Ozongwu Ogochukwu: From Compliance Officer to High-paid Email Marketing Career

How it all started.

I would like to start my story from when I started working in corporate Nigeria, but I believe it all started way before that.

My journey began in studying Petroleum Engineering in university — Dedicating 5 years to complex math and physics calculations, intensive reading, and internships in oil and gas companies. I loved every moment of that academic experience and was eager to start my professional engineering career. However, despite my efforts, I couldn’t get any substantial opportunities in this sector.

This led me to explore roles within Nigeria’s tech industry, particularly in the fintech space.

After trying various positions from software engineering to data and product management, I found myself in compliance— a field where I have been for almost two years understanding fraud risks and other financial offenses, all while enjoying remote work.

Yet, even as I have grown in compliance, I’ve always dreamt of building and growing my businesses.

This could be because I am from an entrepreneurial family. However, when I think back, there was a video I came across six years ago, which explained why entrepreneurial skills are important if an individual has plans of starting their business someday. This planted the seed that would eventually redefine my career Path.

My Transition Story

So, I watched this video during my internship in 2019, The individual emphasized that for an entity to be called a “Business”, a sale must be made—and for that to happen, attention must be captured through marketing.

He also spoke about how easy and cheap it had become to capture attention because things have become digital.

This was my first introduction to online marketing. The idea of a career free from the traditional 9-to-5 grind, with no more early mornings and long commutes at the time, was appealing and I decided to explore this field.

My initial attempt at affiliate marketing, which I thought would be easy by “Just recommending products to people” and getting the money right?...

WRONG!

As I dug deeper, I quickly realized that online marketing has different sections involving skills ranging from advertising and SEO to social media content creation and, email marketing and a business model will need the combination of these skills.

I realized that it was far more complex than I had imagined. I learned that successful marketing required a structured approach (A funnel) — a lesson that led me to put my attention on three key areas: Sales (through webinars), Email Marketing, and Ads.

Email marketing was the clear first for me. Not only was there a growing global demand for skilled email marketers, but the discipline also perfectly aligned with my personal goals.

At first, I naively assumed that email marketing was solely about copywriting. That idea was removed when I came across a tweet by one of the founders of KISSmarketers, Johnson Emmanuel.

In the tweet, his insights revealed that email marketing is so much more, including research, a campaign strategy, detailed analytics, and behavioral-based triggers.

I was stunned. It felt like a new world. This was where I found he co-owned  an Edtech company that teaches people modern digital skills, and even supporting them to land a job regardless of their experience.

 Going through the website and the landing page, I found out that i was stunned to see many graduates from their Bootcamp, with some landing lucrative jobs.  I asked myself, how come I didn't see these guys since?

Cut a long story short, this was what finalized the decision for me.

My Experience at KISSmarketers Bootcamp

I enrolled in the boot camp and soon found that it was far more challenging than I had anticipated. The curriculum, rich with educational videos and hands-on tasks, pushed me to think critically and apply new concepts immediately.

I have learned about crafting compelling email sequences, managing campaigns through Email Service Providers (ESPs), and even dug into the psychology behind consumer behavior, offer creation, and the customer journey.

Balancing the KISSmarketers bootcamp with my day job is demanding, but it has improved my time management skills and taught me the value of collaboration through group projects.

My Current Outlook and The Future

Today, my career trajectory has been reshaped. I am transitioning from a compliance professional to a well paid email marketing specialist.

My outlook now is on applying the email marketing skills I will gain from the bootcamp while also adding other marketing expertise such as ads, analytics,Artificial Intelligence, and marketing operations while climbing the ladder.

My long-standing ambition to eventually build my own business is still the goal but, I understand that mastering these skills and building strong professional relationships are essential steps toward that dream.

As I look towards the future, I am excited because a marketing role can be tied to the company’s growth. I look forward to driving my company growth through effective campaigns that will not only enforce my presence in the company but also pave the way for promotions and higher paychecks.