Changing Careers in your 30's- Sales to Marketing
By: Sandy Brown
Tags: Marketing, Job Search, Digital Marketing Career, Mental Health, Career Paths

To say my career trajectory was not planned is an understatement. When you’re in your 20’s hustling your butt off to move up the corporate ladder, the expectation is to make at least 6 figures by the time you’ve hit 30. At least, that was my career plan. By the time 27 hit, I had a great paying job, fantastic benefits, and a growing 401k . Yet, something was not right. Why!! At this point, I worked at the same company for six years with three promotions under my belt, but it was still a struggle to get out of bed and head into the office.

I worked at a cushy sales job at a Top Fortune 500 Company and had a set plan to move from my entry level position into a director level role. On the way up, I started to side eye the marketing department. I networked with the marketing department and made in-person visits to the corporate office which was about an 1 hour away just to make my interest and presence known in the department. I applied to countless positions and tried to leverage existing contacts to get my foot in the door. I even applied at other companies. Let’s just say I did all the the things. It all came down to the same issue. No Marketing Experience.

With digital marketing on the rise, companies were, and still are ,looking for candidates with existing skills sets to bring to the table. I decided at the ripe age of 29 to seek out an internship. Now I’ve actually voiced this option to co-workers who would exclaim incredulously, “You’re too old for an internship!” Talk about a soul-crusher when you’re already feeling lost and defeated. Then, the unexpected happened. I was laid off after 8 years. I can’t lie. It was devastating to lose a steady paycheck, yet, I was relieved that my time there was over. I felt a gigantic weight lift from my shoulders.

So I took the leap. I accepted a non-paid internship which eventually led to a contracted role. Now, financially, I took a hit. I could have applied at a competitor for the same role, but that felt unimaginable and so wrong. I went with my gut and moved forward with the internship. Granted, I accepted an internship in a sales role at a marketing agency. Now, it may seem like I was taking a million steps back, but I had a plan to show my worth and move into a marketing role. I succeeded. I could now revamp my resume with new skill sets. I began applying and soon accepted a new role as an entry level digital marketing analyst at another Marketing Agency. What I learned from my career journey from Sales to Marketing are the multiple titles and varying scopes of work. Title and scope of work changes from company to company, especially within Marketing as no business is alike, so it was important that when I interviewed for positions to highlight day-to-day tasks that matched the role I was applying for which really helped during the application process.

I was still job searching even with my newly acquired marketing job. I know, I know…. The role just did not hit all the marks I was looking for and needed. I needed a role that matched the type of marketing work I wanted to do and offered a salary where I could make a living without struggling. As I was nearing the 2 year mark as a digital marketing analyst, I decided to heavily apply to new marketing roles. I found Linkedin and Craiglist to be the best source in finding open positions. After 3 months of notoriously submitting job applications working through the constant no’s, rejections, unfortunately,…. emails, and countless interviews, I was offered a role as a Growth Marketing Manager at an awesome company. Whoa, whoa, whoa.

I’ll be honest. This was hard. An extremely humbling experience that forced me to deal with inner trauma’s and face the demons holding me back from greatness. If you think this is a bit dramatic, I can assure you that it is not. I had to hit rock bottom, emotionally & physically, to see that I needed to nurture my mental health. I did not realize these mental blocks kept me from killing my interviews and putting forth the best side of myself. I accepted the fact that I needed to consult a therapist and started my sessions. My outlook in life and how I viewed myself changed drastically. I did not expect that to happen, but I am thankful. I exuded a liveliness and confidence in my interviews which led to 2 job offers, 3 if I include the pending promotion at my, then, current role.

When you’re highly focused and determined, always remember that what is meant for you will be yours. There is not one person that will steal it from you. The challenge, the person you need to beat to find IT, is yourself.