Daniel Wolfe
Marketing Certificate
"One of the big things that brought me to Calgary was Continuing Education," says Daniel Wolfe, a recent graduate of the Marketing Certificate program.
Daniel moved to the city from Fort McMurray in 2015 when the oil price dropped and the Alberta economy weakened. He'd been working in banking, but knew he wanted to move into something new. He also knew he wanted to stay in Alberta. He looked into Continuing Education in Calgary and Edmonton and decided there were more educational opportunities for him in Calgary - a city where he already had some friends.
When Daniel arrived in the city, he found work in the insurance industry. It was a good fit with his previous education - a degree in business administration from Trent University in Ontario.
Working in insurance, he decided to enrol in related courses through UCalgary Continuing Education. But later, when he stumbled onto information about Continuing Education's Marketing Certificate, he decided to change direction.
"I enjoyed marketing in my undergrad and always thought I'd go into that field," he said. "Seeing the Marketing Certificate made me want to do it!"
Daniel was able to get a head-start on the program by transferring some applicable hours from his risk management certificate courses toward the Marketing Certificate program.
Overall, Daniel found his experience in Continuing Education was a nice surprise. He liked both the differences and similarities to his undergrad experience.
"Being with a community of learners in a classroom is less stressful than a lecture hall," he said. "And the instructors may not be academics, but they've worked in the field, and they're successful so they teach the most relevant and current information."
Daniel was pleased to find there was still camaraderie among classmates. "I thought it would be different being that most students are working professionals, but after a few classes we got to know one another. We were all in it together... and we wanted to get it accomplished together."
Daniel has since found work in marketing, and attributes his success in his new career to his Continuing Education experience.