What is the career path for marketing?

The career path for marketing includes jobs as a marketing coordinator, a marketing manager, and a director of marketing.

Beneath the umbrella of these titles are several different specific roles of marketing coordinators, managers, and directors. Depending on what area of marketing you specialize in will dictate your potential career path in marketing.

In terms of education, you can receive a marketing degree at several different academic levels. These degrees help to educate you on the strategies involved in marketing and also to expand your skill set with the proper marketing attributes.

Here are the different degrees you can obtain in marketing:

• Associate's degree. This degree generally takes two years to obtain and provides a good foundation for knowledge in marketing strategies, and methods. Some topics you might encounter include general business operations, best strategies for communications, and promotional campaign planning or management.

• Bachelor's degree. Bachelor's degrees in marketing typically take four years to earn. This degree will provide additional education and even some specialization in different areas of marketing, and more complex strategies and practices. Some courses you take for this degree cover business-to-business (B2B) marketing, consumer marketing, marketing analysis and research, brand management, brand strategy, traditional marketing techniques, digital marketing techniques, and professional selling.

• Master's degree. Obtaining a master's degree in marketing is a good way to advance quickly in the career path of marketing. You'll likely have access to higher-level roles in the industry and be able to obtain better salaries. During your master's education in marketing, you are likely to be exposed to analytics of marketing, statistics for marketing, consumer insights and how these apply to decision-making, digital marketing strategies and techniques, advertising communications, and social media communications.

• Doctorate degree. This is the highest degree you can obtain in marketing, and is encouraged if you wish to start a career as a marketing professor at a college, or wish to obtain a top-tier leadership position at a company. Topics you will encounter during your marketing doctoral studies include advanced consumer research techniques, measurements of marketing data analytics, consumer-related marketing design, and information processing for marketing. Generally, doctoral degrees culminate with the writing of a dissertation research paper related to a specific facet of marketing.

Internships are a critical tool for those starting out on the marketing path. These act as professional experience and resume-building opportunities. Completing internships can increase your chances of being hired by large marketing companies in an entry-level position, or gaining a low-level position within a company's marketing department.

Gaining an entry-level marketing role as a coordinator or specialist of some kind is the first step on the career path of marketing. Here are some of the most common entry-level marketing positions:

• Marketing coordinator

• Account coordinator

• Project coordinator

• Social media coordinator

• Event marketing coordinator

• Marketing specialist

• Event marketing specialist

The tasks that entry-level marketing roles have vary, but usually they involve assisting with research, customer service, administrative tasks, and reporting to account executives, media planners, and client services managers.

The professional experience for these roles falls in the 0 to 2 years range. Average salaries at this tier average between $45,000 to $55,000 per year. As mentioned above, an internship can help you to gain one of these positions. These roles involve basic marketing tasks, and if you excel, you are given slightly more marketing responsibilities, and possibly the opportunity to assist with creative processes, reports, and marketing forecasting.

The next stage on the marketing career path is the marketing manager role. Here are some common marketing manager positions:

• Sales manager

• Advertising manager

• Public relations manager

• Brand manager

• Social media manager

• Product marketing manager

• Community manager

These roles typically require at least three to four years of professional experience in marketing. The average salary for this tier of marketing is between $60,000 to $75,000 per year.

Marketing managers develop, manage, and evaluate marketing strategies at a company or firm. These roles typically require a strong foundation of marketing knowledge, experience, and skills. Skills involving communication, organization, leadership, and creativity are especially important at this stage.

The next stage on the marketing career path is the director of marketing position. Here are some common director roles in marketing:

The experience required for director positions is generally at least six to seven years of professional marketing experience and experience above the level of a coordinator or specialist. The average salaries for these roles fall in the range of $80,000 to $110,000 per year.

Directors of marketing focus solely on marketing strategy. They receive research and reports from subordinate marketing professionals that they then use to develop sometimes complex marketing strategies.

The penultimate stage on the career path in marketing is the role of a VP of marketing. Common roles in this area include:

• Vice president of marketing

• Vice president of brand development

• Vice president of digital marketing

To become a VP of marketing you are likely to need at least 12 to 14 years of professional marketing experience. Salaries for these roles range between $120,000 to $210,000 per year.

Vice presidents of marketing utilize a mixture of leadership, technical skills, and business abilities to perform their jobs. They often act as a spokesperson for a company, so they must be adept at communication and public speaking. Some might also be involved in the hiring processes for a marketing company, or the marketing department at a large company.

The ultimate and last stage on the marketing career path is the role of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). This is the most senior-level position a marketing professional can obtain. They are responsible for overseeing all marketing departments, strategies, methods, campaigns, and any other marketing initiatives.

This executive role generally requires you to have at least 20 years of professional experience in marketing. Salaries for this position range from $150,000 to $320,000 per year.

Along the career path of marketing obtaining certifications is a great way to advance your career, and help you to prove your qualifications and expertise in marketing. Here are some marketing certifications to consider:

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) certification

• Advanced Social Media certification

• Advanced Pay Per Click (PPC) certification

• Professional Certificate in Digital Marketing

• Microsoft Advertising Certification

• Google Analytics Individual Qualification Exam

• YouTube Certification

• HubSpot Content Marketing Certification

• Facebook BluePrint Marketing Certification

The marketing career path is a great one to take because marketing jobs are in high demand and the demand is only increasing. Also, there are so many individual niches of marketing that it makes specializing in one field a really great option to determine your career trajectory.