen started our Certificate Program in Marketing, she had already accumulated five years of professional content and marketing experience. A journalism graduate from the University of Oregon, Camille is no stranger to the power of content.

Soon after graduation, she pivoted from journalism to marketing and never looked back.

“Marketing can get a bad rap,” Camille says, “but it’s not about selling people things they don’t want or need; it’s about solving problems for customers. Good marketing should connect your solutions with the folks who need them to be better at their jobs, add value to their lives or simply make life easier. It’s quite rewarding when your campaigns successfully drive interest in your products, and even more so when you get positive feedback from customers that your product is exactly what they’ve needed all along.”

Real-World Skills Needed STAT!

Entering the workforce as a marketing specialist at Aspera, an IBM company, back in 2012, Camille jumped head-first into the nitty-gritty of B2B marketing. As the lead marketing writer, Camille developed content such as case studies, press releases, customer-centered newsletters, and website and event collateral.

Camille’s journalism skills translated well in the world of content marketing, but she knew there was a lot about marketing as a whole that she didn’t yet understand.

“In college, I’d taken one marketing course for my minor in business administration,” Camille recalls. “But I figured if I was going to pursue marketing for my long-term career, I should probably learn as much as possible about the field.

“The UC Berkeley name carries with it an air of prestige and high quality, and I loved that I could attend classes locally in San Francisco or online.

When combined with years of on-the-job experience, this program helped me fill in the gaps and make myself a more marketable job candidate.

And Camille found exactly what she needed with our Marketing certificate:

Practical—real-world learning
Accessible—Classroom and online courses
Experience—taught by working professionals
Finish in a year or two—get in, get out, get on with your career.

It’s a win-win situation.

“The certificate helped me round out my skill set and knowledge in the marketing field,” Camille reports. “When combined with years of on-the-job experience, this program helped me fill in the gaps and make myself a more marketable job candidate.”

I had the pleasure of chatting with this 2018 certificate graduate to find out more about her educational journey and her current senior content strategist role at Momentive (formerly known as SurveyMonkey). Read on!

What was your classroom experience like?

Overall, the coursework was helpful. I was inspired by some of the instructors who were at the top of their field and had impressive backgrounds at top companies.

One of my favorite parts of the in-person classes was meeting fellow marketers. The small class sizes and collaborative class style really made them more fun. I particularly enjoyed the group work, because unlike other experiences I've had in the past, it felt like everyone was actually participating and there to learn. I came away from this program with several great friends whom I’m still in touch with today.

I did take a few online courses, but I prefer the social and networking benefits of in-person classes. However, it was nice to go at my own pace in the online classes.

Taking a relevant class at UC Berkeley Extension is a great way to sharpen your skills and get answers to your real-world questions.

You were working full time while taking classes. Were you able to put lessons learned to work?

When I started the certificate, I was the marketing communications writer at IBM Aspera, where I spearheaded our customer stories program and built out our B2B sales and marketing collateral. Before completing the certificate, I joined SurveyMonkey as a content strategist, leading content strategy for the company’s portfolio of enterprise marketing and customer-experience solutions. 

One of the most perfectly timed and relevant courses for me was the Social Media Marketing Strategies class. I had just started my new job at SurveyMonkey as the first marketing hire for the recently acquired TechValidate brand, and was running corporate social media accounts for the first time. I needed a crash course in social media strategy—stat! So I enrolled in the course, and luckily enough my employer allowed me to use our corporate accounts for all of the coursework. Experimenting with various tactics and learning how to measure results directly in my company’s accounts helped me get guided hands-on experience and helped me demonstrate real results and prove my value.

The takeaway: If you’re facing a challenge at work, don’t be afraid to seek outside help. Taking a relevant class at UC Berkeley Extension is a great way to sharpen your skills and get answers to your real-world questions.

The real value in this program is all about how you use the learnings to be better at your job—and make your skillset more marketable.

What advice would you give to a student who is starting the certificate?

Go into it with a mindset of learning rather than checking the boxes to earn a new badge of achievement for your résumé. I think the best leaders are lifelong learners who are always curious about the latest developments in their industry and craft.

Look out for practical tips that you can apply in your current job or that you think will be useful in your next role. The real value in this program is all about how you use the learnings to be better at your job—and make your skillset more marketable.

And if you’re employed and your employer has a tuition reimbursement program, take advantage of it.