17. Entering the Field of Marketing Analytics

Your background in marketing analytics prepares you for many possible roles.  Some very realistic paths for you to take are:

• As a member of the analytics team or department at a large, established company; or
• As a “jack of all trades” within a startup who performs some analytics work, along with other operational tasks; or 
• As a member of a consultancy that provides analytics solutions for its clients

As you explore postings, you might look into job titles that explicitly include words such as “Data”, “Analyst,” “Data Analytics” and “Data Analyst.”  That having been said, do not fixate too closely on titles.  There is no centralized entity out there that controls the use, and granting, of titles.  At some companies, “Data Scientist” is a Ph.D. or Ph.D.-equivalent researcher with recognized expertise in the fields of machine learning and artificial intelligence.  At other companies, “Data Scientist” could be the cool title bestowed upon a new hire who will compile slides with charts for the weekly staff meeting.  Focus more on the job responsibilities, rather than the title, when assessing your fit with different positions.

When you assess the stated responsibilities, keep in mind that you may not be expected to perform all of those tasks on the first day.  Do not be afraid to apply for a ‘stretch’ role along the way, in which you can expect to use some existing skills while also doing considerable on-the-job learning. Avoid the trap of thinking you must be fully ready for any position to which you apply.  If you insisted on waiting until you were completely, fully ready before starting any new position, when would you ever make any career move?  

One of the biggest mistakes that we see among job applicants is that they count themselves out of a position before even applying, because they see that they lack some skill or qualification mentioned in the description.  If a position interests you, then you should apply for it.  If you’re really not qualified?  Let someone else make that decision.  Do not underestimate the amount of knowledge that you will acquire as part of the job search process.