Maybe it’s the arrival of new interns on the Porch or the fact that it’s graduation season, but I have been thinking a lot lately about marketing as a career and the things I’ve learned over the years.
So, in no particular order, here are a few things to remember as you try to make your mark on the world:
Strong writing skills make up the foundation of any marketer’s toolbox.
There are plenty of writing opportunities outside of copy writing that will come up, and you need to be ready. Marketing plans, proposals, key message development, talking points, and So. Many. Emails. – writing will be key to your professional life.
The industry you know now will change dramatically in ten years.
When I graduated from college, social media didn’t even exist. Now, my parents Facebook message me from Guam and I follow my little brothers’ dogs’ Instagram (Yes, @Berkeleytheyellowlab , has his own Instagram account.)
Don’t worry too much about keeping up – figure out what piques your interest and learn as much as you can about the topic. Not what you hoped for? That’s okay. Try out as many aspects of marketing as you can and see where you can add value.
It gets better.
Millennials are known for being super-confident and yet somehow, suffer from an epic case of Imposter Syndrome. We get it, you’ve got a lot of anxiety. The good news is, this too shall pass. The bad news is, it might take a while. Your twenties are a time of proving yourself, building a network, and acquiring new skills. And that can be a painful, stressful process.
But, one day, you will wake up in your 30s, and feel a sense of calm. You will still feel stress, but these worries won’t run around in your head like a demonic hamster. They will come, and they will go.
You’ll be the one writing a blog post on a Sunday night, with a to-do list a mile long and the laundry piling up. And you will know that you are exactly where you need to be.