The marketing industry is broad, varied and, due to new aspects developing all the time, it’s ever changing, which makes it a popular career choice. Below, we take a look at some of the ways you can enter the industry, whether that’s by studying for a degree, or starting out with work experience.
Education opportunities
If you know marketing is the career for you from a young age then there are various education opportunities for you. At GCSE level, Business Studies will give a broad overview of marketing, Art can help you pursue a Graphic Design job, Computer Science will be good for future Web Developers and, of course, English is essential if you want a career in PR or as a Copywriter.
After GCSEs the marketing subjects narrow down slightly with specific Further Education and Higher Education vocational courses available for marketing and digital marketing, PR, advertising and web design. Many employers will look for candidates who have a degree or diploma and, whilst it won’t necessarily mean you’ll jump straight into managing a department, it can give you a step up.
Apprenticeships & Internship
For some, the education route is not always the best way to go. Apprenticeships used to be primarily the domain of the construction industry, but they’re now available for a number of sectors. Due to their hands-on nature, they can be a popular choice as they enable the apprentice to get paid while learning a job and working towards a qualification. You can search for and apply for a marketing apprenticeship on the GOV.UK website.Similarly an internship is another way to learn the industry while getting paid. We’ve had a number of interns help out in various departments for a few months who impressed us so much we offered them full-time jobs.
Starting out
Even if you have little or no experience there are opportunities to start a career in the marketing industry. One of the best ways is to develop your skills by contacting marketing agencies and asking for work experience. There is a wide variety of job opportunities in the industry so work experience will not only help you gain knowledge, but will also help you realise what aspect you enjoy. Our Account Director Suzie Farrell came to us for work experience over 10 years ago and she soon became a full-time permanent member of our team.
