[story time] How I successfully changed careers to become a Google Ads expert

Today, I’m going to tell you how I successfully changed careers. Sure, it’s a small career change in the sense that I still work in the web industry. It’s not like I went from being a web designer to a psychiatrist. But I’m very proud of it because it’s what allowed me to be where I am today.

The beginning of my career was closely linked to community management. My job was to build a community around a brand or service and get people excited about it. I worked for two advertisers and then two agencies. I always did my job perfectly well, but I didn’t enjoy it at all. The rare times I was absolutely passionate about my work were when I was analyzing user feedback across hundreds of forums and managing Facebook ad purchases. The more numbers and data there were, the more I liked it. That must have been linked to my background in advanced math, despite my business school education.

After a few years, and with a more than comfortable salary (> 40k gross annual), I still didn’t find pleasure in what I was doing. Getting up in the morning was hard. I told myself I couldn’t go on like that and I had to change, but I didn’t know what to do. At that time, you couldn’t just do Facebook ads all day because there wasn’t that much demand.

Discovering Google Adwords

While doing a benchmark of partner programs offered by big companies, I came across Google’s partner program.

An idea came to mind: if I love buying Facebook ads, I’m going to love buying Google ads. There’s much more budget and lots of open positions. Even though I had never been trained in Google Adwords, at the University of Sydney, we had two presentations: one by an Account Manager talking about her job, and one by a Google employee. Everyone enjoyed both.

At the time, Google organized one-day training sessions open to everyone. I took a day off to attend.

Before the training, so I could ask relevant questions, I decided to self-teach with a book, very well written with lots of screenshots (note: I lend this book to every trainee I train after that, with stickers to indicate features that have changed since, because this edition is very old). And I created my own ad campaign with my own money (25€), for the cat protection association I was part of. A Google employee called me and gave me advice. That only confirmed my interest in this new profession.

The Google training was very well done:

• in the morning: an Account Strategist at Google and a partner agency took turns explaining from A to Z how Google Ads worked. What a campaign, an ad group, a keyword were,
• in the afternoon: they organized a FAQ session and some volunteers showed their Adwords account for a quick audit.

The level was mixed: we had small advertisers, agencies, small business owners, but also people like me who were 100% beginners.

Everything was so dense but so clearly explained (for example, at the end of each presentation, we had 3-4 questions to review what we had just learned on the spot) that in the end, I had no questions to ask and I left even more determined. The only thing I regret is that they never sent the presentation slides as promised. But oh well… I told you I have a good memory. Everything was stored in my head.

So after that training, I looked at my old Adwords campaigns with fresh eyes and reinvested 25€ (+75€ in free credit) with the new knowledge I’d learned. Performance suddenly got better. I thought, “okay, I get it now.”

Getting certified

During the training, they mentioned the Google Adwords certification, which consisted of 2 tests. You had to answer 80 questions per test (from memory, I don’t remember exactly) and score at least 80%. I asked around, and everyone told me: even with the certification, if you have no experience, it’s useless. Try to find an internship first. WTF? I already have 3 years of experience in web marketing, why would I be an intern?

I didn’t listen to them. I decided to pass those tests before applying anywhere. Having the certification is better than having nothing. Each test took me a whole week to prepare for. Indeed, I had to read 180 pages of documents provided by Google, in English, of course, and then create fictional campaigns to better memorize the “lessons.” Finally, I passed both tests on the first try: 88% on the first, and 83% on the second.

I applied all over, but nobody got back to me, not even to say “no.” In total, I had only managed 2000€ in Facebook ad spend and 150€ on Google. (which is a ridiculously low sum), but at least I was certified. I had to activate my network (something I hate doing, but I had no other choice) and managed to get two interviews at two agencies.

I didn’t know it, but the second test is very difficult, even for those who manage campaigns all day long at an agency. So when my recruiters found out that I had (1) passed the tests all by myself with such a score (2) paid out of my own pocket to learn, my lack of experience no longer mattered, and they were all convinced of my motivation.

The interviews went well. I received job offers from both agencies. One offered me a permanent contract, and the other a fixed-term contract but better paid. Obviously, I chose the permanent position. The career change took me 2 months.

Note: Since I hold grudges, I haven’t forgotten which agencies didn’t NOT give me a chance when I was a beginner and a nobody. I contacted the boss of a big Parisian agency with a great email and a great letter, following a recommendation from a contact. He never replied. A few years later, seeing that I work for the competitor, he personally contacted me on LinkedIn to poach me. But he should have seen my potential from the start! Too late!

First year at the agency

Even though I wanted to handle only Adwords ads, the agency gave me more Facebook ads to manage. I had 80% Facebook ads and 20% Adwords ads. I was a bit disappointed, but I was there to learn and was thrilled not to have to go through the “intern” stage. I wasn’t too happy about being so slow at first and put in long hours to catch up, but I was thrilled. For the first time, I was doing a job I was passionate about.

