Forging a successful career is something that most of us will do in our lifetime. This is not always as easy as it sounds though, and you can sometimes find yourself on a career path that is no longer your passion. In this instance, the best thing to do is to take decisive action and switch careers to something you do feel excited about.
Many people looking to switch career will often choose marketing as their preferred destination. When you see the varied, creative and interesting work that roles in this key business area involve, this is no surprise. What should you be aware of if you plan to do this?
Education is essential
The first thing to know when switching into a marketing career is that getting the right education is a must. Many people think that marketing is easy or something that can be picked up without any proper learning. This is just not true – marketing is as deep, rich and varied an area as any other in business. As a result, it is vital to get the right qualifications under your belt.
Many people will start with a bachelor’s degree in this subject, and this gives a firm foundation to progress from. While this will teach you the basics around building campaigns, digital marketing and other key components, it is not enough for higher-level roles. These require a qualification such as the online Master’s in Marketing from Emerson College. This higher type of award can see graduates earn up to 27% more than colleagues with only a bachelor’s degree and be eligible for a wider variety of jobs.
Be prepared to step beyond ‘pure’ marketing
While the benefits of data migration for business are obvious, the sheer variety of tasks in many marketing roles is not always so clear. Whether as part of your studies or when working, you might be surprised to see that marketing involves a lot more than you first imagine. Many people often get a shock when they discover that marketing positions often involve a lot more tasks than ‘pure’ marketing. While planning out campaigns and getting creative with ideas is a big part of some roles, this is not always the only thing you will be doing.
Digital marketing managers, for example, might spend a lot of time analyzing campaigns and looking at returns on investment stats. SEO roles might see you spend a lot of time tweaking website code or researching which keywords to use in content. While this is not a bad thing, before switching, you should know that marketing roles can be quite wide-ranging at times.
Choosing the right role is crucial
Due to the above, the next thing to know when switching careers to marketing is that finding the right job is critical. Although outsiders can see marketing roles as quite narrowly defined, there is actually a big choice of potential jobs to move into after graduation.
This means that you need to sit down, see what sorts of jobs are out there, and find one that suits you best. While looking at salary levels is important, it is also a must to think about what a job entails and if you will find it exciting. If you loved content writing when studying this subject, for example, then a job that sees you focusing on this specifically might be a good call.
From digital marketing managers to PPC specialists, dedicated SEO roles, social media managers, and more, marketing in business really does come with a lot of choice. It is a great idea to find the role or roles you will like best to switch to out of all these.
Planning is key for bagging your dream role
Once you have the right credentials to show to employers and know which role you want to focus on, the next thing you need to know is how to find opportunities. This is key when switching careers because you need a way to get back into paid employment again after leaving your old job.
Luckily, there are many ways to go about this and many are not only simple but also very effective. You could start with the university you studied marketing at. Even if you did not use its careers service while an active student, most will be available to guide alumni towards openings in this area post-graduation.
As you would expect, heading online is also a great idea when tracking down that dream marketing job. The great thing about this is that sites such as LinkedIn make it simple to network and find new roles from home. This enables you to get a head-start on switching careers and connecting with people in your new industry – even before you have left your old job or finished your studies! Most companies will now post vacancies online via sites such as LinkedIn or dedicated job sites. It is therefore wise to keep an eye on these when looking to switch into a marketing role.
Marketing is a growing sector within recruitment
Although all of the above is great advice around what to think about when moving over to a marketing career, you may still worry about doing it. This can be especially true if your current job is pretty secure and in an industry that is performing well.
One thing to know about marketing with this in mind is that it is also a sector in business that is performing well. There were thought to be around 850,000 openings in this industry last year and many think that this demand will only grow in future. This could be especially true for digital marketing roles, where the increasing amount of time that consumers spend online is driving job opportunities. With digital advertising revenue in the US alone set to hit $460bn by 2024, the need for skilled marketing staff across business is clear.
People make the switch to marketing regularly
There is no doubt that marketing will always remain a key part of any business across all sectors. It is also without doubt that people from across all areas of business make the switch to a career in marketing all the time. If you are thinking of doing the same but want to find out the sorts of things you should know first, then hopefully the above has helped.
