The digital industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. With 3 billion people (40% of the world’s population) already using the internet according to smartinsight, the sector is only set to rise as it’s estimated that by the year 2020 there will be an expected 20 million people employed in various different careers throughout the industry. Here are some narrowed down some potential career paths which you can find within the digital industry. SEO Consultant / Executive Whatever you would prefer to call them, they all carry out the same job – Search Engine Optimization (SEO). These people are often found starting as web developers, designers, online advertisers, marketers or writers. Many have learnt about SEO through reading Google’s SEO starter guide; with this and many other online guides you are able to get a great head start. Search engine optimization is a process that is carried out to enhance the visibility of a website in a search engine’s results, bringing more visitors to the site. SEO Consultants will liaise with a business to help their website rank higher, this is essential for any business that wants to reach out to an online audience not only to grow but to maintain their customer base. You need to be a highly motivated individual and have an analytical mind in order to succeed in this role. Qualifications in SEO are available, typically at Diploma level, and it generally makes up chunks of courses or degrees in Digital Marketing. The average salary for an SEO Consultant is around £30,000. Content Marketer Content Marketing involves creating, publishing and sharing content online. There are many different forms of content ranging from writing, videos, images, apps or games. The purpose of this exercise is to attract more readers and users of this content, increasing the awareness of a site or brand, and generating more visitors to the site it is hosted on. Many English Graduates find themselves searching for these roles after graduation as Content Marketers need to have an excellent level of English as well as needing to be able to work well under pressure, meeting strict deadlines. Other common routes into content marketing can be a successful background as a blogger, freelance writers or some form of traditional marketing. These are just some of the various different routes that can help you to land yourself in this role. The average salary for a content marketer is around £21,000. Web Developer Web Developers are able to create interactive pieces of websites, with excellent features and an enjoyable user experience. This again can drive more traffic to the site, again generating more customers. A Web Developer has designed and created the web pages and wrote the codes that have lead you right here onto this site. Developers are often required to know or have training for HTML and CSS, two common languages behind the coding in websites. There are many places that offer such training. As for the interactive features on websites, many businesses will ask for unique ways to market their company and encourage engagement with their customers. This is where Developers come in, building fun and creative pieces that potential customers can use and share with their friends, therefore promoting the company or brand. Customers are able to gain information and have fun with the use of the interactive piece, often making them a huge success. The average salary of a Web Developer is £30,000. How can you get into these careers? If you are already working for a company they may already have an in-house marketing team – take a look and see what you need to do to progress over to that part of the company. There is also the option of looking at working for a digital marketing agency which provide full digital services to their customers: a great way for you to expand your knowledge, being able to work alongside people all contributing towards the same job but in different ways. Another option would be to take a look down the avenue of internships and apprenticeships, which can often lead into full time jobs. Even if you don’t get the job after you finish, you will have gained the experience to progress further within a different company. Xchange training offer relevant digital courses, completing these will show you have a keen interest and passion for the area that you’re willing to keep up and learn new things. Carrying out these courses is also another thing to boast about on your CV, getting that step closer to an interview where you can then show off your enthusiasm and win the employer over. Employers really do love to see determination and passion, as it’s better to have an employee who is determined and passionate towards the area, compared to an individual that has the official qualifications but absolutely no enthusiasm at all. What qualifications do you need? Many successful people within the digital industry don’t have any digital qualifications, these people have taught themselves, they are self-learners that have skills which have made them good at learning a job and can adapt to an ever changing industry. Just recently there have been more qualifications available for the younger generation. There are now Social Media and Digital Marketing apprenticeships where you are provided with an on-the-job experience, you are paid for your time, and you receive a qualification once completed which is usually a Level 3 Diploma in Digital Marketing and/or Social Media. To go for these jobs you’ll need to be creative, eager to learn, motivated, organized, able to work under pressure and great at meeting deadlines.