In 2013 you would have found me starting my career in online marketing at one of the UK’s leading law firms. Little did I know at the time that this would become the start of my thriving career, after all, at the time I was only 16 and admittedly testing the waters before I committed myself to a career route.

However, after 8 months at the law firm and after being introduced to local entrepreneur Elton Boocock I took the decision to leave the comfy position I held for a new opportunity as the lead social media marketer at Urban Media, a rapidly growing web design and online marketing company with offices across the UK.

But I’m pleased to say that this decision was the best I’ve ever made, and six months on I’m not only bringing home almost 400% more but also waking up every morning knowing that I’ll be learning something new, helping businesses grow and working alongside a fantastic team of creatives.

Within this Medium post I’m going to explore what I’ve learnt in the my first six months at a marketing agency and hopefully provide others considering entering a similar field with the motivation they need, as well as a few reality checks.

I didn’t know sh*t

At the age of 16 and earning a respectful wage I admittedly thought I knew everything about online marketing and business. However, in a just a few days at a marketing agency I came to learn that I didn’t know sh*t.

If you was to ask me in 2013 how I would have responded to somebody telling me this I would have likely flipped my lid. However, today I’m pleased that I get to go to work everyday and learn something new. Whether it is related to social media marketing, business or SEO.

The harsh reality is that at the age of 16 I may have worked from the day I left school but I still had a lack of knowledge. But as I said above I love the fact that I can now walk out of work everyday having learnt something new, which I can put to use the very next day.

The customer isn’t always right

We’ve all heard the phrase “the customer is always right.” However, after six months at Urban Media I’m well aware that this isn’t always the case and in reality the customer can often be ill-informed.

But this isn’t to say that you’re always right as in my experience the only time when an issue arrises is when the marketing agency has failed to inform the customer of a fine piece of information which later causes conflict.

The reality is that pointing the finger simply doesn’t work and you would be more efficient spending your time explaining every fine detail at the start of the relationship rather than coming across road blocks in the future.

Don’t drop your own bucket to carry somebody else's

It’s human nature to want to help others, particularly your colleagues. However, you should never drop your own bucket to carry somebody else’s.

The reality is that by dropping your own work load to help others you’re simply prolonging the overall issue and in reality while it may gain you brownie points helping a team member it will all come back to bite you.

You don’t have to get it perfect, you just need to get it started

Back in February before I joined the team at Urban Media I admittedly over planned everything and this was a strong skill at the time. However, after six months I’ve come to learn that over planning can hold you back, particularly in the social media marketing field.

Marketing is a continuously developing industry with platforms, techniques and consumer attitudes changing every day. It is because of this that the search for perfection can often leave you having to catch up with others.

So, to conclude. Throughout the past six months I’ve learnt a lot about how marketing and business work, and ultimately it is the best education I could have asked for.

I hope to be working alongside the team at Urban Media for many months to come and I would advice anybody considering a career in marketing to consider joining such a company.

What have you learnt in your current position? Leave a note alongside this paragraph. Finally, if you’ve enjoyed reading this Medium post please recommend it and share it with your friends.