A practical guide to a marketers career.

OK, so you're a fresh graduate from college now... CONGRATS! This exciting new chapter brings in tons of possibilities to follow the path that you've always dreamed of. Where do you start, how do you get your big break?

Envision this: the days of this or that are constantly blending, which means that the demand for resourceful marketers is constantly growing. Your responsibility now is to polish your skill set to match that amazing internship you're aiming for.

Do you want to break into a tech company? Do you want to start in a pharmaceutical company or a retailer? All of these are separate industries, and as such, they require a fine-tuned perspective that can only be gained by applying a specific set of tools, strategically.

It's not impossible to make a lateral movement in marketing, although by experience, I can tell you that once you start and immerse yourself in all aspects of the company and the bigger industry that it's in, the bigger your love is going to be for that pathway.

Let's get to the point: what are these "tools" that we're talking about? Turns out there are soft skills and hard skills. They go hand in hand. These are some examples from Coursera:

Hard skills stem from tools like CRM and analytics software. This is very easy to teach. Soft skills, on the other hand; involve empathy, communication, negotiation, etc. While these can be taught as well, only time can help you develop a balance between both skill sets, setting you up for success.

If you desire to be an excellent manager, you must first become an excellent team player. Can you go the extra mile? Are you willing to receive feedback and really use it? Will you learn from teammates to gain professional strength?

Many people underestimate the bigger picture. Most people are only focused on climbing the corporate ladder. If you're at a crossroads, starting your marketing career, please research, find the industry you like the most, and start developing that skill set.