From HR Admin to Google Ads Strategist: My Journey

Hello everyone, I’m Lee.

This blog isn’t about showcasing perfect success stories or peddling “get-rich-quick” marketing courses.

What’s documented here is the raw, unfiltered journey of an ordinary person without a formal background in the field. It is a story of finding a niche in the real business world through “quitting without a backup plan” and relentless “trial and error.”

If you are feeling lost in your career, I hope my digital marketing journey can offer you some perspective.

1. The Confused Beginning: A Frog in Warm Water

I majored in Human Resource Management in college. Like many others, I assumed I’d follow the standard path to become an HR professional. But several internships painfully revealed something: repetitive recruitment tasks gave me a massive headache. That wasn’t the life I wanted.

After my graduation defense, I was effectively “encouraged to leave” because the company didn’t have a management trainee program. Haunted by the anxiety of “graduation equals unemployment,” I eventually landed a job as a government affairs specialist at an internet company in Shanghai.

Honestly, it was a period of coasting through my days.

Job duties: Reviewing qualifications and licenses. The department consisted only of my supervisor and me, with extremely lax management.
My state: I often finished tasks early and then goofed off, even arriving late or leaving early (please don’t follow my example!).
Income: A monthly salary of 6,000 yuan. Living in a rental apartment my parents paid for.

I drifted through two years like this. Until one day, the company suspended all salary increases due to poor performance.

That moment jolted me awake: Two years had passed, and beyond familiarizing myself with a few procedures, my personal skills hadn’t grown at all.

On a sunny afternoon, I chose to quit without another job lined up. I thought I was free, but little did I know the real “knockout blow” was just beginning.

2. Darkest Hour: From “Heart as Dead Ash” to Discovering Independent Sites

In the months after quitting, I hit wall after wall, completely disillusioned with HR and administrative roles.

It was at this rock bottom that my cousin, who ran an international e-commerce site, opened my eyes to the new world of foreign trade. Among TikTok, Facebook, and independent e-commerce sites, I instantly fell for Independent Sites (Brand Websites).

Perhaps because I’m naturally hands-on, I felt this was the field I could truly immerse myself in. My self-taught journey began:

Starting from scratch: I bought my own domain and server, then spent an entire day following tutorials to finally set up the WordPress backend.
Mastering Tools: To create visually appealing pages, I studied the Elementor editor, sourced resources, and purchased the Pro version. For unfamiliar elements, I dragged them in and tested them one by one.
Imitation Practice: Every day, I benchmarked against outstanding websites, replicating at least five pages daily. To grasp the underlying logic, I dove into learning HTML and CSS.

During that period, though unemployed, I felt a light within me. Because I had finally mastered a genuine “craft.”

3. Trial and Error: My First Job Lasted Only 9.5 Days

After leaving my job in August, I finally snatched an offer for an “Independent Site Operations Assistant” position by year’s end, desperate like a fish gasping for water.

But reality was harsh—I lasted only 9.5 days in that role.

Commute: 3.5 hours round trip in Shanghai’s winter.
Compensation: One day off per week, monthly salary of 4,000 yuan.
Environment: A family workshop setting with endless, mind-numbing repetitive tasks.

This ultimately broke me. I realized it offered no growth, so I decisively quit without another job lined up. Though brief, this experience taught me a valuable lesson: changing careers doesn’t mean selling your labor cheaply.

4. Wild Growth: Full-Stack Skills Forged by Necessity

Fortunately, “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

After the New Year, I took my self-built website portfolio to interviews. This time, my web development skills became my ticket in, landing me a job at a B2B company exporting packaging machinery.

But this was just the beginning of the real challenge.

The company needed leads, but I only knew how to build websites. Without traffic, the site was useless, and I had no leverage in operations. The boss started pressuring me, leaving me no choice but to dive in headfirst:

Learning SEO: I signed up for courses, read books, and started with keyword optimization.
Learning SEM: The company launched ads, forcing me to take over Google Ads. I learned campaign strategies while burning through budgets.
Mental breakdown: Constantly learning on the fly without a mentor, the pressure felt like running my own startup.

This six-month “hell mode” forced me to master the full skill tree: Website Building + SEO + SEM. Though leads started coming in, the pressure of fighting alone pushed me to leave and seek a more professional environment.

5. Finding My Footing: Lee Growth Studio Today

After another four-to-five-month gap period following resignation (yes, I quit again—spent time gaming, fretting, and studying), I adjusted my strategy.

I shifted focus from downtown positions to Shanghai’s suburbs . Competition decreased, and opportunities increased.

Ultimately, I joined my current company, focusing on online promotion and Google Ads account management. Now, with a deeper understanding of the industry, my work flows smoothly.

I can confidently say: I’ve successfully transitioned careers.

6. My 2026 Roadmap

Moving forward, I’ll continue updating content across these three areas. This article will serve as my blog’s navigation page, with the list below gradually filling out as I learn and apply new skills.

1. SEM (Search Engine Marketing)

Real-World B2B Lead Generation with Tangible Results. As a B2B industry practitioner, Google Ads is central to my daily work.

[Coming Soon] B2B Google Ads Campaigns: How to Precisely Generate Inquiries with Limited Budget?
[Coming Soon] Keyword Strategy: How to Avoid Consumer Traffic and Precisely Target B2B Buyers?

2. SEO & Content Marketing

Traffic Growth Through AI Collaboration. With limited budgets, organic traffic represents the long-term victory.

3. WordPress Independent Site Setup

Balancing Technology and Aesthetics. The website you’re viewing right now is one I built from scratch myself.

[Coming Soon] Is Elementor Pro Worth Buying? 2026 Essential Plugin List for Beginners.
[Coming Soon] Website Building Tutorial: How I Built My Site Using WordPress + Elementor.

Welcome to Lee Growth Studio. Let’s explore the possibilities of growth together.

Hello World: How I Transformed from an Administrative Drone to a Google Ads Strategist