I Finally Pulled the Plug.on my OEC Certification!

byDadaz123

2K followers

Updated 3 years ago

It’s as if I did not want it to come to an end but I guess everything that has a beginning should have an end

I held on to the last bit of the OEC program for as long as I could. I did not want to see it go after three roller coaster years. I merely put it on life-support at 97% complete but was hesitant to pull the plug and complete the course.

It’s time for me to let go and put the OEC certification to bed so I published the last post and pulled the plug. A notification popped up that my first course had been completed. The end of a chapter.

My Past Platforms

Prior to coming to Wealthy affiliate I attended two other online marketing platforms. In the first platform, I enjoyed the way the instructor was able to strip website building of its technicality and lower the threshold for non-techies like me to be able to step in through the door.

The platform was relatively stable unlike the craziness I would witness in my other platform. There was no emphasis on the acquisition of shiny objects, no hype, no fluff. This instructor emphasized hard work as a prerequisite to the comfort and affluence the other platform offered me for next to nothing.

My only disappointment with this platform was its size. It was so small that I can not see myself building a sustainable business on the platform. I asked for site support and it took forever for me to get the help I needed. It struck me the place was run by one person with occasional support from friends and affiliates. That realization made me leave

I got carried away with the hype on another platform and registered with a big chunk of my monthly pay. I was asked to buy all sorts of shiny objects and upsells that had little or nothing to do with Online Marketing education.

There was a bit of software that was meant to facilitate our work. It looked a little complicated and none of the instructors was able to show us how to make it work. They promised us a manual that was not delivered. There was some infighting between two of the partners and one of them stopped showing up. Incidentally, that instructor taught the core course. That sealed it for me. No sooner had I left than the school broke up.

Wealthy Affiliate came calling!

It was just the time Wealthy Affiliate came calling. I responded with my guard up after those two experiences. I first tried the free trial membership. When it ran out, I tried the monthly for two months before I finally decided Wealthy Affiliate is for me and took out a more extended membership.

What made me stay at Wealthy Affiliate

In hindsight, the following reasons have kept me at Wealthy Affiliate unlike the other platforms,

• The first thing that struck me about Wealthy Affiliate is that it has breadth. It offers its members so much value over and above other platforms for the amount it charges. It inspires confidence in me that I can build a sustainable business I can pass over to my kids.

• Wealthy Affiliate boasts of cutting edge technology and engages as a matter of practice in revamping its technology periodically so there is no case of obsolete technology

• The WA blog allows you to cut your blogging teeth, if you have not before joining WA. Members offer helpful comments that would make you improve your writing skills so you can write better posts in the future. The comments that are freely given are not meant to tear you down but build you up.
  
  I have found Site Support most responsive. Even with its millions of members, WA Site support responds to crisis calls in record time. I am still amazed at the warped speed with which it responds to each call bearing in mind the volume of calls it receives each day.

• Perhaps the most endearing part of Wealthy Affiliate to me is its community. It is made up of budding entrepreneurs as well as accomplished Affiliate Marketers who have made their mark in the online marketing space. Whatever level you are in, you will find someone in the community who is either there or has been there and is ready to offer you some help.

• This willingness to bend over backwards and lend a hand makes one feel they are not alone. It makes the journey a shared walk and less overwhelming. It's so comforting to know that whatever help you need with your studies, someone out there is ready to give it to you. Some people have been able to strike up lifelong friendships that have transcended the online space. I owe every member who has contributed to my successful completion of this course a debt of gratitude for taking time out of their tight schedule to help me out.

Lessons I Learned on my journey

• The lesson I learned on this platform is that you have everything you need to become a master affiliate marketer. At the end of my training, I have the skills to build a website in any niche and monetize it. For reasons, I can not understand, we find it difficult to believe that we do not have to look elsewhere for materials. I learned this the hard way and spent valuable time looking for help outside the WA platform.

• I found myself in a rabbit hole and it took me so much time to dig myself out of the hole. I had to come back to WA for me to realize that what I went looking for outside the four walls of WA is actually staring at me in WA! What a fruitless search and what a colossal waste of time!

• Affiliate marketing is not a place where “you can fake it until you make it”. You need to roll up your sleeves and learn the different pieces that go into successful affiliate marketing and how to put them together. That takes time and effort on your part. I have seen people hurriedly come in and finish the OEC program in less than one week! After a little while, I stop seeing them.
  

• Take your eyes off the end result for a while. Sometimes we are so fixated on the money tree that we forget work should come first. Do the work first, spend time familiarizing yourself with the process. When you get good at this and start implementing what you have learned, the money will follow.

• Read about other people's successes. Let them encourage you but know that in this business, we are all in different lanes. Some people are fast starters, others are slow starters. Let consistency be the common denominator.

Conclusion

I plan to stay on for the long haul. I hope to build a sustainable online business I can hand over to my children as a heirloom. Now that I have completed the OEC course, I will put in massive efforts so I can have massive results. If you did not find any fancy graphs or statements of earning, it is just because I don't have any to show.I have not made earnings my primary focus, instead learning the process had always been my priority.