Written by volunteer writer Amy Freeman

When people think of careers in technology, they might envision a job as a computer programmer or working as an electrical engineer. But in this day and age, technology extends beyond constructing hardware and software.

Working with technology also means understanding how to use it to connect with audiences and to market products. Today’s advertisers and marketers rely on technology as much as people working on apps or designing websites.

Near the end of December, a group of middle schoolers in Cleveland, Ohio got a chance to see firsthand how they could use technology for marketing. During the “You Can Be Photographer: Photography in Marketing” Techshop, instructor Monique Johnson worked with the girls to help them create ads while using photo editing software and a smartphone app.

Although this was Monique’s first time teaching the workshop, she has plenty of experience in marketing. She has an MBA in marketing from Otterbein University in Columbus, Ohio and has been working in marketing for six years. She’s a product marketer for a company that resells cloud technologies. Part of her day-to-day work involves developing and publishing content on her company’s website, exploring paid advertising opportunities, and working with email marketing.

Monique says that she was reminded of a thing or two by the girls who attended the workshop. Many of them were happy to jump into the process and “just do it.” The girls reminded her that things don’t need to be perfect and that it’s usually a lot better come up with something instead of nothing. “Just starting will eventually lead you to where you want to be even when you don’t see it in the beginning,” she said.

If there’s one thing she’d do differently the next time she teaches the workshop, it would be to give the girls more time to work on their ads. Monique says it was inspirational to see the students in the workshop develop their ideas and put the new skills they learned into practice. She believes that giving them more opportunities to get hands-on experience will help them be even more creative.

Monique also has some words of advice to anyone thinking of teaching or leading their own TechShop: “Have fun!” she says. “The girls will have fun if you do!

Bring a TechShop to your local community by volunteering with TechGirlz!