Free self-assessment

Where are you starting from?

Twelve questions about what you have done, what you want and how much time you have. Pick an answer for each one and you get your starting point, the course we would suggest and the guide that fits. It takes about five minutes and you do not need to give us your email.

Quick answer: This free self-assessment asks 12 questions about your marketing experience, your goal and your time each week, then points you to one of four starting points: try the work first, start from zero, get job ready, or add one skill. Each comes with a suggested course from $79 to $999 and a guide. It is not a test and it cannot predict a job.

0 of 12 answered

Part 1 of 2: where you are now

Question 1

Which sentence sounds most like you right now?

I am curious about marketing but not sure it is for me yet. I want to move into a marketing job and I am starting from zero. I have started learning and want to get job ready. I already do some marketing work, or sell a service, and need one specific skill.

Question 2

What have you done in marketing so far?

Nothing yet, apart from using social media myself. I have read articles and watched videos, but nothing structured. I have finished at least one free course or certificate, or studied some marketing units. I have done marketing tasks for an employer, a client or my own business.

Question 3

Where would you like to be in a year?

Studying, or at least knowing which study path to choose. Applying for, or starting in, an entry level marketing role. Working as a marketing assistant or coordinator and looking after more than one channel. Doing my current work better, or billing clients for a new skill.

Question 4

When you read marketing job ads, or talk to clients, what do you notice?

I have not looked at job ads yet. They ask for a mix of skills and I cannot do most of them yet. I can do some of what they ask, but I need to fill gaps and show proof. They keep asking for one thing I cannot do yet, such as Google Ads or SEO.

Question 5

Do you have any marketing work you could show someone today?

No, and I am not sure what that would look like. No, but I would like to build some. A little, such as a uni assignment, a free course project or something for a friend. Yes, real work for an employer or client. I need to add a skill to it.

Question 6

Which of these have you used for marketing, not just personally?

None of them. Canva or social media apps, but only for myself. One or two of Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite, an email platform or a website builder. Several of these at work already, but not the one I need now.

Question 7

Someone asks you to write a 90 day marketing plan for a café. How do you feel?

I would not know where to start. I would want step by step guidance through it. I could sketch one, but not with confidence across search, social and email. I could do most of it, apart from one channel.

Question 8

What worries you most about paying for a course?

Finding out marketing is not for me after I have paid. That it will not help me get a job. Paying to learn things I already know. That it will be theory, not the one practical thing I need.

Question 9

Three months from now, what would count as a good result?

I know whether marketing suits me. I have learned the basics and have one finished piece of work to show. I have a campaign plan and reports across several channels to show. I have used the new skill for an employer or a client.

Part 2 of 2: your situation

Question 10

How much time can you give each week?

Under an hour About an hour (about three lessons) One to two hours More than two hours

Question 11

Do the roles you want list a degree, diploma or other recognised qualification as essential?

Yes, most of them do Some do, some do not No, they ask for skills and examples of work I do not know yet, or I am not looking for a new role

Question 12

If you need one skill most, which is it?

Social media Google Ads SEO Using AI tools for marketing Building websites Email and SMS Several of these, or not sure

Please answer the highlighted questions first.

It is not an exam and there are no wrong answers. It cannot tell you whether you will get a job, and nobody honest can. It is a way to choose a sensible first step.

Your result: A

Try the work first

You are curious but not sure yet. This is common for people finishing school, people at uni weighing a change, and anyone who has never done marketing work. The worst outcome for you is spending years and thousands of dollars before finding out you do not enjoy the work.

Free first step: do one free certification before you pay for anything. Google Skillshop's foundational certifications and HubSpot Academy's certifications are free. HubSpot's Digital Marketing certification takes about three hours.
Suggested course: Essentials, $499, paid once. Over 50 lessons of about 20 minutes, starting from zero, ending with a practice audit and 90 day plan for a fictional café. It is a low cost way to find out whether you like the work before you choose a degree or diploma.
If you are a parent helping someone choose: the study guide has a section written for you on why it costs less and what it is not.

