Restarting Her Career After a Two-Year Break
Majida Nasrin joined HACA at a time when restarting her career seemed challenging. After completing her degree, she had taken a career break following her first pregnancy. She had planned to return to work once her first child was around two years old, but her second pregnancy extended the break further.
By the time she decided to restart her career, Majida was raising two very young children. Her older child was around one and a half years old, while her younger child was only 16 days old when she joined HACA. She was also going through postpartum depression at the time.
Despite these circumstances, Majida knew that she did not want to keep postponing her career. She wanted to become financially independent, support her family and find a way to return to professional life. This became the motivation behind her decision to learn a new skill and pursue digital marketing.
Discovering Digital Marketing
Majida first heard about digital marketing from a friend while she was going through postpartum depression. Her friend suggested that learning something new and staying engaged could help her take her mind off the difficult phase she was experiencing.
She began researching digital marketing and speaking to people about whether the field would be suitable for her. Her friend also recommended HACA, which encouraged her to explore the institute further. Majida looked through HACA's website, YouTube channel, Instagram and reviews before deciding to join.
Her decision was also influenced by her need to start her career relatively quickly. She had considered other courses as well, but digital marketing felt more suitable for the kind of career opportunity she was looking for.
Starting With Almost No Laptop Experience
Majida's learning journey began with another challenge that many people might not expect. When she decided to join the digital marketing course, she did not even know how to use a laptop properly.
She had purchased a laptop but initially did not know how to switch it on or where to begin. With around two weeks before the course started, she decided to learn the basics herself. She used YouTube videos to understand how to operate the laptop and gradually became comfortable with the basic functions.
For Majida, learning how to use a laptop was the first step towards learning digital marketing. She was willing to start from the basics because she knew that developing new skills was necessary if she wanted to rebuild her career.
Learning While Raising Two Children
Joining an online course made learning possible, but completing it while raising two children was still a major challenge. Majida had to attend live classes while also taking care of her children and managing responsibilities at home.
There were times when her children needed her attention during class. She could not always attend every live session from beginning to end, but the recorded classes allowed her to continue learning whenever she had time.
This flexibility helped her keep up with the programme despite her circumstances. If she missed a live class, she could watch the recording later and continue with the lessons without completely falling behind.
Support From Her Family
Family support played an important role in Majida's journey. Her husband, her family and her husband's family encouraged her to continue with the course and supported her decision to restart her career.
They also helped her with the children when she needed to attend classes. Having people around her who were willing to take care of the children gave Majida the time and space she needed to focus on learning.
Majida believes that managing the course alongside two young children would have been extremely difficult without this support. Her family's encouragement continued even after she completed the course and began working towards gaining practical experience.
Support From HACA Mentors and Coordinators
The support she received from HACA also helped Majida manage the challenges of online learning. Her coordinator was available whenever she had doubts or needed assistance during the course.
She also mentions the support she received from her mentors, particularly Subojith Sir and the other mentors. Whenever she had questions, she could reach out to them and get clarification instead of struggling with the topic on her own.
The availability of recorded sessions, one-to-one doubt-clearing sessions, coordinators and mentors helped Majida continue learning even when her schedule was unpredictable.
Completing the Course and Choosing an Internship
After completing the course, Majida decided not to immediately focus only on getting a direct job. Instead, she chose to take an internship because she wanted to gain more practical experience before moving further into her career.
She joined an internship opportunity in Perinthalmanna and chose Social Media Marketing as her area of work. The internship gave her the opportunity to apply the concepts she had learned during her HACA course in an actual working environment.
She worked with social media platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn and gained practical experience in handling social media. She also had the opportunity to apply concepts such as social media auditing that she had learned during her course.
Applying What She Learned at HACA
Starting her first professional experience came with some nervousness. After spending a significant amount of time away from her career, Majida was unsure how comfortable she would be when she had to apply what she had learned in a real workplace.
However, she found that many of the tasks she encountered during the internship were based on concepts she had already learned at HACA. The difference was that she was now applying those concepts to actual business requirements.
This practical exposure helped her understand how digital marketing works beyond the classroom. It also gave her more confidence in her ability to continue building a career in the field.
A Career Restart With a Strong Support System
Majida's journey was shaped by more than just the decision to join a digital marketing course. She was managing motherhood, a career break, postpartum depression and financial responsibilities while trying to build a new professional path.
Her family provided the support she needed to attend classes and eventually go to work. At the same time, the flexibility of the online programme and the support from HACA's coordinators and mentors helped her continue learning despite the challenges.
Instead of waiting for a time when everything would become easier, Majida decided to begin with the circumstances she already had.
What Majida's Journey Shows
Majida's experience shows that a career break does not necessarily mean the end of a professional journey. Returning to work can be challenging, especially when someone is also managing young children and family responsibilities, but taking the first step can create a path forward.
Her journey also shows the value of flexible learning. Recorded sessions and doubt-clearing support allowed her to continue learning even when she could not always attend live classes.
Most importantly, Majida's story is about taking action despite uncertainty. She started with very little experience using a laptop, learned digital marketing, completed her course and then chose to gain practical experience through an internship.
Majida's Message to Other Mothers
Looking back at her journey, Majida believes that being a mother or having family responsibilities should not mean giving up on a career. She encourages people who want to restart their careers to explore their options, learn from people who understand the field and make an informed decision.
Her own experience has shown her that it is possible to work towards a career while managing responsibilities at home. She believes that if she could take this step while raising two children, others can also work towards their own career goals.
Hear Majida Share Her HACA Experience
In her testimonial, Majida talks about her career break, postpartum depression, raising two children, learning to use a laptop, choosing digital marketing and the support she received from her family and HACA mentors.
Watch Majida's full HACA journey to hear her experience in her own words and learn how she took her first steps towards restarting her career.
YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/dJpmKP_9AwY?si=1zrXnwOQ-LLPtPWz
