A Future That’s Already Failing the Next Generation.
So here’s the dream we were sold; Digital marketing is booming. It’s modern. It’s exciting. It’s the secret engine behind every brand, every ad, every perfectly-timed email that makes you question whether your phone is reading your mind. Master the tools, SEO, PPC, CRO, CTR, and you’re set. Become fluent in Customer Journey Mapping, Email Automation, Retargeting, A/B Testing, and you’re basically a wizard. Get good at performance marketing, and the doors will open.
Except…
They don’t. Not really anyway.
Not even when you’ve done everything right. I am: 25, almost 26, holding a BA in Media Design and Multimedia Arts from Milan, trained in everything from film and animation to game design, advertising, and audio production. Wrapping up an MBA in Digital Marketing in Bangkok by this September. Freelanced. Interned. Built campaigns. Done branding, visuals, strategy. 7 months into applying and still nothing. Not a callback, not a second glance unless it's to remind me I need a work visa or fluent local language skills. And here’s the twist, it’s not just me. I asked around friends in Melbourne, San Francisco, Canada, Kenya, India, Dubai, Bangkok. Everyone within the marketing sector. Everyone technically “prepared.” All saying the similar things, Because now the rules are different. Companies want entry-level candidates with senior-level experience. Internships don’t count unless you were employee of the month. You're expected to prove your value before you're given a chance to create any. And if you're an international applicant? Great, now add immigration red tape, salary requirements, and local only hiring preferences into the mix. Congratulations. You're now stuck in a job market shaped more like a spiral staircase made of ice and it's melting fast. And all this, all this mess, is happening in the middle of a statistical boom.
Digital marketing is the highest-earning sector in marketing today. Brands are spending billions. Agencies are scaling. Every marketing podcast starts with, “The industry is growing faster than ever.” So wait, where are the jobs? Or better yet: where’s the logic?
Digital marketing should be the field that rewards skill and creativity, not gate keeps opportunity. It’s the one industry built on breaking traditional models why is it still hiring like it’s 1999? The same field that believes in data-driven decisions, can’t seem to apply that thinking to it's hiring systems. The same companies using Conversion Rate Optimization to boost sales are doing zero optimization when it comes to giving new talent a foot in the door. It’s the definition of irony, an industry obsessed with tracking clicks, engagement, and attention, completely overlooking the human potential that’s already knocking.
We’ve built this digital playground with the promise of access, flexibility, innovation, and then told entire generations that unless they already have “5+ years of relevant experience,” they’re not allowed to play. Meanwhile, young professionals know how to move culture. They’re the ones who intuitively understand how to make content resonate, how to blend strategy with emotion, how to translate the noise of the internet into results. They live on the platforms that brands want to dominate. They know the rhythm, the trends, the tones. And most importantly, they care. But caring isn’t a credential. Not yet, anyway, So the loop continues more skilled grads, fewer accessible jobs. More demand for creativity, less willingness to nurture it. More companies begging for performance, fewer investing in people who can actually perform.
Digital marketing has the power to shape minds, change industries, and elevate voices. It’s the closest thing we have to modern magic. But until we fix the on ramp, the way people enter this space, all we’re doing is building a better future that no one can afford to live in.
No amount of retargeting is going to fix that.