| Tami B. "I help small businesses and startups market themselves online. Their goal is to reach customers and sell something, like a new product, a service, an app, etc., but they don't really know where to begin. I help them set up and manage their online presence, which might include their website, an e-commerce store, social media platforms, email campaigns, and more." |
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Education
Required License(s)
None
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Required Degree(s)
Bachelor's degree
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Importance of GPA
not very important
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Tami's Highest Degree: Bachelor's degree (Bachelor of the Arts)
Tami's College Major: Telecommunication
Tami's College GPA Range: 3.6-3.9
Salary
Depends on Experience
$25,000 - $30,000 for entry-level
$100,000+ for senior-level
Getting the Job
How did you get your job?
I began my career right out of college as a TV news reporter (that's what I went to school for). I spent five years in TV before making the transition into public relations, which allowed for a much less stressful work schedule. Public relations is a common transition for people coming from journalism jobs. I got a job at a PR/advertising agency, and while working there realized I wanted to hone in on digital services (aka online). I started taking freelance clients on the side, and when I felt comfortable with my freelance income I left my full-time job to work for myself as a consultant.
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How important was networking to landing your position?
It wasn't necessarily very useful for landing my position, but it's very useful in getting new clients. Nearly all of my clients have been referred to me by a mutual friend or colleague, so it helps to know people in a wide variety of fields.
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Life on the Job
What is a typical day (or week) for you like?
Since I work for myself, my schedule is very flexible. I prefer to keep normal(ish) working hours, but work naturally creeps in on nights and weekends. A typical day might consist of creating and scheduling social media posts for clients, writing and posting blog posts, coordinating promotions or sales, writing and scheduling marketing emails, meeting with clients to plan our strategy, and doing my own admin "stuff" like accounting and billing. Sometimes I spend the day outside the office doing fun stuff like a photo shoot or media interview. Occasionally I travel for work to attend events or meet in person with an out-of-state client.
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How closely does your typical day (or week) match up to the general "job description" for your position?
I'd say it's a pretty standard digital marketing job, though people in this field tend to specialize on one thing or another. For example, I have a heavy workload of social media clients, while another digital marketing professional might do more search engine optimization or website development
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Does being a woman affect any aspect of your career?
On a day-to-day basis, it doesn't, but there have been times when I've needed to assert myself or "prove" myself simply because I was the only woman in a group of men. Thankfully these times have been few and far between.
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What is the best thing about your job?
Being my own boss and knowing that my successes are the direct result of my own hard work.
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What is the worst thing about your job?
Dealing with the ever-changing demands of clients.
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How demanding is your job?
Working for yourself is incredibly demanding in terms of time. For the first year I worked many, many nights and weekends. That gets better with time, though. There are periods where it's very mentally challenging. When things aren't going so well, you don't have anyone but yourself to blame or turn to for support. But, I'd say there are far more high points than there are lows.
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Do you have any advancement opportunities?
Working for yourself is interesting because it's up to you to create the "next step" in your career. For me, that might mean hiring full-time employees and growing into a full-fledged agency. Or, someone in my position might opt to go back into the corporate world as a marketing director for a major company. I've spent so much time helping other startups launch THEIR product lines that that's a very interesting option for me. I could see potentially creating and launching my own product or service OUTSIDE of marketing, and building an entirely different company.
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Advice for You
What are the skills, characteristics, or talents that are most important to be effective in your position?
Working well with many different personalities, being able to manage various projects that each have their own deadline, being motivated enough to work even when you don't have a "boss" to answer to.
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What advice would you give to someone thinking about pursuing a career like yours?
Regarding working for yourself, absolutely go for it. If you have an inkling that you want to be self-employed, you most likely won't be fully satisfied in any job until you are. Regarding marketing, be a sponge and learn everything you can, even if it means you won't make that much money right away. My time in TV and at a PR agency were both critical in putting me in the position to be able to eventually take on my own clients.
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If you could do it over again, would you still pursue the same career?
Probably, yes.
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Follow Up
Want to learn more?
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