What I Actually Learned About Digital Marketing After Joining CDA Academy
I have been studying at CDA Academy for about two months now, and looking back, it feels like my understanding of digital marketing has quietly shifted without me even realising it at first.
Before joining, I honestly thought digital marketing was mostly about Instagram posts, hashtags, and maybe running an ad when you felt confident enough. It looked simple from the outside. Almost casual. You see people online talking about it like it’s something you can master in a few weeks.
“Ten growth hacks that changed my life.”
“How I went viral in 24 hours.”
I believed that if you posted good content consistently, things would eventually just work out. Go viral, gain followers, make money. That was the picture I had in my head.
That picture didn’t last very long.
Table of Content
The First Reality Check
When I first walked into class at CDA Academy, I felt fairly confident. I was already comfortable with social media. I knew how to write captions, follow trends, and understand what looked “good” online. I thought that meant I was already halfway there.
Then, during one of the early sessions, someone mentioned conversion funnels.
I nodded along.
I had no idea what they were talking about.
That moment was slightly embarrassing, but more than that, it was eye-opening. It made me realise that I had been looking at digital marketing from the surface. Posting content is just the visible part. The real work happens much deeper.
Digital marketing isn’t just about being online. It’s about understanding people.
Why do some people click and others scroll past?
Why does one website feel trustworthy almost immediately while another doesn’t?
Why do some ads feel useful and others feel irritating?
Once I started thinking about these questions, I realised how much thinking actually goes into digital marketing. There’s psychology involved. There’s planning, structure, data, and a lot of trial and error. Creativity still matters, but creativity without direction doesn’t really get you anywhere.
The Part No One Talks About Online
Those “day in the life of a digital marketer” videos make everything look smooth and exciting. What they don’t show is how much time is spent just thinking.
In these two months, I’ve learned that before anything gets posted, you have to slow down and ask yourself some basic but important questions.
Who is this actually for?
What problem are they dealing with right now?
Why should they care about this content?
What do I want them to do next?
Even writing a caption feels different now. Earlier, I wrote whatever sounded good. Now I think about tone, clarity, and intention. It’s not just about saying something, it’s about saying it in a way that makes sense to the right person.
I used to think good content just happened naturally. Like creative people sat down and ideas just appeared. Now I understand that most good content is planned, even when it looks effortless. There’s almost always a reason behind it.
Learning to Sit With Slow Results
This has been one of the hardest things for me to accept.
We are so used to instant feedback. Likes come quickly. Views show up immediately. Digital marketing doesn’t always give you that kind of response.
SEO takes time. Sometimes months. Content marketing needs consistency. Even ads don’t magically work the first time. They need testing, changes, and patience.
At first, this felt frustrating. You put effort into something, follow all the steps, and still nothing happens for weeks. Meanwhile, social media makes it look like everyone else is moving faster than you.
Over time, I’ve realised that most success stories leave out the slow part. The part where things don’t work. Digital marketing feels less dramatic and more gradual. You show up, do the work, learn from mistakes, and trust that progress will come.
What I’m Actually Learning (And Still Figuring Out)
One thing that became clear very quickly is that digital marketing is more about people than platforms. Tools come later. Understanding how people think, what they need, and how they make decisions comes first.
Content thinking is something I’m still learning. Not just creating content, but knowing why I’m creating it. Is it meant to inform someone, build trust, or guide them toward a decision? When content has no clear purpose, the results are usually unclear too.
SEO used to feel intimidating and technical. Now I see it more as structured communication. Writing clearly for people while also making it easier for search engines to understand what you’re saying.
Analytics scared me at first. Too many numbers, too many charts. Over time, I realised analytics aren’t judging you. They’re just showing you what’s working and what’s not. Once I stopped taking it personally, it became much easier to learn from.
Adaptability is another thing I’m slowly understanding. Platforms change often. Trends don’t last long. If you stop learning, you fall behind without even noticing.
What CDA Academy Has Given Me So Far
In these two months, CDA Academy hasn’t just taught me tools. It has helped me change the way I think.
Instead of copying trends blindly, the focus has been on fundamentals. Understanding audience behaviour. Communicating clearly. Looking at results and learning from them. These basics don’t change even when platforms do.
The practical learning made a big difference. We applied what we learned instead of just memorising terms. I made mistakes, sometimes more than once, but the feedback helped me understand why something didn’t work.
Learning alongside other students also helped. Everyone is figuring things out at their own pace, and that makes the process feel less overwhelming and more real.
Mistakes I’m Still Making
I still compare myself to people who have been in the industry for years. It’s easy to forget that I’ve only been doing this seriously for two months.
I also went through a phase where I thought learning every tool would make me better. Now I understand that tools help, but they don’t replace thinking.
And yes, I’m still learning to let go of the need for quick results. Digital marketing rewards consistency more than speed.
Where I Am Right Now
I’m still a student. Still learning. Still making mistakes.
But my view of digital marketing has completely changed. It’s not about going viral or chasing numbers. It’s about understanding people, solving problems, and building real connections online.
It’s creative, analytical, strategic, and very human.
Is it harder than I expected? Definitely.
Is it more interesting than I imagined? Without a doubt.
CDA Academy gave me the starting point. Now I’m figuring things out slowly, one lesson at a time.
Author Info
Shahid Sait, Freelance Digital Marketer in Ernakulam.
Learner at CDA, Digital Marketing Training in Kochi.
