Should I Go for Digital Marketing?
Almost every month, someone from my area in Malappuram messages me on Instagram asking some version of the same question: “Ikka, should I learn digital marketing? Is there really a future in it, or is everyone just saying that because it’s trending?”
I get why people ask me specifically. I didn’t come from a big city or a fancy college. I finished my +2 in Commerce from GHSS Aravanakara, did a one-year course in content, video, and design, then went through a proper training programme at Skillage Academy before calling myself a digital marketer. So when someone from a similar background asks if this path is worth it, I try to give them the honest answer, not the motivational-poster version.
The Question Behind the Question
Most people asking “should I go for digital marketing” aren’t really asking about the field in general. They’re asking something more personal — will this actually get me a job or clients, or will I spend a year learning something that goes nowhere, like so many courses do.
That’s a fair worry. Kerala has no shortage of institutes promising “become a digital marketing expert in 30 days,” and a lot of people who complete these courses end up stuck, unable to actually land work because they learned the theory but never practiced on a real business.
So my answer isn’t a simple yes or no. It depends on what you’re willing to actually do with it.
Every business, big or small, now needs some form of online presence. A gold shop, a driving school, a bakery, a real estate agent — all of them need someone who understands how to bring in enquiries online. That demand isn’t slowing down. If anything, it’s growing, because more small business owners in towns like Malappuram are finally realising that a Facebook page with three followers isn’t marketing.
What’s changed is how the work gets done. Being an AI-powered digital marketer now means the research, content ideas, and campaign testing that used to take a whole team can be handled much faster by one person who knows how to use the right workflows. This actually makes it easier for someone starting out to offer real value quickly, without needing years of experience or a big team behind them.
Where People Go Wrong
The people who struggle after learning digital marketing usually fall into one of two traps. Either they only learn the tools — how to run an ad, how to schedule a post — without understanding the business behind it, so their work never actually brings results. Or they learn the theory deeply but never touch a real client’s business, so when they finally try, they freeze because textbook knowledge and real-world messiness are very different things.
I’ll be honest, I made some of these mistakes early on too. It took actually handling marketing for a real business — a gents’ clothing shop, in my case — to understand that half of what worked in training didn’t work the same way with a real owner, real customers, and real money on the line.
What I'd Tell Someone Starting Out
If you’re genuinely asking yourself whether to go for digital marketing, here’s what I’d actually say:
Go for it if you’re willing to work with a real business early, even for free or cheap, just to understand how marketing connects to actual sales. Theory alone won’t teach you that.
Go for it if you’re comfortable learning constantly. What worked last year doesn’t always work this year — platforms change, algorithms change, and the tools keep evolving. If you dislike learning new things regularly, this field will frustrate you.
Go for it if you like understanding people, not just software. The best marketers I know aren’t the ones who are fastest at using tools — they’re the ones who understand why a customer chooses one shop over another.
Don’t go for it if you’re expecting quick, easy money with minimal effort. This field rewards patience, especially in the beginning when you’re still building trust and a portfolio.
The Local Advantage
One thing I’d add specifically for anyone from Malappuram or similar towns in Kerala — you have an advantage that people from big cities don’t. You understand the local language, local customer behaviour, and local business culture in a way an outsider never will. A shop owner here trusts someone who understands “our people” more than a fancy agency from another state. That local understanding, combined with modern marketing skills, is a genuinely strong combination.
Why the Field Itself Is Solid
My Honest Verdict
Should you go for digital marketing? If you’re willing to actually learn by doing, stay patient through the slow early months, and keep updating your skills as the field shifts, then yes — it’s one of the more accessible, genuinely useful skills you can build right now, especially with how much faster good work can be delivered these days.
If you’re looking for a shortcut to quick income without putting in real effort to understand businesses and people, this probably isn’t the field for you — and honestly, very few fields would work out that way either.