In recent years, many have begun to question the value and worth of a marketing degree. Matt Avery, the Global Sr. Digital Marketing Manager at Kensington, goes as far as to say that marketing is a terrible career choice. And this is coming from someone who is a lifelong marketing professional. He’s not alone in this opinion. Industry experts and veteran professionals alike say that a marketing degree no longer offers the value that it once did, in part because of a changing landscape that degree-granting universities haven’t caught up with.
However, we have a slightly different perspective. While marketing is undergoing drastic changes as an industry, we believe that a marketing degree is still worthwhile, and that marketing is still a great career. Want to know why we think so? Then keep reading.
What Is Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing is the use of digital technologies to market products or services. Digital marketers do this through various means, including targeted ads, social media, email marketing, and SEO.
Is Digital Marketing a Good Degree?
A degree in digital marketing is highly versatile and can lead to a plethora of different marketing specialties. Here are some of the reasons why we think a marketing degree is still worthwhile:
Variety of Programs
Learners hoping to pursue a degree in digital marketing have many options. Most major colleges offer marketing-related degrees in communications or business, and many include the option to specialize with a concentration or minor in digital marketing.
Undergraduate Degree Programs
Some schools offer an undergraduate marketing degree, like New York University’s Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies in the School of Professional Studies, with a BS in Digital Communications and Media. Others, like Florida Atlantic University, offer a minor in digital marketing.
Graduate Degree Programs
Both in-person and online degree programs are available for those hoping to level up foundational studies. For example, Wake Forest offers an online master’s program as well as grad certificates in digital media and digital marketing strategy that can be obtained during graduate school.
Certificates
Certificates are a great way to get a marketing education without the time and expense of a marketing degree. Many offer mentorship from leading industry professionals and give you hands-on training that will make you job-ready.
A Good Foundation for a Graduate Degree
Having an advanced-level degree on your resume will open doors for jobs, and the broad analysis and creative thinking skills you’ll learn in a marketing program can serve as a strong foundation for a graduate degree in a different or related field. Many schools teach digital media at an advanced level master’s or doctorate, giving students more exposure to advanced ideas and additional hands-on training. Students looking to pursue an MBA, for example, might begin with a marketing major, which will give them relevant insights into that aspect of a business.
Easy To Specialize
From paid search to social media management to content writing and analytics, digital marketing majors have the opportunity to specialize. If you already have experience in one of these fields and want to hone your skills in pursuit of a more specialized marketing career, it’s relatively easy to choose an area you’re particularly interested in and adept at. From there, you can hone your skills or pursue additional certifications.
Great Career Outlook
Though the marketing industry is undergoing massive changes, many marketing sectors are growing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has noted a decrease in print advertising jobs, but digital marketing jobs are still seeing tremendous growth.
Is Digital Marketing a Good Career?
Digital marketing is an exciting and ever-changing field, which means you’ll always have the opportunity to learn new skills and stay up-to-date on the latest trends. You’ll also be able to connect with an extensive network of marketing professionals and build relationships that can help you launch your career.
Job Flexibility
Once you have a degree in digital marketing, you can choose a number of flexible jobs. Many digital marketers can work from home, and working only part-time or as a contract worker is often an option too.
Earning Potential
According to Glassdoor, most digital marketer salaries range from $30,000 to $80,000 per year. However, top earners can make as much as $120,000 annually.
Applicable to Almost Every Industry
Marketing is vital to almost every industry because it provides a method of advertising to consumers, which increases sales and profits.
Digital marketing has become extremely important over time as many people spend much of their time online and have come to expect email and text messages as an alternative to physical mail. In addition, most businesses also have an internet presence to help market themselves.
Digital Marketing Career Possibilities
A degree in marketing can prepare you for a marketing-related career path, which includes roles in advertising, public relations, market research, or sales. Many marketing degree programs also offer business administration and management coursework, including basic marketing principles, giving you the digital marketing skills you need to pursue a leadership role in the field.
