Make no bones about it, after reading Jennifer Osborne’s excellent post about ‘So, You want a Career in SEO‘ and reading the poor woman’s frustration in trying to find a suitable applicant for a SEO/Online Marketing position within their company have I ever wanted to post about a subject of considering a career path in SEO.
Looking back on my own fledgling career within the industry if I were to score my progress, in a control freak type headmaster fashion, I’d probably score myself with a B-.
Reason being, is that no matter how much you progress in this business, there is always another page to turn.
Having not ventured into the industry, till I was in my – almost – mid thirties, has helped me with a number of learning curves and also hindered my online experience in the same vein. Y’see, in my other life, I was never a geek, more sports nut, one of the boys, live for the weekend types. Then suddenly, due to my own doings, I’m flung in amongst people at university who are a million miles away from what I’m used to conversing with.
But you adapt!
Most of the online people I know, started off as something else, no-one ever thought off SEO / Online Marketing as a day job, even if they knew off its existence.
I have been many things in my short life, but as an SEO I can truly put my hands up and say that nothing I have done workwise comes close to making you feeling like a God one week and ready for pulling your hair out the next. It can be that emotional sometimes.
Believe me, SEO affects your thinking process, it takes over your dreams, renders you speechless in normal social environments as you grind over in your mind that next pr release or link building tactic or blog post. SEO gets inbetween the bits you didn’t know existed!
Then add a dash of clients into the mix and your truly rocking. It is the ultimate compliment/ responsibility, that a person, company or organisation is willing to pay you in advance for you to deliver what they seek.
Of course, gaining measurable rankings is only part of the journey. Influencing how a site works, communicates and sells to a person browsing is something that comes along eventually with the territory. It is a very potent part of your armoury. SEO is NOT just about rankings – Lesson #1.
So, if your seeking the ultimate in scunnerism, have an addictive nature, seek highs, like to put yourself on the line and like learning from a never-ending book then SEO /Online Marketing is for you. Just don’t expect much sleep! And don’t say I never warned you so … welcome to the best experience of your life.
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Great Post Paul! I can totally relate to what you’re saying. SEO is so much more than a job it’s a passion. “SEO gets in between the bits that you didn’t know existed!” well said!
Thanks, Jennifer, it’s thanks to your excellent article that I just had to get it out my system.
Like a lot of people in the ‘web’ industry, they haven’t followed the typical career path as the field is so new and constantly developing. Usually at an alarming rate, that would make “traditional learning” difficult… which changes the goalposts for everyone.
Most people I’d spoken to learn and develop whilst working and are self-taught – so many people drop into the industry without really planning to. (*cough*Hello!*cough*) I think that makes the industry better – as people come in and out with varying experience and skills.
Meanwhile, SEO is like playing a board game, blindfolded without knowing the rules which are then changed with every move… easier to nail jellyfish to top of google
Diversity is what makes things tick Ben and SEO is a honeycomb of differing players, each and everyone of us has something to offer – no one can do it all, it’s like an ever expanding ripple of ideas and creativity.
Ahem.
Make that “jelly” rather than “jellyfish”… the above statement sounds rather cruel(!)
Think you just did!
Amen Paul, I remember you telling me how addictive SEO was and I didn’t believe you. Not only does it take over my thoughts during my spare time but good serps can put my mood up and down. If that’s not an addiction I don’t know what one is.
Yeah, I hear ya Calum, us SEO types get moody from SERPs and suffer from a condition where we need to be checking our analytics every 5 minutes.
If that’s not bad enough, what other job does having some form of OCD count as a good thing
Well put.
I found this all out when one day I woke up from a groggy pseudo-dream in which I was trying to figure out how I would get ‘link building’ into my laptop bag and bike to work. I know, it doesn’t make any sense.
LOL, yeah I’ve has some mad dreams as well – some of them have even ended up as blog posts on here :p
I enjoyed reading your post then headed over to read the original. I echo the points made about age. I too came to this game reasonably late. However I think there is real benefit from having commercial experience which means you can look at a client’s overall business objectives. Combining SEO with online PR and other tradtional marketing can be a good recipe.
Totally agree Phil, having overlapping skills in any industry is always a plus point.
I never looked at it like that, now with 7 years experiance I’ve heard all the bs there is and can spot a fakers CV a mile away. I must have interveiwed at least 100 people for online marketing positions and I’ve yet to hire someone straight out of Uni, they just don’t have the understanding. Once I explain what link building is and that’s what they’ll be doing every day for a wee while they look stuned. They’ve just noticed that the 7 P’s of marketing that they learned is useless.
I even had a girl fly over from Switzerland to Dublin for an interview, the position was for seo assistant at the time, everything seemed to go ok, she had firends in Ireland and could stay with them, she could speak a few languages, it was looking could until I asked her what her salary expectations was, I actually burst out laughing and showed her the door when she said £80K a year.
I had another girl pull her jumper lower down displaying more clevage when I told her she didn’t have the right experiance.
Ah, the ol’ cleavage trick, it’s never worked for me
I agree that the best SEO’s I have met have good life experience to back up their online search engine knowledge. I have done many things in my career including, stockbroker, real estate sales and restaurant manager. Around 9 years ago I got involved in online marketing as a hobby (selling stuff from an online game I was playing) and I never looked back. Everyday I come across SEO’s (I used that term loosely) that offer search engine submissions and Paul and Jane’s link wheels services….
Nice post. Thanks