Guadalupe Reza Rosales began her career by studying fashion and apparel design in Mexico, but always saw herself pursuing entrepreneurship in the United States.
Shortly after immigrating to the state of Georgia, she decided to make her dreams a reality — and sought educational opportunities to get started. “Fashion is a competitive industry,” Guadalupe explained. “So I wanted to grow my understanding of it by developing and mastering my marketing skills. That’s when I decided to search for a boot camp that would help me achieve my goals.”
The power of resilience
As a next step, Guadalupe enrolled in the 18-week Georgia Tech Digital Marketing Boot Camp. She attended classes in the evening while also juggling a full-time restaurant job. If she wasn’t working or participating in lectures, she was adamantly completing her projects and assignments late into the night. As challenging as it was to balance work, school, and her personal life, Guadalupe believed that her endurance would pay off in the long run.
Determined to succeed, she strived to excel in the boot camp and deepen her understanding of digital marketing. From learning about keyword research and overseeing effective advertising campaigns, to identifying differences between paid and organic search, Guadalupe enjoyed a rigorous, multifaceted curriculum that helped her hone her marketing skills.
“I particularly enjoyed learning about search engine optimization (SEO), conducting industry research, and learning how to grow an audience,” she said. “There’s a lot of value and reward in knowing how to plan an effective marketing strategy.”
Due to her challenges of living in a completely new country and struggling with a language barrier, Guadalupe experienced several bouts of self-doubt during her boot camp experience. However, despite fearing an uncertain future, she decided to dedicate more hours to studying difficult concepts and improving her understanding — eventually building enough confidence to excel in the course.
Exploring unique learning opportunities
As Guadalupe progressed through the boot camp, she completed several projects that added variety and depth to her portfolio. One assignment involved building a marketing platform for an existing company. Because of her roots in the restaurant industry, she decided to develop a hypothetical solution for a healthy fast food chain in Georgia.
“When I conducted social media research, I immediately noticed that the chain’s posts were mostly directed towards men,” she said. “So, I created a strategy that would help make their social media more inclusive, which would expand their brand.”
Brand development was one skill that Guadalupe was particularly passionate about. From using paid search to exploring other SEO techniques, she learned how to build organic audiences, boost conversions, and analyze competitors.
“I’m an extremely visual person, so when I dove into my research, I always looked at how competing companies built their business,” she said. “I analyzed their social media channels and even subscribed to their email newsletters. I wanted to see how they delivered their message, and wondered why they used certain words or images to get their point across.”
Learning and mastering key marketing skills was a top priority — but Guadalupe also recognized the importance of community and collaboration in the tech field. Despite a few language and cultural differences, she discovered that her cohort was a steadfast source of support and inspiration.
Guadalupe’s classmates came into the boot camp with varying levels of experience. Whether they needed to upskill and close learning gaps or build a completely new knowledge base, each learner had a unique, diverse, and rich career journey. This encouraged Guadalupe to continue pursuing her professional goals — and before long, her dreams were coming to fruition.
Breaking down mental barriers
After completing the digital marketing boot camp, Guadalupe resumed working part-time at a restaurant — and began to build her own jewelry business. With newly sharpened marketing skills, she confidently dove into planning, testing, and implementing a growth strategy to enhance her digital presence.
“There are definitely challenges to starting my own company, but I believe that you have to lose your fear,” Guadalupe said. Breaking down mental barriers is what propelled her through the boot camp — and it’s something she encourages others to do as well. “Many learners may think they aren’t enough or aren’t able to complete the program,” she shared. “As an immigrant, I fully understand this feeling. But when you pair learning with passion, you grow confidence — and don’t have the heart to stop.”
After launching her jewelry business, Guadalupe has another goal she wants to achieve in the foreseeable future: running a brand consulting agency and empowering the Latino community with her story. She continues to live and breathe digital marketing, and credits her boot camp experience for being the catalyst that birthed her entrepreneurial spirit.
Ready to take the leap and commit to an exhilarating career change? Explore courses in digital marketing, coding, data science, and more at Georgia Tech Boot Camps.
The post Guadalupe Reza Rosales’s Inspiring Tech Entrepreneurship Journey appeared first on Trilogy Education Blog.
