Day In The Life: 21Digital Apprentices
Today is the start of Apprentice Week, and so for this week’s Day In The Life we thought it was a perfect time to shine the spotlight on our two apprentices here at 21Digital, Declan Porter and Karl Chelton. Declan has recently joined our search team as an SEO/PPC level 3 apprentice, while Karl has been appointed to our technical team as a level 4 apprentice developer. They’re two very different but equally demanding and rewarding roles – here’s a bit more about what they involve!
8:30am – a busy morning starts with #MondayMotivation
Karl: I arrive on time for our Monday Motivation talk, which this morning is taken by our Technical Director Michael Cain. Lots of these recent talks have focused on our key values at 21Digital: creative, authentic, united, friendly, and driven. I find they really help emphasise the teamwork atmosphere in the studio, so I’m feeling even more energised by the time I sit down at my desk, where the real magic happens.
Today’s first job is to finish off coding a redesigned site for one of our newest clients, transforming the final designs into a complete, functioning website. Once the final few coding tasks are done I test the client site on all devices, to ensure that it works cross-browser and on all screen sizes responsively.
Declan: By 8:30 I’ve already been in the studio for ten minutes, brewed up and ready for the Monday Motivation meeting. Today’s meeting was on personal goals, so I’m still thinking about my own targets when I get upstairs. I’ve ordered all the day’s tasks in advance, so I know my targets for the day and how I’m going to achieve them. The first half of my day is focused on PPC, working with Sam our Managing Director, while the second is focused on SEO, working alongside Ashley our SEO Manager. I’m usually on my second brew by 10am (rocket fuel), conducting reviews on PPC campaigns and making adjustments where required.
12:00pm – a bite to eat, then tackling the afternoon’s tasks
Karl: While lots of my colleagues head downstairs or off to Aldi to get some essentials in, I nip home to swap from my car to my motorcycle. After grabbing a quick sandwich, I leave home with the love of my life, my Aprilia RS4 (hope my girlfriend isn’t reading this), and head back to work to begin work on developing the new site for one of our newest account wins, PM+M. Our designers have done a fantastic job – it’s a beautiful site.
Declan: By the time lunch comes around, I’m ready to get my feast on. Our studio has a breakout area downstairs, so that’s where I take some time out and socialise with other members of the 21Digital team. After lunch, I’m straight on to SEO, working through various assigned tasks from Ashley, our in-house search specialist. I’m learning a lot from Ashley – he’s an absolute expert in technical SEO, and has delivered amazing results for our clients.
5:30pm – time to relax and unwind
Karl: After we finish at half past 5, on the way back home I head out over the tops so I can practice positioning on my bike, and have a call with some mates when I get in. We’re planning to have a lads holiday in Ibiza this year – I’ve not had a holiday in quite a number of years, so I think I deserve it!
Declan: This evening I’m just having a quiet one, just sat with my dinner in front of Netflix. Tonight, I’m watching Luther!
You can find out more about what we do here at 21Digital on our core services page. Recently rebranded from 21 Digital Agency, we provide web design, web development, SEO, Google AdWords, conversion rate optimisation, digital consultancy, social media marketing and email marketing to clients across the North West.
