I dislike being defined as a this or a that, especially as a mum. I’m just Ruth and I’d like to cut the labels out.
Why, then, am I becoming a Digital Mum?
The old adage of ‘how other people see you is none of your business’ is easy to forget.
It’s infuriating but inevitable that people label people. How else would we quickly recognise each other?
I’m labelled as a mum because I’ve birthed and care for two children; a wife because I’m married; a stay-at-home whatever because I refused to accept demotion when I requested part-time hours after maternity leave.
I have a natural skill for social media management vouched for by satisfied clients and the successful online presence of my previous business, but I need professional social media training to improve upon what I already offer.
I decided on a provider called Digital Mums and, for the duration of the course, I’ll be a #DigitalMumToBe.
No fan of the name. But, of course, it does perfectly describe the business and its focus on mums. There’s no denying that social media management is great for mums who want a work solution to fit the hilarity of a family schedule and it’s a super worthwhile mission to help mums back into work, especially flexible work.
So I’d be a fool to forego the remote learning, the on-the-job work experience, the group support, the 100% success rate in graduates finding work just because of a name, right?
I could have plumped for the IDM’s Professional Certificate in Social Mediawith its snazzy and more formal CertSocM title, but it’s a 2-day intensive class-based course. For me, the massive over-riding draw of learning with Digital Mums is the working placement with a small business or charity where I can put my sharpened skills into practice.
That’s why I’m going to label myself with a term that’s a bit scratchy on my delicate skin.
Och! I’m actually going to wholeheartedly embrace the whole Digital Mum label because I know I’ll stop noticing it soon enough. I’ll be too occupied being Ruth McAllister Kemp — ace freelance social media manager in the making.
