Digital marketing is an industry that is rapidly expanding, which means there are many opportunities to begin and develop your career. It’s a field with a variety of career options and learning opportunities, but you need to take several things into consideration, as you would with any career. Here are five things you should know when considering a career in digital marketing.

1. Digital Technology Is Constantly Evolving

Digital technology seems to evolve every day. There are always new tools, such as smartphones, concepts, such as the Internet of Things and services, such as public wifi. For example, the transition from 4g to 5g has come with an influx of technology that uses or takes advantage of 5g connections, including 5g network slicing and 5g New Radio. Because digital marketing works in tandem with technology to market to consumers, it’s dependant on digital marketers understanding technology and keeping up with its evolution to succeed.

2. There Is A Wide Variety of Skills And Disciplines

Digital marketing is an incredibly versatile career choice, with dozens of disciplines and many hard and soft skills. You can choose from disciplines as diverse as web design and influencer marketing or software engineering and search engine optimization (SEO). Depending on what type of digital marketing you want to make a career in, you’ll need to develop the appropriate associated skills, such as advertising and marketing writing, video editing, programming, branding, visual design and data analytics. You should also seek to develop soft skills, such as problem solving, critical thinking and business strategizing.

3. Degrees And Certificates Help You Get Better Jobs

You don’t necessarily need a college degree to begin a career in digital marketing, but earning one or getting certified in digital marketing or related fields can help you get better jobs in the industry. If you choose to pursue higher education, make sure you take into account student loans, whether you want to be a full-time student or a part-time one and what aspects of digital marketing you want to focus on. You may have more flexibility by choosing to work toward various certifications, because course lengths tend to be shorter. Both options are good additions to any resume.

4. You’ll Have Several Employment Options

Not only are there many disciplines to choose from in digital marketing but there are also a few different types of employment you can choose from. Many people decide to pursue digital marketing as freelancers, but others find their careers in the industry beginning in dedicated digital advertising agencies or the marketing departments of large companies. Each option has unique benefits and drawbacks. For example, freelance work allows you far more flexibility than other career options, but it can be difficult to gain a foothold or find consistent work.

5. Being Creative And on Trend Is Vital

Digital marketing requires you to succeed not only in the latest technological advancements but also the latest trends in marketing and digital communications. To do so, make sure you continue to learn and network even after you start your digital marketing job. Attending seminars, getting certified in more areas of the industry and subscribing to relevant journals or newsletters are all great ways to do so. Creativity is also a must, as it is in traditional marketing work. The most obvious areas where creativity is valued in this industry are branding, visual design, content writing and video marketing, but your creativity can shine in other areas, too. You may use your creativity to develop unique marketing strategies or find clever solutions to software development issues, for example.

You don’t need to know exactly what you want to do in digital marketing if you’re interested in that career path, but having an idea of what you like about the field and what you’re good at can be quite helpful. Take advantage of activities, learning opportunities and chances to gain experience, all of which can help you determine what you want in your digital marketing career.