Somerville Academy Review: A Comprehensive Look at the Program

Are you thinking about starting an exciting new career in digital marketing? If so, Somerville Academy might be the place for you! In this Somerville Academy review, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about the course, it’s founder, and what you can expect upon completion.

Table of Contents

1. What is Somerville Academy?
2. Program Content
3. Who is the Career Change program for?
4. Program Syllabus
5. Why I chose Somerville Academy
6. Is Somerville Academy worth it?
7. What else is included?
8. Pros & Cons
9. How to Sign Up
10. Somerville Academy Review Recap

What is Somerville Academy?

Somerville Academy is an online digital marketing school created by and for women. Their programs are designed to give women the skills and experience they need to jumpstart their careers. Whether you are just graduating or a career changer, you’ll learn the technical skills and insider knowledge to land a well-paying job in tech. Perhaps more importantly, you’ll graduate radiating with confidence to live “work life” on your terms!

About Katie

Katie Jeanes is the founder at Somerville Academy. Like many of us, Katie graduated college without a clear career path. After a few years chasing fruitless jobs, she taught herself digital marketing. Realizing she had finally found the flexible, fulfilling, and lucrative career she had hoped for, she created the Career Change Catalyst course to help women just like her.

Katie now instructs the weekly Career Change Catalyst course at Somerville. With over 100 successful alumni and an impressive resume, it’s safe to say that Katie understands digital marketing. Not only does she comprehend the subject matter, but she also honestly (and hilariously) shares the stories of failure that got her to where she is today. It’s in these raw moments that Katie truly shines and relates to her students. 

If you want to learn from someone who knows their stuff, look no further.

Program Content

In Career Change Catalyst, you’ll learn how to change careers and become a digital marketer. This transformative digital marketing program teaches you in-demand skills and allows you to obtain the industry experience you need to get hired fast.

First, learn to create, track, and analyze websites. Then, move on to the ever-important Search Engine Optimization (SEO) basics. Learn to grow and measure any site’s online presence with SEO, pillar content strategy, paid media, email marketing, and automation.

Unlike other programs, you’ll work with three real businesses. Additionally, Somerville will help you obtain three desirable industry certifications. It goes without saying that these program perks will give your resume a boost. Add these experiences to your LinkedIn profile (which you will also learn to optimize), and you’ll be well on your way to snagging your first industry job!

Upon enrollment, you’ll receive instant access to all of the course materials. Katie and her team formatted the course to lead you from the beginning stages to more advanced concepts. That being said, read through and apply each concept of the course in the order in which it is presented to get the most out of the program. Each of the 200+ lessons contains a video, Google Slide presentation, and/or action item.

In order to accommodate women who work, attend school, or homeschool, the course is self-paced. You have 12 months to attend the weekly coaching calls as you complete the materials. Nevertheless, in my opinion, the course is best completed in five months. To complete the course in five months, follow the syllabus exactly, and plan to dedicate around 25 hrs/wk to course materials and client work.

Who is the Career Change program for?

The Career Change Catalyst program isn’t for everyone. See below for a summary of  who makes the best students.

Women Who Should Apply

If you need help landing your first professional job, have been laid off, or need a change, Somerville may be able to help!

Successful applicants:

• are intelligent and ambitious multi-taskers
• tend to be overworked and burnt out
• are chronically underpaid
• aren’t moving up in their careers despite being overachievers
• are highly creative and/or analytical types that hate being micromanaged
• are ready for a drastic career change and will do whatever it takes to make it happen

Who Shouldn’t Apply

Career Change Catalyst isn’t for everyone. Although there is guidance and support in the program, the Somerville team is pretty hands-off. This is your career, after all.

You might look elsewhere if you:

• need a lot of direction
• aren’t willing to spend your nights and weekends on client work
• expect someone to do the work for you
• are unwilling to learn new things
• find technology challenging

Not sure if you should apply? No worries. Whereas other programs allow you to purchase outright, Somerville is committed to making sure that their program is the best fit for you. To expand, you must speak with an enrollment advisor prior to committing. Chat now.

Somerville

The Somerville syllabus is broken into five sections or months. During each month, you’ll work on a capstone project that is due at the end of the month. If you need more time, you may take it as you have access to the weekly Zoom calls for one year.

Capstone 1: Portfolio

If you don’t know how to make a website, you’ll learn the basics of creating a site and tracking your analytics in month one. 

Expect to exert a lot of energy learning WordPress. Although it’s doable, there is definitely a learning curve for beginners! Also, you’ll need to spend some money here on your domain name and site hosting.

Because I had already created my own travel blog on WordPress, I didn’t follow this section of the course. You can choose to follow their suggestions for site hosting and theme, but I recommend purchasing your domain and hosting through Bluehost. Of the hosting sites I’ve tried, it’s my favorite. Mostly, this is due to the fact that they have amazing customer service and will help with any technical issues related to your site in minutes. You can get started with Bluehost for $2.95/mo.

Next, set up Google Analytics and Search Console. Learn how to track and monitor campaign goals. Not only do you need this for your site, but it’s good to know for potential jobs or clients.

