Making the right choice
Most people are unaware that there are other options other than university as schools do not educate students on this due to university being the popular choice among people. Although apprenticeships are becoming more popular, there are still many people who do not know there is this other option for them. Understanding that there are other options beside university is crucial for those people who feel better suited to working from the get-go.
People who are not suited to university may feel trapped into applying due to pressure from their school or parents or they are not familiar with apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are ideal for those who want to gain on the job experience and learn in practical environments.
Why an apprenticeship?
Apprenticeships are often deemed less credible than a degree at university. However, I disagree completely. Of course, a degree is well respected and a credible qualification, but it is not the only option for people post school and it is important that everyone knows their options and can explore their choices.
Apprenticeships are an excellent way to gain knowledge similar to a degree whilst gaining experience whilst on the job. You still receive a qualification at the end of your apprenticeship which can vary from a level 2 and go right up to a level 7 apprenticeship which is degree level- all whilst working and gaining valuable on the job experience which sets you apart from graduates who have a degree but no experience. Furthermore, apprentices have years of experience by the time someone at university gets their degree and most graduates struggle to get jobs after university as 45% feel unprepared whilst most apprentices are guaranteed a job once they complete their apprenticeship.
Another key reason why an apprenticeship may be attractive to you is that you get paid and “earn whilst you learn”. Many companies offer a competitive salary whilst providing you with extensive training and experience which you gain practically on the job. In addition to this, whilst completing you apprenticeship, you will have valuable networking opportunities which will boost your professional and personal skills.
Digital Marketing
What is it?
Digital Marketing to the use of digital channels to market products and services to reach consumers. This type of marketing involves the use of websites, mobile devices, social media, search engines, and other similar channels. This means there are many different routes you can specialise within digital marketing, or you can also be subjective to all of them.
Why should you pursue a career in Digital Marketing
Constantly evolving
There are constantly new platforms being introduced and creating massive change in the industry. For example, Tiktok, which has quickly become one of the most popular social media apps. The platform gained massive popularity in 2020 and has been downloaded over three billion times. It generated an estimated $4.6 billion revenue in 2021 which is a massive 142% increase year-on-year. This completely changed the way in which companies needed to advertise, especially to younger people who are the main consumers of Tiktok. Trends are always changing which means a career in digital marketing is always new and exciting.
The less obselite way of marketing
While traditional marketing still has its place in the world, digital marketing is quickly taking over thanks to affordability and analytics.
More and more marketing agencies are increasing their digital marketing budgets in terms of social or search and massively decreasing in other marketing areas such as TV or print. This is mainly because of the analytics and the accessibility to users as you can directly target a certain audience online.
Post Covid-19
Covid-19 has disrupted the ways of marketing and has favoured digital marketing as everything, and everyone turned online. This accelerated the direction of marketing towards digital.
During the pandemic, shops close and we saw a massive rise in e-commerce due to shops temporarily shutting. Businesses also turned online as millions started working from home which meant that we were all online a lot more and were exposed to digital marketing.
Social media marketing became increasingly popular during the pandemic as most of us had more time to spend on our phones so influencer marketing and sponsored ads on platforms became a crucial way to reach people. Entertainment apps such as Spotify and YouTube also saw a massive rise in listen/watch time, so this avenue was also incredibly effective at reaching users. Spotify had its monthly active users increase 31% year over year during covid. YouTube saw an increase in certain trends such as videos on meditation (55% increase), cooking (100% increase) and working out (200% increase).
This increase in consumption of digital, whether it be social media or search, has meant there has been a massive increase in digital marketing. Although the world has started to open up, the effects of lockdowns and the pandemic on the whole will remain prevalent in society for the foreseeable so digital marketing will continue to grow and be one of the easiest ways to market to consumers.
High demand
According to LinkedIn, the “Digital Marketing Specialist” role is among the top 10 most in-demand jobs, with, 860,000 job openings. The most requested experience in digital marketing includes social media, content strategy, SEO, analytics, and more.
Next steps
How to find and apply to an apprenticeship?
If you think that an apprenticeship is something you would want to pursue after school, then here are the best ways to get started in applying.
- Begin researching apprenticeship providers and make an account with them. Sign up to their notifications and email lists so you are notified every time a new role comes out. Great providers that I recommend are Multiverse, QA Apprenticeships, Arch apprenticeships and Notgoingtouni
- Start developing your skills and learn new ones by enrolling on to different courses online. This is not only something you can add to your CV, it will also set you apart from other candidates if you already know skills that are needed for your role. A great place to start is going onto Google Digital Garage and trying Google Analytics.
- Finally, apply to jobs that suit you and your needs. Always do your research beforehand to ensure the apprenticeship is right for you. This can be daunting, especially getting to interview stages and although it is scary, it is also incredibly rewarding. With every interview you do, you will gain more knowledge about yourself that you will be able to reapply it to future interviews.
Always remember that as one door closes, another one will open. There will always be an apprenticeship for you and if you need further help there are resources on The Apprenticeship Network website.
