What's It Like To Work in Marketing?

“It doesn’t matter how much I learn, there is always something new awaiting to be discovered”, said Romeo Man, who founded his digital agency last year. “Usually some new tools that you can use to [automate] your process and make it faster.”

There’s never been a better time to pursue a career in marketing. Thanks to the growth of digital platforms and social media, brands have more gadgets and online platforms at their fingertips to market their products to consumers than ever before.

Indeed, the work can be so varied, especially on the agency side where you get to represent clients from all walks of life, that you’ll have to pinch yourself. Ian Lurie, who’s been working in marketing for twenty years, said: “I love it, because I get to make money doing the things I love most: Writing, nerding out over technology and keeping up with the newest stuff. At times, I hate it, because I feel like I'm ice skating uphill against all the people promising quick fixes and spammy techniques. But if you're a creative person with a geeky side, or the other way around, this is a perfect career.”

If you don’t want to take work home with you, marketing’s great for that. On Glassdoor’s list of the best roles for work-life balance, six of the top 25 jobs were in marketing, including SEO manager, social media manager, digital marketing manager, marketing assistant, marketing analyst and content manager.

The odds are that you’ll feel less dissatisfied with your job when you’ve got good job security and a stable income. Unlike many other industries, marketing’s not particularly cut-throat: jobs are plentiful and the work conditions can be pretty cosy. In 2016, the median pay for marketing managers was US$127,560, with as many as 249,600 new job openings in the US. In Europe, a marketing manager could expect to earn a median salary of £32,752 (US$45,400) in the UK, €49,894 in Germany (US$61,130) and €42,105 in Italy (US$51,600), according to PayScale.

If you fancy yourself as a bit of a creative soul but aren’t willing to compromise on a stable income, marketing might be a good way to use your skills, as it’s one of the few industries that will turn a business idea into original and emotive content.

Michelle Tackabery works as a merchandise manager for DoubleBlaze Consulting. She’s been working in marketing as a ghostwriter and a strategist for the past 18 years, and she particularly enjoys the creative side of her job. She said: “In marketing, you can write every day, across a wide variety of disciplines, and take home a nice check. Your creativity will grow, and strengthen, as a result.”

Convinced? Train for marketing careers at LUMSA in Rome

Their master’s degree in marketing and digital communications is a two-year program fully taught in English. It will equip you will the specialist skills and technical know-how you need to pursue careers in communication and marketing in the public and private sectors, including web marketing and digital advertising, web analytics and data mining, brand management, business planning, events and public relations. The degree also includes the possibility to complete an internship with a business, marketing agency or a non-profit through the university.