Honestly, I didn’t really know what to expect when I started my training at Kapwa Marketing. Everything felt new all at once—new tools, new people, and tasks I wasn’t fully sure how to do yet. It wasn’t just me either. Most of us were just winging it, honestly. We’d compare what we were doing, ask each other stuff, and at some point just laugh because none of us really knew what was going on either.
And looking back, a lot of what I learned from this wasn’t just from my own fumbling around—it was also from watching and listening to the people I was going through with. Here are 10 things that really stuck with me during the training.
1. WordPress is more than just a platform
I thought I already knew WordPress before this. Turns out, it was just surface. Once we started working with Divi, plugins, and actual page building, it became a different story. The first few attempts didn’t look great, but doing it repeatedly—and seeing how others approached it too—made it easier to understand.
2. SEO is something you understand over time
SEO auditing wasn’t something that clicked right away. There were a lot of small details to check and it was easy to miss things. Some of us even compared results just to see what we overlooked. Eventually, those small details started to make more sense the more we worked on them.
3. Marketing has more going on behind the scenes
Before this, my idea of marketing was basically just posting things online. That’s it. But being in it, even as an intern, showed me there’s a whole layer underneath that you don’t really see from the outside. Who’s the post for? Why this message? How does this fit with everything else? Those questions weren’t always answered for us, we had to pick them up gradually.
4. You really have to get used to the tools
We worked with tools like Odoo and other systems that weren’t familiar at the start. Most of the time, there wasn’t a step-by-step guide—we just had to explore, ask around, or figure it out through trial and error. It could get frustrating, but it also forced us to actually learn.
5. Communication saves a lot of time
There were moments when I tried to just figure things out on my own, and it didn’t always end well. A lot of us realized the same thing—once we started asking questions or giving updates, things became clearer and tasks moved faster.
6. Asking questions earlier is better than later
At the beginning, it was common to hesitate. No one wanted to ask something that might sound obvious. But over time, we noticed that waiting too long usually made things harder. Once we got more comfortable asking, it actually made everything easier.
7. Deadlines feel different in “real” work
There were days when it felt like three things were due and I hadn’t fully started any of them. Some of us dealt with that better than others at first—I’ll be honest, I wasn’t always one of them. But you figure out pretty quickly that you have to make a call on what gets done first, because not everything can be urgent. Still working on it, but it’s different now compared to when we started.
8. Mistakes are part of the process
We all messed up at some point. Wrong file, misread instructions, output that completely missed the point—that kind of thing. At first it felt bad, but after a while it just became: okay, fix it, move on. Dwelling on it doesn’t help anyone, especially not when there’s still work to do.
9. Having a team makes a big difference
One thing that stood out was how much easier things felt when we worked together. If someone was stuck, there was usually someone else who could help—or at least relate to them. Even just a quick chat in between tasks made things feel a little lighter.
10. The experience goes beyond the tasks
Some of the stuff I remember most from this whole thing had nothing to do with work—the island hopping, the random conversations that somehow turned into long discussions, building out the Gutom website together. Those parts made it feel like more than just training. It was actually fun, in a chaotic kind of way.
Looking back
Going into this, I wasn’t really sure what I could handle. I think a lot of us felt the same way. I came in not really knowing what I was capable of, and I think most of us were in the same boat. But somewhere along the way, things shifted—not in a dramatic way, just quietly. The work started making more sense. Tasks that used to feel confusing became manageable. And honestly, the way I think about work in general feels a little more grounded now. There were rough days, sure, and some deadlines that stressed me out more than I’d like to admit. But there were also moments where something clicked, and those made it worth it. I think the biggest thing I’m taking from all of this is that growth rarely feels like growth when it’s happening—you usually only see it when you stop and look back.