What sector to specialise in? Don’t like social media? Want to explore a bit of everything? Is a marketing degree or placement necessary?
Choosing a sector in Marketing to work in is a hard decision to make if you don’t already have a specific interest. I am a final year marketing student currently studying BSc Consumer Behaviour and Marketing, and I was fortunate to complete a placement year to be able to calculate my interest. But my placement made me realise things I DONT want to do more than what I DO enjoy.
Let’s start with the main question – do you need a marketing degree to step into the marketing field?
The answer is no. Marketing is an industry that values your skills more than your qualifications. This is not to say if you do have a qualification then it’s worth noting – it absolutely is and may increase your chance of securing yourself in the industry but only if you have the correct skills to accompany your qualifications.
Degree Route
If you are contemplating whether to take the degree path or go straight into apprenticeship/work, then it would be beneficial to review your own skill set and knowledge first. Do think you have a good knowledge based on the majority of the marketing sectors? do you understand the frameworks and processes? are you familiar with the research and psychological aspects of this field? if the answer is no, then a degree will be the best route as it will give you a stronger and deeper understanding of the “whys” and “hows” of marketing.
Degrees start with the basics and introduce you to the marketing and business world then take you into the economical, psychological and research aspects. You will gain practical experiences through assignments and group work but also through placement year – this turns your 3-year degree into a 4-year degree where you work for a professional industry for 6 – 12 months, This ties in nicely with your degree and enables you to gain deep insight into the sector of marketing you wish to explore.
Non-degree route
On the other hand, if your answer is somewhere between yes and no, then I would recommend free online courses and volunteering roles within the marketing industry.
Online Courses
These will help you get that confidence and insight into what the field looks like and the type of mindset you will be required to have. Many online courses also have practical tasks and coursework you can do to apply your learnings which is a great way of testing your knowledge! Some courses I recommend are:
This is a beginner 40 hours course which can be completed in your own time. You complete 26 modules covering everything from SEO, email marketing and all things online web presence. You will also receive a certificate at the end of the course after completing the final 40-question exam.
If you don’t have LinkedIn, then I would highly recommend getting the free 1-month trial and completing as many courses as you can. Once the free month is over, you can continue to use LinkedIn in the free plan but you will lose access to its courses.
This is a 3-5 month “internship” that runs a few sessions a week where you will learn the business and marketing-related content and have an opportunity to create a marketing strategy for a chosen brand. Great experience to add to your CV so look out for their 2023 openings!
However, this may reduce your chances of securing a well-paid role in the industry as you will lack experience – this leads us to volunteer.
Volunteering
Start by doing a google search in your local area, looking at small and big businesses – you never know who is willing to take a volunteer! The amount of time and hours you work is most likely to be negotiable and limited so make sure you discuss this thoroughly with your employer. The most common industry that hires volunteers are start-up business and charity organisations – these tend to hire social media assistants or copywriters.
Don’t limit yourself to “marketing obvious” roles such as Marketing Assistant or Social Media Assistant, look at roles that will add to your skill set. These include copywriter, content creator, communication assistant and marketing ambassador. These can be remote marketing jobs to hybrid marketing jobs.
If there is a company or a specific employer you have in mind, then don’t hesitate to email them, asking if they are willing to take a temporary volunteer who is willing to learn and adapt skills within their organisation. Add in some skills you currently have such as communication, team player, organisation and good writing skills – show them you are eager to learn and support their process.
If you would like a detailed template or guide into approaching employers and other ways of gaining experience from scratch, then drop a comment below!
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