Hi, my name is Aaron Garcia. I tell people that if it’s digital, I probably do it.
This would include video production, digital photography, web administration, audio recording, graphic design, desktop publishing, social media marketing, and the list goes on.
My Journey to Now
I was introduced to computers at a very young age — my first day of Kindergarten. Sitting in front of a Macintosh Performa I decided that “I want[ed] to be the best at computers.” Of course I would set a goal like that as a five-year-old!
While using a computer is not a competition, I practiced with them just about as much as Rodney Mullen did with skateboarding. There were points in my young life where I stayed up 24 and even 48 hours editing video, often skipping meals, because I was just so excited about what I was working on.
In the Summer of 2011, I would wake up each morning and go to bed late tinkering with WordPress and iPage. My friends, Paul and Charles made it their mission to break me away from my computer screen; we would hangout, go eat, and spend the day at SeaWorld. But as soon as I was back home, you guessed it, I was back on my computer.
Turning a Hobby into a Career
While I no longer stay up all hours of the night on my computer, I do know what it is like to be passionate about an interest. I also know how challenging it can be to turn that interest into a career. In 1995, there was no such thing as social media marketing. Before 1997, WiFi wasn’t a thing.
For a long time, I struggled with what to label myself. Musicians, artists, skateboarders, politicians, photographers, and motor heads all have one thing in common, they can be labeled by one name. I had trouble with that. Am I a digital media specialist? A technologist? A digital polymath? A digital artist? A geek?
My goal is to answer that question in the future. After reading the history of the World Wide Web, I have concluded that sometimes concepts are so new that it takes time to give them a name. When Tim Berners Lee first communicated his idea about the World Wide Web his boss said, “Vague, but exciting.” Today all industries are getting online even after years of resistance.
My Current Job
Currently, I am the Digital Marketing Manager at Hill Country Honda. My role is multi-functional as I assist in anything that involves or could involve a computer. Which includes promoting the dealership online and on Social Media.
Ultimately, I see a lot of business processes could be digitized and automated. The future should be paperless, fast, and omnichannel.
For example, I introduced the dealership to Slack Instant Messaging to improve internal communication. Adoption was difficult at first; I had to explain to everyone why we needed to use the app instead chasing each other around the hall. Links, digital files, pictures, messages, VOIP calls, social media notifications and more could all be shared and disseminated through the organization independent of time or physical location.
I’ve launched a new blog to chronicle dealership life and share Honda news at newhonda.club.
How I Can Help
If I can be your guide to the digital world and put all those hours of tinkering on a computer to good use, feel free to ask me questions. I love helping others learn.
You can also watch my unboxing videos on YouTube as I am developing on-camera personality.