Marketing Degree vs Agency Experience, what matters?

There are many things to consider when you’re trying to figure out which path is right for you – marketing degree or experience? It can be tough to decide which route is best for you, but ultimately it comes down to what matters most to you and your career goals. For example, suppose you’re aiming for a management or leadership position in the marketing industry. In that case, a degree will give you the theoretical knowledge and framework that you need to be successful. But, if you’re more interested in hands-on learning and being in the trenches of campaigns and projects, then working at an agency will give you more practical experience.

The industry is changing, and a traditional bachelor’s degree may not be necessary for all positions. 

Marketing has become a digital-focused, rapidly changing industry. The growing number of interdisciplinary roles, self-education opportunities, and its fast-moving pace make marketing more accessible than it’s ever been. Marketing’s digital evolution also means that university curriculums often can’t keep up with all of the skills you need to succeed 

and the tools available to marketers. While a traditional degree can help you get your foot in the door, experience and knowledge can be just as valuable.

But are there real benefits to having a bachelor’s degree over starting working and gaining experience in either in-house or agency?

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The short answer is it depends on what sort of marketing career journey you want to have. There is no doubt having a formal degree will stand you in good stead for the future should you decide to change your career path down the track. That piece of paper alone could open doors that years of experience may not, but you need to consider the cost and time and decide if it is worth it. Most marketing jobs within a more extensive marketing team often ask for at least 1 year of experience, but if it’s your first role, how do you get the experience? So it’s possible that even if you don’t have the years’ experience, your degree may give you the upper hand as you will have the skillset that you have studied. At the same time, many marketing agencies will often allow you to gain that skill set with hands-on agency work.

A marketing degree is about the knowledge of basic marketing principles and constructs; a successful marketing professional will have a solid ability to determine a marketing strategy based on market research and communicate those ideas in a compelling way. Agency experience or any marketing experience will focus on you gaining marketing skills through real-time work.

There are specific skills employers will look for when hiring for a marketing role; such as communication skills, decision making, project management etc. As long as you have the ability to demonstrate your knowledge and skills, there don’t often care how you got there. In addition, you can learn and practice many of these skills independently or within a course setting.

Within a degree, you will be exposed to those traditional skills that most people associate with marketing, like digital marketing, content marketing, social media marketing, public relation etc. These skills can, of course, be learnt on the job, along with other specialised skills such as PPC, SEO, copywriting and email marketing. If you don’t have a degree, then you’ll want another way to prove your knowledge and skills. There are many free courses through platforms like HubSpot, Google, Facebook Blueprint etc. You can highlight those on your resume and LinkedIn profile to show that you have a strong foundation and will be able to hit the ground running when starting a new position.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to making a career in marketing; it boils down to you and your situation. At the end of the day, prospective employees and clients only really care about whether you can provide the value they’re looking for. All they’re really asking themselves is whether bringing you on board will help them achieve their business goals.