See Essentials Read the study guide

Your result: B

Start from zero

You have decided you want a marketing job and you are starting with nothing on paper. That is a normal place to start. What you need first is the basics across every main channel and one finished piece of work you can talk through in an interview.

Free first step: start a free Google Skillshop or HubSpot Academy certification this week. They sit well next to a portfolio and cost nothing.
Suggested course: Essentials, $499, paid once. Over 50 lessons of about 20 minutes across websites, SEO, social media, email, paid ads and AI tools. You finish with a digital presence audit and 90 day plan for The Wattle Spoon, a fictional regional Victorian café, which is the kind of first task employers hand a new marketer.

See Essentials Read the career change guide

Your result: C

Get job ready

You have done some groundwork: free courses, study, or bits of marketing at work. A beginner course would repeat much of what you know. What you are missing is joining the channels up and showing proof that you can run a campaign, not just describe one.

Free first step: if you have not done it yet, take the free Google Ads certification on Google Skillshop. It lasts one year, so time it for when you start applying.
Suggested course: Deluxe, $799, paid once. 100 lessons of about 20 minutes across SEO, Google Ads, social, email and analytics. You finish with a multi-channel campaign plan for Tallowwood Electrical, a fictional Brisbane electrician: the budget maths, a keyword map, a draft Google Ads Search campaign built without spending money, a four email follow up sequence and a monthly report template.

See Deluxe Read the career change guide

Your result: D

Add one skill

You already work, freelance or run your own business, and one gap keeps coming up. You do not need a full course to fill it. The short course for the skill you chose is highlighted.

Skill	Short course	Lessons	Price, paid once	You finish with
Social media	Social Media Marketing	Over 30	$149	A 30 day calendar, nine finished posts and a monthly report template
Google Ads	Google Ads: PPC Powerhouse	13	$149	A complete Search campaign in draft with a written budget rationale, built without spending money
SEO	Search Engine Optimisation	32	$149	A ranked SEO audit, a keyword map of at least 15 keywords and two rewritten pages
AI tools	AI Marketing: Prompt to Profit	19+	$99	A brand brief for AI tools, 20 tested prompts and a documented content workflow
Websites	Website Design: Website Wins	13	$99	A live five page practice site on a free builder, with a handover note
Email and SMS	Email and SMS: Inbox to Income	18	$79	A five email welcome sequence, an SMS opt-in flow and a Spam Act checklist

You chose several skills: Essentials ($499) covers every main channel in over 50 lessons, and it costs less than buying three or four short courses.

Already work in marketing and want depth? Expert ($999) covers conversion, technical SEO, GA4, paid media and automation in over 150 lessons. Plan on three to four lessons a week to finish inside your 12 months.

See the short courses Read the upskilling guide

Your time each week

Under an hour a week: start with a short course, then a bigger one. A short course fits comfortably inside your 12 months at that pace. Deluxe and Expert would be a stretch.

About an hour a week: Essentials takes about four months at three lessons a week, a short course one to three months, and Deluxe about eight months.

One to two hours or more: any course fits. Expert needs three to four lessons a week to finish inside 12 months.

Every course gives 12 months access from the date of purchase, so a busy month does not cost you anything.

Qualifications

Most of the roles you want list a recognised qualification as essential, so be honest with yourself about this. Our courses are not accredited and they are not a nationally recognised qualification, so they will not meet that requirement. A TAFE or RTO course, or a degree, is the right path. Our course can still be a low cost way to try the work first. Compare the options.

Some roles ask for a qualification and some do not. Apply for the ones that ask for skills and examples of work, and keep the qualification route in mind for later.

The roles you want ask for skills and work. A course, a portfolio piece and the free platform certificates can be enough to start applying. Read the job ads closely first.

Before you pay for anything, read five job ads for roles you would apply for and note what each one lists as essential. That tells you whether you need a formal qualification or a portfolio. See every option side by side.

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Still deciding?

That is fine. Take the free certificates, read the guides and come back when you are ready. For a quicker route, the course finder asks three questions and points you to one course, or see every option side by side.

Guides: Changing careers | Choosing what to study | Upskilling at work