
Ask HN: As a Marketer which direction should I take my skills? - havoc2005
6+ years of marketing experience and a BS in IT.<p>Itching to become more technical or figure out what paths I can take my skills.<p>What are some of my options in terms of learnings that can help me stand out more ie: a masters degree, technical skills, online courses?<p>I know this is broad. Any thoughts are appreciated.
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yigitcakar
I have faced a similar decision myself, and instead of going fully technical I
thought I might just have the urge to create something other than marketing
what other people create. After months of thinking I decided to be a designer
instead of a programmer. I still write code for enjoyment and automatizing
simple tasks, but I also find graphic design feeds my itch, my urge to create
while also using my marketing and sales skills. And at the company I am
working for, I can see how my marketing skills and thinking patterns are
adding value to everything we do. If I were you, I would seek the reasons
behind that urge to go technical, and find a path that you can utilize your
past all the while satisfying your itch.

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havoc2005
This is a good approach. I think my urge comes from several areas.

1\. Not feeling like I've done enough re: education. There's always a feeling
that I need to have a graduate degree to gain some level of knowledge I can't
self-study, to gain a network that might be closed to me without the
credential, to feel like I tried harder.

And if I'm being honest, it's partially my ego that is driving this, ie: I
want a degree from a top school just to know I was able to do it to not
continue to have this regret lingering in the back of my mind.

2\. I want to create. Your approach is great. I want to be more of a builder
that way I can combine my marketing skills with building products.

3\. I feel like I'm not accomplishing enough. So what are the levers I can
pull to accelerate this? It seems like a graduate degree and a complementary
skill set like coding would satisfy this itch.