At the end of the month, you’ll have a professional portfolio site to show potential employers and clients and a certification in Google Analytics.

Capstone 2: SEO & Content Marketing

In month two, take SEO 101 before putting your knowledge to work with a real client.

Somerville will give you the courage to work with a real business. And, they’ll teach you how to find one! Find a business, and conduct your first discovery call. Then, get to work on their custom SEO and Content Strategy.

Since it’s the first one, this project will require the most work. To stay on schedule, follow each of the steps in order. Whatever you do, don’t leave all the work to the last minute! If you want to succeed and impress your client, don’t forget to take advantage of the feedback offered in the course.

At the end of the month, you’ll understand the foundation of digital marketing – SEO – and feel confident in helping any business build a content calendar that works.

Capstone 3: Paid Media Strategy

This is inarguably the most challenging month in the program (this confirmed with Katie herself). Off the high from your first client presentation, exhaustion begins to set in as you realize you have two more demanding client projects ahead. 

This month, you’ll learn paid media. The more common term for this is digital advertising. Specifically, you’ll learn Facebook & Instagram Ads and Google Ads (which includes YouTube).

After a practicum running real ads, you’ll create a full funnel strategy for your next client. This is where you get to be creative and technical – writing ad copy, designing ad creative, and tracking analytics.

At the end of the third month, you’ll have obtained your Google Ads certification and will feel like a pro at client work.

Capstone 4: Lead Generation

It’s time for your last client project! After having mastered SEO, Content, and Paid Media, you now get to combine them into the fourth month’s super project: lead generation.

For this project, you’ll offer your services to a client who wants to generate leads. Leads are potential customers. For example, I worked with a course creator. Working with course creators can be challenging because there are so many facets to their business. 

However, you’ll craft an achievable strategy that includes everything you’ve learned so far plus email marketing, landing pages, and automation. Additionally, you’ll finally grasp measurement models and projections (Lions and tigers and math, oh my!).

Pat yourself on the back after finishing your last client presentation and Hubspot certification.

Capstone 5: Career Launch

Don’t be surprised if you’re bawling at the beginning of your last month. (I’m pretty sure Katie and I both cried!) You’ll have learned so much and made connections with so many brilliant women, you’ll never want to leave!

Know that your efforts will be worth it as you learn to conduct an efficient job search. You’ll spend most of your free time on LinkedIn from here on out. Funnily enough, LinkedIn is a lively net working platform, not just a place to post your resume (Who knew?).

It’s time to graduate! Say goodbye (for now) to your instructor and friends as you continue your job search and/or launch your own digital marketing business.  

Why I chose Somerville Academy

After close to 10 years in education, I quit without a job lined up. I had no idea what I wanted to do; I just knew it wasn’t teaching. 

Beyond burnt out from years in the classroom, I finally started to ponder what I wanted from a career:

• flexibility and the ability to work from anywhere
• to be paid for the value I bring
• a place where creativity is encouraged (the more out-of-the-box the thinking, the better)
• to continue to help people

When I saw Somerville Academy’s ad on Facebook, I knew something was different. I had seen a lot of ads, but I had never purchased anything through them. Honestly, the ad popped up at such a perfect time in my life, I felt the connection no less than divine! Plus, if she could get me to purchase from an ad, I figured Katie must know what she’s doing.

After checking out the free How to Change Careers course, I chatted with several different advisors at Somerville. Then, I took the plunge.

Is Somerville Academy worth it?

You’re probably wondering by now, was Career Change Catalyst worth it? And the answer is a resounding…

YES!

My work life has never been the same since graduating from Somerville. Through Katie’s self-paced digital bootcamp (along with her YouTube videos), I was able to gain three years of digital marketing experience in five months. I won’t sugar coat – it was a lot of work. But, it was worth the time, effort, and money.

Here’s why:

• You learn campaign strategy. This may help you get promoted faster as you’ll start your associate-level position with manager-level knowledge! Further, you can better help clients because you understand the whole of digital marketing, not just the piece you specialize in.
• Career support. Not only will you learn digital marketing skills, but you will also learn how to market yourself online and access six months of weekly career support. This alone is worth the cost. Because of what I’ve learned, I now have recruiters knocking down my door in addition to the clients I serve in my own business.
• More than anything, I am so thankful for the confidence I gained at Somerville!

Are you ready to make a change? Head over to the Career Change Catalyst, and enroll! 

What else is included?

Access to a members only Slack channel – Post questions and connect with other women in marketing. Topics vary, but you’ll find support all along the way. Don’t forget to post and find job opportunities with other members as well.

Weekly live seminars – Join Katie or one of her team members on Zoom and ask your burning questions. These calls are great as you can share your screen and troubleshoot anything that came up during the week. As well, it gives Katie an opportunity to look over your work and give you valuable feedback on how to better your campaigns.

Networking Opportunities – Attend the monthly CONNEXION meeting for a casual night of chatting and games. Food, beverages (adult or otherwise), and pets are encouraged!

Templates, resource lists, and swipe files – Every unit comes with templates that you can actually use on the job. You’ll also find plenty of links to digital marketing resources and relevant swipe files (Mad Libs for grown ups).