Specialist
A specialist works in a niche or niche field, providing consultative and administrative services to other employees in an organization. Some specializations include: social media, targeted advertising, pay-per-click advertising, SEO, and email marketing.
Manager
A digital marketing manager is responsible for a business’s entire marketing strategy. They develop and manage all the creative elements of promotional campaigns, such as advertisements, events, sales promotions, and social media. Marketing managers also work with other departments in a company to contribute to the overall strategy.
Director
Digital marketing directors focus on analyzing, planning, and executing strategies to promote their company’s products or services. The biggest difference between marketing directors and managers is that directors have creative responsibility while managers do not. Managers tend to focus on things such as planning, organizing, staffing, budgeting jobs, and maintaining accurate records. Directors focus on more creative aspects of the job such as assigning tasks to others and brainstorming ideas for projects or changes in the organization.
Founder
A digital marketing career offers you an opportunity to be a founder or co-founder of an organization. You will be responsible for the overall operation and management of the company. This includes developing the company’s business strategy, overseeing the implementation of marketing campaigns, and leading the sales team. As a digital marketing founder, you will also be responsible for the company’s financial health and will need to raise capital from investors.
Is Digital Marketing a Good Career for You?
If you’re considering a digital marketing career, but want to know whether this path is a good fit for you, then ask yourself these questions:
Do You Enjoy Planning and Project Management?
Marketing involves planning, coordination, and management of resources. There are many rewarding aspects to working in marketing, including keeping your creative juices flowing by coming up with new ways to market products or services and trying new strategies.
Ask yourself if project planning and coordination come naturally to you. If so, a career in marketing could be a good match.
Are You Comfortable Analyzing Results?
People who go into digital marketing typically have a natural aptitude for analyzing data. Digital marketers often work with data collected through A/B tests, surveys, or other analytics.
Even if you don’t have formal training in statistics or quantitative analysis, being able to quickly spot trends and patterns can be critical to success in your field. If you want to succeed as a digital marketer, you must enjoy working with numbers.
Are You Interested in Running Experiments and Testing Different Theories?
Experimentation is an integral part of learning, and marketers make the most of it, learning to adapt campaigns to suit ever-changing situations. Digital marketers plan processes, run them to completion, and iterate on the best ideas. If you like the idea of analyzing results and then taking those results to make informed decisions about what to try next, you might enjoy digital marketing.
Digital Marketing Career FAQs
Do I Need a Marketing Degree To Get Into Marketing?
You don’t need a marketing degree to get into marketing or to advance in the field. Many digital marketers don’t have an academic education but are self-taught through reading, practicing, and listening to experts. In a 2019 salary survey, Marketing Week reported that 53% of more than 4,000 marketers surveyed said they hadn’t studied marketing academically or obtained any kind of professional marketing-related qualification.
Still, some formal education can help. Academic coursework is designed to teach students to think critically and strategically about their work. Marketing or a related degree can help you develop specific skills like communication that will make you more valuable as an employee than someone without them. The primary benefit of an undergraduate marketing degree is that it provides students with an excellent foundation of knowledge and skills. An excellent alternative for upskilling can be found in free online marketing courses.
Is Digital Marketing Hard To Learn?
Digital marketing isn’t really hard to learn. While we understand why learning to become a digital marketer can seem intimidating. There are so many sources of information and different certifications available that it’s easy to feel lost. Fortunately, there are many ways to learn about digital marketing.
Try learning from free tutorials online or from books available at your local library. Or, consider enrolling in a program to earn a certificate, diploma, or degree in internet marketing. Anyone willing to put in some time studying and practicing Google Analytics reports can gain valuable skills and knowledge independently.
How Much Can You Earn as a Marketer?
Since you’re here…
Ready for a career in digital marketing? Test our curriculum with this free digital marketing learning path, and check out our salary guide to see what you could be making.
