As a fresher starting out in the digital marketing world, you often face a tough time deciding whether you should pursue an MBA or a certification program in Digital Marketing. While both of them may sound similar, it is important you know that these two are different affiliations.
We would all agree that digital marketing is the new future. Ever since we got the hang of the World Wide Web, we have become entirely dependent on it. Digitisation is that one thing which has changed the way markets are operating now. After knowing about the eminence of the digital marketing industry, it is only natural that you want to build a career in it.
To become a digital marketer, the first thing you need to decide is what digital marketing qualifications you should apply for. There exist so many of them -online free courses, online certified courses, under-graduate and post- graduate training, Masters and PGDM, etc that it leads to sheer confusion. However, one way you can consider is taking up a online digital marketing course.
Out of all options available, Certification programs and MBA are the highly-preferred ones. Let’s understand them in detail.
What is an MBA in Digital Marketing?
An MBA in Digital marketing offers an opportunity to learn the basics of the digital marketing industry. It focuses on the business management and administration perspective of it. However, their approach is more towards theoretical knowledge and lacks on the practical side.
An MBA is an efficient choice if you’re a working professional looking to upskill after considerable work experience as it’s value increases. The scope for higher job positions is great if you have an MBA with work experience. It is typically a 2 year program.
What is a Digital Marketing Certification?
A digital marketing certification program aims at equipping you to get the professional digital marketing skills. It dives into each skill and teaches them right from the basics along with practical live projects. It provides theory knowledge as well but it’s not the only focus of the program.
As a fresher it is definitely advisable to opt for a certification because you’re just starting out. The duration is from anywhere between 2 months to 11 months.
So which one is better for you?
There’s never a definite answer. It is highly subjective. Both of them differ in certain sections and they need to be viewed differently. Each of them have their pros and cons so there’s never a black or white answer.
One way to decide the best option is to list down your requirements and then accordingly see what fits right.
If you have time-constraints and are on a search for short-term goals, going for a certification would suit you right.
If you’re looking for a strong base in your professional career right from the beginning, then MBA is the answer.
Just like this, you can weigh in your requirements and then pick a correct option.
So let’s see some of the prominent reasons which may help you come to a decision for a certification or an MBA in Digital Marketing keeping your requirements in mind:
1. Academic and professional requirements
If you want to go ahead with an MBA in Digital marketing, you need to have an impeccable educational background. You need to have a graduation degree in any course, otherwise you wouldn’t be allowed to take the entrance examination.
High scores in the entrance test are extremely important to secure a seat in a reputable MBA institute. Most of the institutes have started taking personal interviews for added evaluation.The educational qualification of a student will have a huge impact on their career as it is essential for those pursuing MBA.
On the other hand, your educational background would hold lesser importance if you choose to get a digital marketing certification. You are free to take up the course without a professional background.
However, you need to be really passionate about digital marketing if you want to make your mark in the industry. It will be your decision to choose the institute and not the other way round.
2. Fees and Time-investment
An MBA would normally cost between INR 5,00,000 to INR 15,00,000 depending on the institute that you get into. If you consider going abroad to pursue it, it can go up to approximately INR 30,00,000 excluding your accommodation, food,etc.
If we look at the earnings against your investment, it is slightly difficult to recover the amount you invested in the short term. It may take upto 2-3 years to earn it back but it ensures quicker jumps in getting higher job positions.
A digital marketing certification cost ranges from INR 20,000 to INR 1,50,000 depending on the institute you choose. It may also vary depending on the mode of study- online,offline or pre-recorded sessions.
The earnings against your investment in this case is much quicker. Although climbing the corporate ladder may be gradually slow. It really depends on how passionate you are and how well you’ve developed the skills.
3. Meets the demand of digital marketing skills
The market for digital marketing experts is growing, and hence the demand is increasing as well. Furthermore, there’s a significant gap in the knowledge demand and supply as well.
The only way the demand can be fulfilled is by those who have proper knowledge of the digital marketing sector and an expertise in the skills. Only theoretical knowledge isn’t enough because practical training in digital marketing is essential as well.
There are several institutes for digital marketing across the country, but not all of them can provide you with what the industry is demanding. Although there are a few digital marketing institutes for providing hands-on practical and theoretical knowledge.
Digital marketing is a skill that cannot be acquired only with theoretical knowledge, which is a prominent challenge faced by MBA in digital marketing. An expert will need to implement technology and knowledge in real-time as well.
4. Employment opportunities
Most of the people opting to learn digital marketing are expecting to build a career in the wide range of job and employment opportunities available. The industry readily accepts people holding either of the two, an MBA or a certification but the ratio may differ.
The core focus of an employer will be on how much you have absorbed from your training and how well you can perform. They give importance to skill building and not rote-learning.
Anyone pursuing a digital marketing certification course will get the benefit of right knowledge and skills with hands-on practice which gets them ready to take over easily. In the certification courses, you are provided with a comprehensive knowledge of the course.
If you have done the general MBA in marketing, you might have a tough time landing the job. As per the reports by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India, around 93% of MBA graduates were unemployed back in 2016. However, the statistics have changed with more MBA graduates as unemployed.
Nonetheless, the situation would be the same if you pursue an MBA in Digital marketing. Ideally, this is because you only get a strong theoretical knowledge about this field when you go for an MBA.
Let’s explore some of the best options for learning an MBA or a certification in Digital Marketing
After weighing both the options, you must’ve been able to decide which option is on the heavier side and a tad bit advantageous for you.
Talking about digital marketing certifications, there are two main options for pursuing it – free videos and paid courses.
There are several people around promising free digital online programs; however, you need to analyse if it is the right one.They do not have enough credibility and have very less quality control. This is mostly because the free certificates do not have a weight attached to it.
Instead, you could opt for IIDE’s online digital marketing training. With world-class faculty, IIDE has helped solve potential problems, and they have alumni members working at some of the best organisations like Facebook and Google. UpGrad and TalentEdge are the next best places offering comprehensive training.
If you’re inclined towards doing an MBA in digital marketing, it will hold much more value and credibility when done from a reputable institute. Avoid doing it from any institute or it could be a waste of your time and investment. Stating a few institutes that offer the best education.
IIDE offers an MBA in digital marketing. It will help you master digital marketing knowledge with intense managerial skills. ITM and NMIMS also have an extensive MBA program.
Conclusion
By now, we’re guessing that you would have been able to make a choice of which option to go ahead with and if not, you can take a free counselling session offered by IIDE for a better understanding. You can connect with them at admissions@iide.co
If you still have any queries before making your decision, let us know in the comment section and we’d love to help you with them.