Can’t Wait to get started?

Sign up today for instant access to the course materials, the Somerville community, and more!

Somerville Academy Review: Pros & Cons

With every purchase or major decision come pros and cons. In this section, we’ll go over the best and worst things about Somerville Academy.

Pros:

Here are my favorite things about the Somerville program.

Teaches Broad Strategy

The Somerville Academy program is an all-in-one course jam-packed with valuable information. Featuring recorded lessons from high-powered women in the industry, you’ll learn from those who have walked in your shoes. These women are all experts in different aspects of marketing, which brings us to our first “pro.”

The course offers a broad introduction to the whole of digital marketing. Whereas other courses focus on one speciality (email marketing, for example), this course covers it all. Accordingly, you will graduate with an understanding of the “big picture” (something it could take years to develop). This is the case for both digital marketing strategy and the industry as a whole. Because of this, you will have a clear direction when it comes to landing your first job and what you need to do to move up quickly in your career.

Quick to Finish

Best of all, this program is quick. Although not advertised as a bootcamp, that’s really what it is. You do a lot of work in a short amount of time. In fact, in just five months, you’ll be career-ready and have a portfolio to show to potential employers!

Again, because it’s self-paced, you can take longer if needed. But, you really can change careers that fast with the help of this program! If you’re like me, who has an advanced degree that didn’t advance my career, this will be music to your ears.

Cons:

There aren’t many cons to this program. But of course, this Somerville Academy review needs to be fair.

Course Depth

First, you need to be aware that this is an introduction to digital marketing course. While you’ll be able to run circles around your associate-level competitors, you may find yourself wanting more of a particular topic. Of course, you could learn on the job if you’re looking for a full-time position. But, if you’re interested in freelancing, you may have to invest in additional courses to go deeper into the topics that interest you. For example, you might decide to take a Facebook & Instagram course or a SEO course before you feel confident to work for a client. That being said, this course is marketed as a catalyst, and that’s just what it does – gives you the boost you need to start your new career.

Communication

Another improvement to be made is the response time on Slack. Undeniably, the content is so great that you don’t usually need to ask questions outside of your weekly meetings. But when you do have a question or submit work for feedback, I know you’ll want it immediately. Unfortunately, I found I often had to wait a few days to get a response from an instructor. 

However, this isn’t a Somerville-specific problem. It’s the nature of these courses that you have to ask questions and wait for responses. To best utilize the program, I recommend you work through everything for the week, whether you do it correctly or not. Then, bring your questions to the weekly meeting to discuss in person. The upside is that the instructors get to know you personally, making their responses and feedback worth the wait.

Having said this, the benefits outweigh the cons 100%. What I learned in the program, I could have never learned on my own.

How to Sign up for Somerville’s course

Are you ready to sign up? At the time of this post, the digital marketing program is offered for $2500. 

To start, head to the website, and schedule a free strategy session using Facebook Messenger. During the strategy chat, you will have a chance to discuss your personal and financial goals. If you both the enrollment advisor and yourself feel like it’s the right fit, enroll! Even though you’ll have access to the digital materials immediately, the Zoom calls for your cohort will begin on a monthly basis.

If you’d like to learn more before booking a strategy session, sign up for the free four-day course. In How to Change Careers, you’ll learn the big lies women are told about their careers, how to get hired at a job you love, the fastest way to gain experience in the industry, and more! 

If you’re unsatisfied or decide the course isn’t for you, you can contact Katie for a partial refund. This shouldn’t be the case since you are vetted by an enrollment advisor, but things happen. In any case, please confirm and all other program details as program details and policies may have changed since the time of this post.

To join the program, head over to the Career Change Catalyst where your payment will be processed securely after deciding on a payment plan and chatting with an advisor.

Somerville Academy Review Recap

To recap the Somerville Academy review, here’s a reminder of everything you need to know:

• The bootcamp was created by Katie Jeanes at Somerville Academy, a company founded to empower women from all walks of life to take advantage of the tech industry’s many opportunities
• The Career Change Catalyst program takes you step by step though everything you need to know to land a high-paying job in the industry
• Career changers of any age who wish to “level up” will benefit from the program and be career-ready in as little as five months

You’ll learn:

• Portfolio site set up on WordPress
• Google Analytics and Google Search Console
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Content Strategy
• Paid Media
• Lead Generation
• Email marketing (newsletters)
• Automation
• Industry certifications
• LinkedIn networking

Purchase price includes:

• 5 sections and 237 individual lessons
• Lifetime access to online curriculum
• A community Slack channel
• Weekly group Q&A calls for 12 months
• 6 months access to the alumni coaching program
• Templates, resources, and swipe files

Conclusion

That’s it for this Somerville Academy review! Learn everything you need to start a lucrative career in digital marketing from the experts at Somerville Academy. Speaking from experience, the program can and will transform your career in a matter of months if you’re willing to invest in yourself.

If you have any questions about the program that we didn’t include in this course review, please leave a comment below.

Full disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. I may receive a commission off of items purchased by clicking the links. If you have any questions about how I am compensated, please email me.