I started as a surveying and AutoCAD student and became an SEO expert at a digital marketing agency in Kerala. The route ran through a PSC attempt, a cooperative diploma and a digital marketing course. I changed direction each time because I tested a goal against reality and found it did not work for me. This post sets out the sequence, what each stage taught me, and the decisions that mattered most.
Starting With Surveying and a Stable-Job Goal
Like most of my classmates, I wanted a stable job, and my plan was to study surveying and write the PSC exam. I added AutoCAD, joined a well-known CAD centre in Kerala, and began doing 2D and 3D plan modelling.
For a while I felt my life was secure. It was only a beginning, though. Jobs in that field needed a laptop, and I did not have one, so I dropped that goal.
Rule I took from it: check what tools a career demands before you commit to the training.
The Cooperative Diploma
My next target was a society bank job, so I studied for the Junior Diploma in Cooperation (JDC) and passed. Then I learned that jobs of this kind often depended on recommendations or money, and I had neither.
At that point I stopped chasing the PSC exam, the diploma-based jobs and plan drawing together.
Rule I took from it: before paying for a credential, find out how hiring in that field works in practice.
Choosing Digital Marketing
A friend working in digital marketing recommended Dotin Digital Academy. I made an enquiry at the Thrissur branch and joined because I trusted his recommendation.
Pending fees meant I missed classes several times. Even so, a freelance project arrived while I was still attending, and it came through the same friend. We both worked on it. He focused on YouTube, and I chose SEO because it interested me more.
My First Result
The client was Aranyaveda. Before my SEO work, the site did not appear in the top 15 search results for its target [add the target keyword and timeframe]. After the implementation, it ranked first.
This mattered more than anything from the course, because rankings are public and checkable. A hiring manager can verify a ranking, but cannot verify a promise.
The Internship at Dotcom Creativez
When I finished the course, I started the internship that Dotin provides. I had a good working relationship with Dotin’s co-founder, so I joined Dotcom Creativez, Dotin’s agency, as an SEO intern.
Within a month I was an SEO executive. I then worked on well-known Kerala brands in education technology, dental care, study abroad and e-commerce. A colleague trained me on the methods I needed.
Within a few months, my seniors were impressed enough to promote me to SEO expert. After that, I trained the interns under me in the way they needed. Teaching made me write my process down step by step, and a written process can be repeated on the next client.
Work Beyond Rankings
My interest in WordPress led to more responsibility:
- Agency website: I handled the Dotcom Creativez website.
- Landing page: I designed a landing page for a Dubai audience.
- City pages: I started pages for Thrissur, Kochi, Calicut and Trivandrum and ranked them. Thrissur and Calicut are now on the first page of Google.
- Google Business Profile: an agricultural society client needed its profile verified, and I had to finish the process before the society’s own deadline. I connected with Google directly, completed a live verification, and the profile was verified within a week.
The verification matters because an unverified profile cannot use local search features properly, so every later local SEO step depends on it.
What I Would Pass On
| Stage | Decision | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Surveying and CAD | Dropped the laptop-dependent path | Check tool access first |
| JDC | Stopped the diploma-job route | Learn how hiring really works |
| Digital marketing course | Joined on a trusted referral | Trust recommendations you can check |
| Freelance project | Chose SEO over YouTube | Pick the channel you will stay with |
| Internship | Joined the agency | Convert the result into a role |
What Comes Next
I want to keep learning new things in this field, and I plan to continue the way I have until now: take a real project, produce a measurable result, and use it to move to the next level.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I move into SEO from an unrelated field?
Yes. My background was surveying, CAD and cooperative studies. What mattered was a live project with a measurable ranking change, which gave me proof a hiring manager could check.
Should I take a course before freelance work?
A course gives structure and vocabulary, but you do not need to finish it first. I started a freelance project while still attending classes, and it gave me practice that the course alone could not.
Why did the first client result matter so much?
A ranking is public evidence. It shows the work had an effect and lets an employer verify it independently, which a certificate cannot do.
How can I start if I have no client yet?
Build a small site on one topic and track its positions from the start. Record the first positions and the changes you made, so you have evidence to show.
Next Step
If you are planning a similar move or want advice on your SEO plan, message me on WhatsApp for a consultation.