5 things my marketing degree taught me about building a career in sport.

There is a lot of pressure in your twenties to know exactly who you are, what career you want and where your life is going. Everywhere online, people seem to have a five-year plan, a dream job or some perfectly organised version of success already figured out.

For a long time, I honestly did not feel like I had that. I had interests and ambitions, but not necessarily direction. As cliché as it sounds, university ended up changing that for me in ways I did not expect.

As a young mum balancing university, work and everyday life, there were definitely moments where the pressure of figuring out my future felt overwhelming. But at the same time, it also made me more determined to build a career that genuinely excited me and gave me a sense of purpose long term.

Before studying marketing, I don't think I fully understood how much strategy, branding and commercial thinking existed behind the industries people are most passionate about. Over time, my degree started shaping the way I looked at business, sport, digital marketing and even myself professionally.

It also made me realise that career development is rarely linear. Sometimes opportunities appear unexpectedly, confidence develops gradually, and the things that shape your future are not always the things you originally planned for. Looking back now, these are probably the five biggest things my marketing degree has taught me so far.

1. Sometimes the right opportunity changes everything

I think there is a misconception that everyone discovers their dream career through a lifelong passion or a perfectly planned route. For me, it happened much more unexpectedly.

Applying for the internship at West Bromwich Albion initially felt like taking a chance more than anything else. I knew I was interested in marketing, but I had not fully connected that interest to sport as a career. It was only once I started gaining real experience within football that I realised how naturally drawn I was to the industry.

Being involved in partnerships and seeing the commercial side of football first-hand made me realise how much creativity, planning and relationship-building happens behind the scenes. I found myself watching football differently, noticing sponsorship activations, fan engagement campaigns and branding decisions rather than just the result of the match itself.

What started as university experience quickly became something much more personal, because for the first time I could genuinely see a future that excited me professionally.

2. SPORT IS A BUSINESS BEFORE IT IS ENTERTAINMENT

Before studying marketing, I think I looked at football the same way many people do, as entertainment, atmosphere and matchdays. What I did not fully appreciate was how much strategy exists behind everything supporters see.

The sports industry is driven by branding, partnerships, digital marketing and fan engagement. Every sponsorship activation, campaign, social media strategy and commercial collaboration is carefully designed to strengthen relationships with supporters while also delivering value for brands.

During my internship, I started to understand how important partnerships are within football and how clubs use marketing to create long-term engagement rather than simply promote products or services. That completely changed the way I look at sport as an industry. Even now, I catch myself analysing campaigns and digital marketing strategies during matches because I have developed a completely different understanding of how sport operates commercially.

It made me realise that sports marketing is not just creative, it is strategic, relationship-driven and incredibly powerful when done well.

3. yOU CAN NOT BUILD A CAREER IF NOBODY KNOWS YOU EXIST

   
   

One thing university has taught me very quickly is that talent alone is rarely enough in competitive industries. Visibility matters. Networking matters. Personal branding matters.

Before my degree, I underestimated how important platforms such as LinkedIn could be when it comes to career opportunities and professional development. However, the more I researched people working within sports marketing and partnerships, the more I noticed how intentionally they positioned themselves online.

The professionals who stood out were not always the loudest people, but they were visible, consistent and intentional in the way they communicated their experience, interests and knowledge. That completely changed the way I thought about digital presence.

This has encouraged me to become much more proactive with my own personal branding, whether that is improving my LinkedIn profile, building my website Breaking the Sidelines, or creating content around sport and marketing. I used to view personal branding as self-promotion, but I now see it as creating visibility for opportunities that may never happen otherwise.

4. CONFIDENCE IS BUILT FROM DOING THINGS THAT SCARE YOU

I do not think confidence suddenly appears overnight. If anything, university has taught me that confidence usually develops from repeatedly putting yourself in uncomfortable situations and realising you are capable of more than you thought.

There were definitely moments where I questioned whether I was experienced enough, confident enough, or knowledgeable enough to pursue a career within sport. The industry is competitive, and when you constantly compare yourself to people online who seem to have everything together, it is easy to doubt yourself.

However, every presentation, networking conversation, internship task and application has gradually helped me build confidence in a much more realistic way.

Not perfect confidence, but the kind that comes from experience and growth.

Even creating a platform like Breaking the Sidelines is something I probably would not have had the confidence to do a few years ago. Now, I understand that building a career is not about waiting until you feel fully ready. Sometimes you become ready through the process itself.

5. NOBODY HAS THE PERFECT LIFE PLAN

I honestly think this is one of the most important things university has taught me.

There is so much pressure to have your future completely mapped out, especially when social media constantly makes it feel like everyone else is ahead of you. But the reality is that career development is rarely linear, and sometimes the experiences that shape your future are the ones you never expected to matter so much.

For me, studying marketing did not just teach me about branding or digital marketing. It helped me understand what genuinely excites me professionally and where I can realistically see myself building a long-term career. Through my experiences, particularly within football and sports marketing, I have developed a much clearer sense of direction, confidence and ambition than I had when I first started university.

I still have a lot to learn, and I think that is something I now appreciate rather than fear. However, I also know that I want to continue building experience within sports marketing and partnerships, developing my personal brand and creating opportunities that move me closer towards the career I genuinely see myself in long term. To me, growth is not about having every step perfectly planned, it is about being willing to keep evolving while remaining intentional about where you want to go.