Welder rebrands in his 20s to become a marketing pro
Marketing professional Austin Otte’s career path once looked quite straightforward and it wasn’t in marketing. Moving from Regina to Edmonton in his early teens, he entered a trades-focused high school, beginning the registered apprenticeship welding program at age 16. From then until he was 26, he welded. “Welding was my starting point and it taught me to take pride in the details,” says Otte. “I worked my way up to lead positions, managed teams and enjoyed the trade.”
Otte knew for a long time that welding wasn’t what he wanted to do forever. “I enjoyed building things and using my hands, but welding can be hard on the body—it’s very physical work and I was looking for something a bit more sustainable,” he says.
Otte took a year off to travel Australia, a finding-one’s-self move more often made fresh out of high school than after a decade in the trades. He returned to welding but soon decided it was time to look at a career change. Otte was familiar with Saskatchewan Polytechnic, having finished his journeyperson apprenticeship ticket at Moose Jaw campus, so he made an appointment with Career Counselling and began to explore programs.
Initially, counsellors and his family suggested options connected with the trades. “It seemed like a natural fit to go into something related,” says Otte, “but I really resisted it. I wanted to do something completely different.”
For Otte, completely different turned out to be a year of general studies in business. He liked it enough to continue, completing his Business diploma with a specialization in marketing. “I really enjoyed the hands-on learning,” he says. “We worked on scenarios and campaigns covering communications, creative design and public relations. Supporting all this was a curriculum in theory, finance and management that strengthened our understanding of marketing. It’s a well-rounded program.”
Near the end of the program, Otte landed a co-operative education work placement with a local tech company. “Get in the Loop was helping local businesses with marketing through an app as they navigated the difficult challenges of operating during the pandemic,” he says. “It was a great experience learning how to help local businesses thrive in a new environment. I did social media and also helped with company expansion including bringing on new staff.”
Since then, Otte has forged ahead with his career change. He managed to line up a job with a local advertising agency before graduation, where he continued to learn and improve his knowledge about account management. From there, he moved to a position in municipal government, then applied and was hired by the provincial government’s Ministry of Trade and Export where he now works as a digital marketing consultant.
“I’m a super proud Saskatchewanian,” says Otte, “and so I was thrilled to land a position where I can give back and work to promote our province. I implement digital marketing for the ministry. I work on social media strategy, graphic design, video and web projects, and campaigns that reach local, national and international audiences.”
Jumping into the world of marketing with both feet, Otte joined the Saskatchewan Professional Marketing Association. This year, he has taken on a board position as sponsorship chair. “I’m really proud of what we’ve accomplished,” he says. “The team brought in over $50,000 in financial and in-kind contributions after what had been a tough year for sponsorship the year before.”
Otte would like to progress to a leadership role and is actively developing his skills in this area. “Learning is a lifelong process,” says Otte. “You can’t stay stagnant. Growth is essential for happiness, and I’m not done yet.”
“As a Sask Polytech alumnus, I look forward to sharing my positive experience with others. If the thought of going back to school feels daunting, I understand—it can seem like a big leap. But really, it’s just a drop in the bucket and it goes by fast.
I’m very pleased with the time I invested in making my career change a reality and where it has taken me.”
Learn more about the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, including the newly-launched Digital Marketing diploma.