When I left university in 2010 I sat around for six months legitimately wondering what the hell I should do next. I graduated with a degree in animation, not all that useful in the outside world truth be told. Having struggled for some time with what I should do next, I got myself a random job at a bank. This didn’t last all that long as I didn’t really enjoy being berated over the phone by business owners saying their cheques hadn’t cleared.
Anyway, eventually, I sat myself down and started to really think about what it was that I wanted to do next. In truth, I still wasn’t sure. However, after doing some research online and talking to friends I eventually decided upon marketing as a career path. Why, you may ask. Well, it combined elements of design, creativity, strategy, analysis, and content and copywriting which all appealed to me.
Long story short, I broke into the field eventually and haven’t looked back.
Is marketing the right career for you?
Choosing a career can be challenging at different stages of life: whether you’re leaving school, finishing college, graduating from university, or feeling unfulfilled at your current job.
Deciding what to do next isn’t always easy, but that’s fine trust me, we’ve all been there!
With thousands of potential career paths and a huge array of advice out there, finding the right path requires some thought and research. You’ve got to answer that difficult question “what it is that you would like to do?”
Having said this, if you’ve thought about marketing as a possible career path, we’ve put together a quick checklist of activities you could do in order to help you decide whether a career in it may be one of your potential options.
My steps to consider when thinking about what to do next 😊…
Assess your current situation
Look at your qualifications and experience. Whether you’re leaving school or stuck in a job you dislike, evaluate your prospects and stay motivated to find the right job for you.
This may mean holding down a job you dislike for a little longer, but, take your time and do some serious thinking.
Identify your passions and interests
Think about what you truly enjoy doing. What excites you? List your favourite activities and consider if they can translate into a career. Brainstorm job ideas that align with your interests.
If marketing is for you, you may enjoy or be passionate about things like digital marketing, content creation or writing, working with data, or conducting research for example.
Seek career advice
Career advice is easily accessible. Schools, colleges, universities, and online resources offer valuable information about different jobs, matching your skills with potential careers, and finding the perfect fit for you.
Use a website like UCAS or quickly have a Google and start those conversations. Alternatively, if you think marketing may be right for you, why not get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to have a chat.
Understand the commitment
Some careers require extensive training or qualifications. Decide if you’re willing to invest the necessary effort to achieve your career goals.
The great thing about marketing is you can get started cheaply and easily. There are hundreds of awesome free resources out there on the web to start learning about marketing. Check out out 6-month marketing challenge for some ideas.
Plan for professional development
Identify essential skills for your desired career and continuously improve them. Create a professional development plan with SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timed) targets to stay ahead in your career journey.
In marketing, you can go down the path of a generalist or specialist. That’s one of the great things about the field, it’s diverse. However, you cannot go wrong by focusing on a couple of areas of marketing. We’ve written another article that looks at the sorts of things you should do to prepare for a career in marketing.
Network with industry professionals
Learn from those already in the field. Industry professionals can share their experiences, offer insider tips, and provide valuable career guidance.
Get yourself set up on LinkedIn and start connecting with other junior marketers and Marketing Managers, etc. A lot of times in life, it’s about who you know than what you know.
Wrapping up
With countless job options available, there’s likely a career that matches your passions and interests. What I’ve said in this article can ultimately be applied to any career path, not just marketing.
However, if you are considering a career in marketing, it’d go amis for me not to mention marketing apprenticeships.
Marketing apprenticeships are an excellent way of gaining hands-on experience and developing the skills it’ll take to build a successful marketing career. They offer people a tonne of benefits including help finding a job, coaching and mentoring, work experience, and additional qualifications.
So, if after doing some of the above, you feel that marketing may be right for you, why not get in touch and see whether a marketing apprenticeship may be the right choice?
Want to find out if marketing is for you?
Here are some of the benefits of doing an apprenticeship with us:
- Gaining practical hands-on marketing experience & skills;
- Getting a better perspective on where you want to go in life;
- Earning a salary while you study;
- You’ll have access to mentorship and guidance along the way;
- Apprenticeships lead to better career opportunities;
- Gain industry-recognised qualifications for free.
