A Marketing Career: What’s Involved and Why Consider It

January 17th, 2022 Career Advice

A marketing career can be a wonderful option for those with strong communication and problem-solving skills. Marketing isn’t just about advertising; it encompasses a wide range of roles and functions. If you’re wondering whether you should study marketing or whether a marketing career is right for you, start by learning more about working in the industry. We’ve outlined what such a pathway can involve and listed some of the advantages of working in this field, to help you with your decision.

What’s involved in being a marketer?

Marketing is a diverse field with numerous potential career avenues. Once you’ve completed your studies, you could work as an in-house marketer in a company and their marketing department or in an agency working with clients across various industries. Some marketers are self-employed and work on a freelance basis; usually, these are experienced professionals with a track record working for an agency or in-house.

You could specialise in advertising, affiliate marketing, digital marketing, brand management, media planning, communications, or public relations. Alternatively, your role could encompass a combination of these functions. Marketers may be involved with product and service development as well as research.

Ultimately, as a marketer, you’ll be helping your employer company or clients drive growth and profits by engaging with their customers. Your responsibility will involve promoting brands, products, and/or services to customers, by using coordinated marketing campaigns that use a wide array of tools and strategies. If you work in the non-profit or the public sector, the aim could be to promote awareness of public interest or community issues.

In your work, you’ll likely draw upon channels like digital and social media, events, and traditional print and media, and you might be involved in designing marketing collateral like brochures and newsletters. Customer research, data analysis, measuring campaign performance, and SEO could also be part of your role.

Typically you’ll be working to strict deadlines. Having a bit of creative flair, strong digital and tech skills, and an innate ability to communicate with different audiences will serve you well in this field. The ability to build strong relationships with customers and clients will also be invaluable.

Marketing salaries

Your salary will vary depending on your experience and skills as well as your location and sector. Marketing salaries range from £21,805 and £69,999 with an average of £37,617. Marketing assistants start at around £18,000 to £22,000, while executives earn around £20,000 to £30,000. Senior marketing executives might earn between £30,000 and £45,000. Marketing managers earn up to £60,000 and marketing directors can earn from £60,000 to more than £100,000.

Reasons to pursue a marketing career

Studying marketing and pursuing a marketing career can pave the way for a rewarding professional life. Some of the benefits and rewards include:

1. Creativity and innovation – Marketing is a dynamic, exciting profession to be in, as it’s a fast-paced, innovative field that’s always changing. If you enjoy using creativity to solve problems and have a flair for communicating and sharing stories, a career in marketing could be highly satisfying.

2. Diversity – From digital marketer and market researcher to PPC specialist and social media manager, the marketing field has a diverse range of roles you could specialise in. You could work as a copywriter, SEO specialist, event manager, UX designer, PR executive, media buyer, and more. Other possible roles include band manager, content marketer, or fundraiser. You’ll likely have the chance to apply a wide variety of skills in your work life, from strategic thinking to digital and tech competencies. Your work can encompass market research, brand management, advertising, promotions, and public relations. Whether you’re creative, strong in analysis, or a numbers person (or all of these), your skills will likely come in useful in a marketing role.

3. Transferable skills – Marketers have highly transferable skills that can be in high demand in any sector and any company, so you could have the opportunity to work across different industries.

4. Self-employment – If you plan to work for yourself eventually, you could become a freelancer or set up your own agency once you gain some experience.

5. Rewarding career avenue – Marketing is an essential function that supports sales and addresses the consumer’s perspective. Reaching and capturing customers, understanding their pain points, and communicating how a product or service solves their problem can be a rewarding experience. The same goes for driving higher sales for your employer or clients. You’ll have the opportunity to keep learning and growing as it’s a constantly changing profession.

6. Job prospects – Marketing is a growing industry. It can offer excellent employment prospects as the function can be in high demand in any sector and organisation. Demand for marketing roles like social media and digital marketing are among the fastest-growing.

Marketing is an exciting industry offering the opportunity to leverage technology tools as well as creative ideas to drive interest and revenue for organisations. You can choose from a diverse range of roles and specialise in the type of job that interests you most, working in-house or at an agency. With experience, you could even become a self-employed marketer. As a function with perpetual relevance and growing demand in just about any sector, marketing is likely to offer good job prospects for the foreseeable future.

Starting at ICI with a marketing certification is an excellent way to commence your pathway into the marketing field. It could fast track your career in marketing, allowing you to learn inside secrets through a course designed by industry leaders. Delivered completely online, our IAPCC accredited course lets you study at your own pace. Commence your journey towards a career in marketing by completing a marketing certification with ICI. Our ICI professionals can help you acquire the relevant skills and knowledge in the topics you’ll need to succeed.

by Gladys Mae

Gladys Mae served as the General Manager and Head of Student Services at the International Career Institute (ICI) from 2010 to 2025. A graduate of the University of San Jose - Recoletos with a degree in Mass Communication (Broadcast Media), she brought exceptional communication and organisational strengths to the role. During her 15-year tenure at ICI, Gladys provided decisive leadership, ensured high-quality student support, and played a pivotal role in shaping a positive learning experience for thousands of students. Before joining ICI, Gladys built a diverse professional background through key positions in the banking and business process outsourcing sectors, giving her a strong foundation in customer service, operations management, and team leadership.