Every Adwords account they gave me was like a favor. I started picking up accounts nobody wanted, or where the client was unhappy. Fortunately, thanks to my determination, unhappy clients ended up being happy. Some salespeople started asking my boss to let me handle their accounts <3

My salary dropped from +40k to +27k. My salary was barely enough to cover rent and fixed expenses, which put JB in a tricky situation: he absolutely had to handle the finances and couldn’t, for example, start a business if the revenue wasn’t guaranteed. That’s also why we rarely went on vacation, and I had to stop all unnecessary spending for a long time.

Second year at the agency

I started asking to manage bigger, more interesting accounts, but with my workload, they wouldn’t give them to me. There were two people I absolutely wanted to work with, and I told myself I shouldn’t leave this agency until I had worked with them.

And then an opportunity came: my manager was leaving the company, and they couldn’t find anyone to replace her on an important account. Since summer was coming, my workload was supposed to decrease (one of my big accounts sold chocolate, so summer wasn’t their peak season). I plucked up my courage. Despite some colleagues discouraging me (they’ll never accept, you’re already underwater, the client wants a senior), I decided to write an email to my boss’s boss. In the email, I explained why I was the ideal candidate to handle this account in the summer, until they found a replacement.

My boss’s boss was thrilled and accepted my request against all odds. By luck, this important account was one of my favorite shopping sites. The client absolutely wanted a loyal customer to manage their account (I didn’t know this). Upon learning I was going to temporarily take over the account, the client immediately checked my status before confirming that I was a more than loyal customer, “the cream of the crop,” as he said.

I really didn’t remember spending €1500 on that site, but hey, uh… shows that being a big spender can create opportunities haha.

The cherry on top: I’m on the same team as one of the two people I wanted to work with. He mentored me on this account for a month before passing me on to another manager. But I made the most of his advice and insights. What he taught me completely changed my life.

He didn’t directly teach me what I needed to know (he had other things to do), but gave me keywords to research further. During the day, I did my work, and in the evening, I learned on the side, ran tests, kept up with the latest…

After the first summer sales (which were a success), and with the client happy, my boss’s boss confirmed that it was my account now. And that he was going to offload the Facebook, Twitter ads, etc. from me so I could have more time for this important account.

I won an internal competition, allowing me to spend 2 weeks in Chicago at the agency’s offices. I really, really loved that experience.

Third year at the agency

I started managing more and more complex accounts, then getting involved in other accounts at the agency as an expert… until I became the manager of a team of 3 people, participating in audits and pitches. My new role allowed me to work directly with another person I hugely respected within the agency. In short, in 3 years, I got to work with the two most visionary people at the agency, I managed several million in ad spend, I became an expert in my field, and I found my niche. I could find work at any agency and any advertiser (big or small), my future was secure. I kept my promise: to stay at least 3 years at the agency that gave me a chance.

I went on a round-the-world trip with JB, and we ended up creating an SEO/SEA agency and now work as digital nomads.

Thanks to this experience, I not only have a job I’m passionate about, but also something different to offer my clients. I’m living my dream job, all while traveling. Every day, I’m thrilled to get up in the morning and check the previous day’s performance. When you love what you do, work isn’t a burden but a pleasure. I wasn’t paid well at the start, but I consider it “training costs.” Now, with my expertise, I’m making up for those underpaid years and living comfortably.

If there’s anything to learn from my experience, it’s that:

• a person who’s passionate about their job is worth much more than someone with tons of experience but who’s fed up with their work. If I managed to successfully take over accounts no one wanted, it’s because I genuinely enjoyed every account, unlike some colleagues who found them boring.
• if you’re passionate about your job, you’ll be more skilled, better paid, and fulfilled in the long run.
• other people’s opinions are just that—their opinions. Even if they work in the industry, their views aren’t always relevant. If I’d listened to everyone, I never would’ve had the career I have now.
• when making a career change, the most important thing is to get your first experience in that new field; salary isn’t a big deal in the early years.
• always clearly tell your managers what you want. No one can read your mind. Ask, insist, and make it known!
• I’d recommend, if possible, to first work in an agency (or company) before going freelance in your new field. You’ll progress much faster than trying to learn it on your own and working without a senior’s guidance. Even though I absorbed the knowledge from the book and what Google taught, there were tons of things I could only learn in an agency. So, for example, if you want to become a developer to be a digital nomad later: get trained, then spend at least two years in an agency before going freelance. That’ll let you quickly work on a variety of accounts and challenges and also build a network—things that are tough to get as a freelancer with little experience.