It’s 2006. Krist Mejia has graduated from the University of San Francisco with a degree in mass communication. The Southern California native has fallen in love with the City By the Bay. His original intent was to head back to L.A. and pursue work in video production, but too many documentary houses had closed up shop.
So instead of feeling like he had a degree that wasn’t entirely useful, Krist resolved himself to the idea that studying mass communication was a broad enough subject to parlay into other work. It’s that type of thinking that landed him his first gig: digital media manager at Cubik Media.
Step 1 complete.
On to step 2: Continue to find educational opportunities to elevate his degree.
“So I started taking college classes at City College of San Francisco,” Krist relates, “and feeling out what I liked. I pursued and earned associate degrees in graphic design and in marketing. I began to build my skill set.
"But then I got my first design job and wasn’t happy,” he continues. “I think it was because I didn't have that extra level of knowledge from taking upper-division classes. I had a great basic understanding from my degrees, but I didn't know how to convey it into strategic marketing.”
Why focus on marketing for his career? ”That’s a great question because I thought design and being an art director would be my career,” Krist replies. “But for me, I wanted to be a visionary leader. Design was just a piece of a larger vision. What drives me the most is strategically figuring out a way to reach an audience, building a connection with them, while being at the right place at the right time. I love that challenge. It’s like playing chess to see what works.”
It’s at this point when Krist begins to move toward step 3—reaching a higher level of marketing competencies.
What drives me the most is strategically figuring out a way to reach an audience, building a connection with them, while being at the right place at the right time.
He wanted something affordable and flexible, so a master’s degree wasn’t in the cards. And that’s where our Certificate Program in Marketing fits the bill.
“I slowly started taking classes and what I liked about the certificate is that it provided me with those upper-division classes that I needed to get a full-range understanding of marketing,” Krist enthuses.
I have fully transitioned from a designer into a marketing-focused role as a digital marketing strategist.
That’s fantastic!
Yeah, I got my first marketing job as a designer for the marketing department at San Francisco Health Plan. I saw an opportunity to grow professionally because there was a chance to take ownership of our growing digital marketing efforts. Luckily, I got the backing of my supervisor and manager to pursue your professional certificate through our professional development incentives. I went full force and finished my marketing certificate!
I have fully transitioned from a designer into a marketing-focused role as a digital marketing strategist. San Francisco Health Plan provides low-cost insurance for San Francisco residents who need health care. It feels great that I’m working at an organization that is very mission-oriented and I can use this new skill set to promote health care to those who need it the most, in the city that I love the most.
The certificate really helped me get that promotion because Berkeley is such a recognized and respected institution.
Congrats on getting the promotion!
I'm a perpetual student, and the certificate really helped me get that promotion because Berkeley is such a recognized and respected institution. That's what my director gravitated to upon learning about my Berkeley Extension certificate in marketing; she really trusted that I had gotten the skill set I needed to own digital marketing strategy and planning for my company. She promptly had me put those skills to use!
Any examples you can provide?
At that time, we were initially outsourcing our digital marketing to an agency and I was the web designer. When we stopped our contract with the agency, I was transitioned into a more digital marketing–focused role. I knew I could do it because I was taking my marketing courses.
So I relied a lot on putting my learnings into practice when I took over digital marketing campaigns and had to figure out how to understand audiences and create promotional messaging. I think that was the best kind of learning experience because I’m a tactical learner.
Coincidentally, I've just enrolled in a leadership and management class at Extension with Michelle Hector. My boss wants me to gain those skills because she feels the next phase of my career involves managing people. I won’t stop learning!
Michelle is just amazing and so inspiring. A lot of my instructors at Extension were super-inspiring working professionals.
Related: Future of Work Podcast Episode With Michelle Hector
You completed all of the courses online. How did you navigate the online learning environment?
It wasn't a big challenge for me because I immediately gravitated toward people in the chats; we all were excited to learn more about marketing. Working on group projects made it easy to get to know people and network. I also connected with everybody from my classes on LinkedIn. The Live Online courses were really engaging and an easier way to get to know each other.
My classmates and myself were all working professionals, navigating our way in our marketing positions but we all came from different levels of experience. It was super-interesting to have this varied mix of experiences. If some classmates had more professional experience, we would gravitate toward them and ask them to share more insights and provide feedback and suggestions. It was nice to be on the same even keel as we were all students learning about something that we were really interested in.
I have the certificate right here on my shelf as a reminder that I have achieved this and nobody can take that away.
You completed the certificate in 2021. What does earning this mean to you?
Professionally, it gives me that confirmation that I am a professional marketer, that I am skilled and have the knowledge to take on any marketing challenge—no matter the need or demand. I have the certificate right here on my shelf as a reminder that I have achieved this and nobody can take that away.
Personally, my career finally makes sense. I am where I want to be in my life with everything that I've learned. I can achieve anything with dedication, time and hard work, and that's what I'm trying to do as I start my leadership and management courses.
It’s also helped you get into your current role as a digital marketing strategist. Tell me about this new adventure.
I essentially manage strategic planning for our digital marketing campaigns at San Francisco Health Plan. It's a little bit more complicated than a general e-commerce company because there are a lot of restrictions and policies to adhere to. But the marketing need is still there: to promote our health insurance.
I'm constantly familiarizing myself with the new health insurance benefits available to the residents of San Francisco, and then creating a strategy and a communication plan to reach people who would find it most helpful. I want to make sure that they understand the new benefits available in a way that connects with them.
My job is to determine which channels to use and what the messaging looks like, so there's a bit of a creative slant still there, which is nice because I'm a creative at heart. I’m also always monitoring metrics and providing a report to stakeholders on results, giving suggestions for more strategic and tactical planning.
Digital marketing is new to my organization so it was very exciting for me to introduce this new way of communicating to our audiences. It's a beautiful role because I finally get to blend together all the degrees I have earned and it makes sense: mass communication, design and marketing. That is digital marketing!
It took me so long, to be honest, to find a role I felt was a perfect fit. And I couldn't be happier.
