Career coach for marketer facing ageism

[EatingWormsMichael]

Has anyone used a career coach? Was it useful?

I currently work in comms and marketing. I think I'm good at some aspects (writing clearly and concisely) but get overwhelmed/turned off by the tactical stuff like seo, social media, etc.

I'm 45 and in recent years have found colleagues being dismissive of what I can offer. They talk about being on tiktok and using video, and how young people are fluent in these things. We are a b2b company and our target audience isn't particularly youthful, but I just sound like a stuck in the mud dinosaur when I make this case!

I think I've chosen a career with a shelf life, and I'm nearing my expiry date.

A new start would be great, but I've no idea what to work towards! So I'm thinking a career coach might be useful. Grateful for any advice!

There has been loads of threads on this.

Basically, anyone can call themselves a coach, so if you do want to use one, make sure you do your research.

I did some coaching courses through work and it's basically a facilitated conversation to help you to come to your own conclusion. It can be useful, but Is no magic wand.

Maybe you should look at sidestepping into areas or industries there are adjacent to your current one eg internal comms or doing a similar role in an an organisation they you enjoy working in.

Good luck

I work in B2B marketing, agency side, and we are desperate for long-form & conceptual copywriters. The social copy is done by separate specialists. For the longer copy you might need to incorporate SEO keywords, but arguably you don't need to understand the research behind why it's those particular terms.

Interestingly any agency I've work at, the copy team typically has the oldest median age. I think it may be where you are, rather than the career/role.

Thanks, some food for thought there. I've been considering moving into organisational development as I enjoy internal comms, so I might explore that further.

You're in a badly run team/department.

Social is ONE tactic. Just one.

Before you even get to tactics you've got segmentation, target and positioning. Then there's strategy, all the other tactics, the branding that feeds the tactics, pricing, all sorts of other things. I refuse to age out of an industry I love because I cba making tik toks. Use your grievance process for ageism, access the right training to stay on top of things, but if you're being made to feel like you don't have a contribution to make, move jobs.

I'm in marketing, mid 50s, had lots of jobs in recent years (my choice). You don't need to switch careers, just move to a more suitable organisation. Some of the contracts I've had, I've been the only marketing person and viewed as a miracle worker!

Yes I can confirm its a toxic culture. I can never do enough, they expect huge results with zero budget and minimal resource. The ageist attitudes have tipped me over the edge. I want out have zero confidence in my abilities any more.

I think it's just that company!

You aren't a dinosaur.

Join mums in marketing on fb

It definitely sounds like where you are. I’m only 3 years younger than you and though admittedly my background is in digital, I’ve moved into a more generalist senior leadership role in the last few years. In B2B - especially B2B tech - content is one of the most important elements of a strategy. Content for top of funnel, content for demand gen, middle of funnel product content, content for email nurturing, content for bottom of funnel, customer success etc etc. I could go on!

I can’t do content and rely on good content marketers heavily.