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Your plan

Your AI for Marketing plan

Tell us where you are and where you want to go. Your plan skips what you've already earned and shows the next certifications for your level.

1 Where are you now?
2 What do you want next?
3 What do you already have? Check all that apply
4 Where do you work?
5 What can you spend?
Showing the starting plan

New to marketing · Get a marketing job

Answer question 1 to tailor this plan to your level.

Next milestoneLearn how generative AI works ↓

Three ways in

Entry level marketing job

Apply nowPaid from day one

Best if You have a degree or related experience and want a coordinator or assistant role.

BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry education. Free Google, HubSpot and AI certificates show hiring managers you can use the tools on day one.

Entry titles vary: marketing coordinator, digital marketing assistant, social media coordinator.

Switch from another job

A few monthsKeep your current pay while you learn

Best if You work in sales, customer service or another field and want to move into marketing.

BLS notes managers often come from related sales, research or public relations jobs. Free certifications plus marketing tasks at your current job build a track record.

Volunteer for marketing work where you are now; it counts as experience.

Freelance or your own business

Start this weekPaid per project

Best if You want to market a small business, your own or a client's.

Run real campaigns on a small budget with Google, Meta and AI tools, and keep the results as your portfolio.

Results you can show matter more than the number of certificates.

Your steps

6 steps for you

  1. Learn how generative AI works

    2 to 6 hoursFree options

    Start with a free course that explains what AI tools can and cannot do. It makes every marketing AI tool easier to learn.

    • Take Anthropic AI Fluency or OpenAI Academy AI Foundations; both give a free certificate or badge.
    • If you want a Google branded certificate, Google AI Essentials is a paid Coursera course.

  2. Earn the free Google certifications

    About 75 minutes per exam, plus studyFree

    Google Ads and Google Analytics certifications are free on Skillshop and are what many marketing teams use daily. Each exam is 75 minutes with an 80% pass mark, and certifications are valid for one year.

    • Start with Google Ads Search, then Google Analytics.
    • Add AI Powered Performance Ads to show you can run Google's AI driven campaigns.
    • Set a reminder: you can recertify starting 30 days before the one year expiry.

  3. Add free HubSpot certifications

    3 to 8 hours eachFree

    HubSpot Academy certifications are free. Each has its own validity period: most last one year, and some, such as Inbound Marketing and Email Marketing, last two.

    • Take Digital Marketing first, then Content Marketing or Inbound.
    • Add AEO Fundamentals to learn how content is found in AI search answers.

  4. Apply AI to real marketing work

    A few hours eachMostly free

    Move from AI basics to marketing tasks: writing, design, search and campaign analysis.

    • Semrush Become an AI Powered Marketer and Canva AI Essentials are free courses with certificates.
    • Google Prompting Essentials is a paid Coursera course for better prompts.
    • SmarterX (the Marketing AI Institute team) offers a paid AI for Marketing certificate series.

  5. Show your work, not just certificates

    2 to 4 weeksFree or a small ad budget

    Hiring managers want to see what you can do. Pair your certifications with two or three small projects.

    • Create a sample campaign with AI: audience research, ad copy, images and a measurement plan.
    • Write up the results as short case studies.
    • Post one project on LinkedIn with the certifications you used.

  6. Put it all on LinkedIn

    5 minutes per credentialFree

    Use the Add to LinkedIn button on any certification on this page. It fills in the name and issuer under Licenses & certifications.

    • Add each certification with the month you earned it.
    • Share a short post when you pass one; the post text is written for you.
Job outlook
Marketing specialists
$78,760 median
Market research analysts and marketing specialists, May 2025
Marketing managers
$166,790 median
May 2025
Job growth
7% by 2035
Both occupations, 2025 to 2035
Openings
About 82,000 a year
Analysts and specialists, projected

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: market research analysts; advertising, promotions and marketing managers ↗

Plan sources · checked Oct 13, 2026BLS OOH: Market research analysts (pay, outlook, education) ↗BLS OOH: Advertising, promotions and marketing managers ↗Google Ads certifications help (validity, partner status) ↗Skillshop: certifications valid for one year ↗HubSpot: how long certification badges last ↗Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate (Credly, issued by Meta) ↗AMA PCM Marketing Management ↗DMI Digital Marketing Pro ↗Google Cloud Generative AI Leader ↗AWS Certified AI Practitioner ↗Microsoft AI Transformation Leader ↗

Pay and growth are national BLS figures; BLS has no separate figure for marketing specialists, so the analyst and specialist group is shown. Portfolio and LinkedIn advice is practical guidance. Meta exam prices come from Meta's exam vendor because Meta's own pages could not be read. Your answers stay in your browser.

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