Social media marketing was one of the skills I wanted to pick up when I pursued a diploma in Digital Media and Communications (DMC). Coincidentally, about 2 months ago my teacher, Ms Suhaina, encouraged DMC students to take Meta’s Digital Marketing Associate Certification.
To incentivise DMC students to take up this certification, Ms Suhaina offered a 100% reimbursement of the fees, amounting to USD100. However, there is a catch. The school will only reimburse you if you passed the test. No free lunch indeed! I was initially taken aback but quickly realised that it was a genius strategy. Using this approach, SP is still able to support students who are willing to work hard while avoiding wasting resources (registration fees) on those who were not committed. While I am not a big fan of high stakes exams, this time was different. This skill was already something I wanted to pick up anyway, so why pass up this opportunity that was served on a silver platter? Challenge accepted!
Ms Suhaina had more tricks up her sleeve. She also recommended us to attend a workshop (conducted by SP lecturer, Ms Sau) that can help students better prepare for this certification. Many students signed up for Ms Sau’s class and benefited from it. Her class helped reinforce key concepts on how to create, manage and report ads. She even gamified the lesson by splitting the class into different teams to participate in a "Wheel of Fortune" game. It was a fun way to keep students engaged while indirectly reinforcing our understanding of key words and concepts. Her engaging teaching approach and practical tips made the seemingly complex topics much less daunting.
As there were still on-going school projects at the time, I scheduled to properly study for this certification at the start of school holidays. Fast forward a few weeks and it was time to prepare for the certification test.
After reading the study guide, I felt it was insufficient. So, I searched and found some free online resources provided by Meta to build up my theoretical knowledge on social media marketing. In addition, I also supplemented my studies with YouTube videos, such as “How to manage ads” by Ben Heath. Lastly, I used Meta’s practice tests to simulate how I would do in the test and familiarise myself with the test format.
A day before the exam, I set up a small area at home that was free of distractions and did a system test as well as prepared my passport and identity card (NRIC) for verification.
On the day of the exam, my passport scan was rejected by the online invigilator but fortunately, he accepted my NRIC. So, please prepare both items if you intend to take this exam. I had some difficulty understanding my invigilator’s accent but he was friendly and repeated his instructions when I asked again politely.
I was given 1.5 hours to complete the test and managed to review all questions twice, before submitting my answers with 30 mins to spare. Rest assured, you will have enough time, so don’t rush.
Immediately after completing the test, my results flashed briefly on screen. I had passed. The formal email and digital badge from Meta would arrive a day later, but I heaved a sigh of relief knowing that I had accomplished my mission.
In hindsight, I am glad that I took up this challenge. I am grateful for Ms Sau and Ms Suhaina’s support. While I am not a fan of gambling, I have to admit that the threat of having to fork out my own money (had I not passed) served as extra motivation to work harder. Indeed, having “skin in the game”, added an extra level of commitment. Well played, Ms Suhaina!
I'm happy that my school holidays are off to a good start. I look forward to applying these new social media marketing skills in future projects.
Chia Howie
24 August 2024
TLDR
Took up my lecturer’s challenge to do a Meta certification (in social media marketing), passed it and got reimbursed. Thanks SP!
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