I’ve been with Anvil for close to a year now, and outside of internships and education, it has been my first real experience in the wild and crazy world of Search Engine Marketing, and agency life in general. After talking with others that are or have been in similar positions to myself, I’ve decided that there are eight stages one must go through before truly becoming comfortable in a new career in Search Engine Marketing. Because words or static images can’t alone describe the emotions that these stages create, I’ve turned to Reaction Gifs to help with the narrative.

1. Getting Hired– It’s not easy to break into this industry, so when you do, it’s quite the happy day.

2. The First Few Weeks– Filled with moments of trying your hardest to convince yourself that you completely understand everything that is going on.

3. First Success– You’ve gained some knowledge, feel you can work independently, did a great job on a project, and feel like you can do everything now.

4. The First Failure– This generally comes about 2 to 5 days after your first success. Back to square one, and you know nothing, and you’re all alone…

 5. Another Success!– You’ve learn from your failure and are back on your winning ways! Nothing can stop you now!

6. Another Failure– Oops, you did it again..

7. Gained Wisdom– You’ve had both ups and downs, learned the ropes, better control your emotions, and are now elegant and wise.

8. Ready for Anything– You have the tools, the experience, and the wisdom. The SEM world is your oyster.