RMIT Online Alumni, Brent Ali on studying Brand Experience and Content Marketing

Meet Brent Ali, an accomplished professional with over 26 years in the electrical industry, holding diverse roles from electrician to Operations Manager. Alongside his career, Brent also serves as the President of a nonprofit sports organization. Recently, he took RMIT Online's Brand Experience and Content Marketing short courses to improve the organization's online presence. Learn more about his journey.

Tell us a little bit about yourself

I have been in the electrical industry for 26 years as an electrician (both employee and sole trader) sales rep, BDM and Branch Manager. My current role is as an Operations Manager for an electrical wholesaler and I have been in this role for 4 1/2 years. While working I also owned and operated a franchise business called Ensuites On Tow Sunbury, renting out portable Ensuite solutions

Why did you decide to look into studying again, and why did you choose RMIT Online?

I chose to upskill as I considered a career path change and saw an opportunity to learn new skills, to help understand whether the want was real or a moment in time. I chose this course partly because I am the President of an NFP sporting organization, and I saw the opportunity to use the NFP as the subject matter and be able to help reshape the digital presence of the organization.

Since completing the course, how have you been able to apply your new learnings?

The study was a challenge at times, and it impacted on my ability to manage all the tasks on my desk at times. However, there were weeks where I was easily able to catch up, and the course ran smoothly over the allocated time. 

How did you balance working, social life and studying?

There were some challenging weeks, however I have a supportive manager who allowed me to utilise some time where necessary to complete any tasks that were due. The one big take away was to work on the presentations while the information was fresh in the mind, jot down your ideas prior to the Zoom session, use that session to refine the details and then work on the presentation after that. Staying on top of the assignment on a weekly basis will make the process much easier to manage.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to pivot in their careers?

Be prepared for anything and everything, ask as many questions as you can and be brave and share your work with everyone. If you are lucky enough to have a great group like mine, they will be the best people to assist you to deliver high quality work.

Would you recommend this course? If so why?

I can highly recommend this course, as the digital world becomes noisier, it's increasingly important to understand how to maintain relevance and ensure your message is being heard farther and wider than ever before.