For National Careers Week, we wanted to shine a light on the wonderfully diverse world of marketing and communications. It’s an industry that truly embodies this year’s “You Can!” theme, welcoming talented people from all walks of life, at various stages of their journey.
Many Routes, One Industry
One of the most refreshing things about the marketing world is that there’s no single “right way” in. You might:
- Discover it straight from school or university
- Pivot into it mid-career from a completely different field
- Find yourself gradually taking on marketing responsibilities in another role
- Return to work after a career break and find a new home in marketing
Tabitha (our MD) has worked alongside brilliant marketers who studied everything from English Literature to Engineering, some with marketing degrees and others who never set foot in a university (including herself). What unites them isn’t their background but their combination of creativity, analytical thinking, and understanding of human behaviour.
Finding Your Professional Home
The beauty of marketing and communications is the variety of environments you can work in:
In-house teams let you dive deep into one brand or organisation, becoming an expert in their audience and seeing projects through from conception to long-term impact. You’ll typically work across multiple marketing channels and develop broad skills.
Agency life offers the excitement of working with multiple clients and industries simultaneously. You might develop specialist expertise while experiencing different business challenges and building a diverse portfolio of work.
Freelancing or contracting provides flexibility and independence, letting you choose your projects and working patterns. Many experienced marketers find this route allows them to balance work with other life priorities.
Starting your own agency becomes an option once you’ve built experience and contacts. This entrepreneurial route combines marketing skills with business development and leadership.
Each path has its own rhythm and rewards. Many marketers even move between these different models throughout their careers as their skills and circumstances evolve.
Something for Everyone
Marketing and communications encompass such a broad spectrum of roles that they welcome all sorts of personalities and talents:
- Analytical thinkers excel in data-driven marketing, SEO, and performance analysis
- Creative minds find homes in content creation, design, and campaign development
- Natural communicators thrive in PR, client management, and copywriting
- Tech enthusiasts lead the way in digital marketing, marketing automation, and emerging platforms
- Strategic planners shine in brand strategy, marketing planning, and audience research
- Organisational wizards keep everything running as project managers and marketing coordinators
Within marketing teams, these different strengths complement each other. The industry needs both big-picture thinkers and detail-oriented implementers, as well as data analysts and intuitive creatives.
A Career That Grows With You
The skills you develop in marketing remain valuable as your career evolves. Tabitha has seen colleagues move from junior social media roles to brand leadership, from copywriting to content strategy, and from marketing assistant to agency founder.
Marketing also offers flexibility when life circumstances change. The digital nature of much modern marketing work means remote and flexible arrangements are increasingly common, and the variety of freelance and contract opportunities can provide options when you need them.
This National Careers Week, Remember: You Can!
You can find your place in marketing regardless of your background. You can enter the industry at any stage of your career journey. You can find a work style that suits your life and priorities. You can develop and grow as the industry evolves. You can transfer your skills across sectors and specialisms. You can build a rewarding career that values both creativity and analysis.
Whether you’re just starting to explore career options or considering a change of direction, the diverse world of marketing and communications offers more possibilities than you might imagine!
