I’m 24 and graduated in 2025 with a Psychology degree. I’m currently trying to transition into marketing, and I’ve become particularly interested in CRM, lifecycle marketing, email marketing, and marketing automation.
What attracts me to this area is the combination of psychology/customer behaviour, communication, technology, analytics, experimentation, and understanding what actually drives customers to take action.
I’ve been looking at entry-level and junior roles, and I’ve noticed that many of the positions I’m interested in seem to focus heavily on practical skills and experience rather than requiring a specific marketing degree.
I’m considering spending the next 6 months seriously building my skills before trying to make the transition.
My current learning plan includes:
CRM and lifecycle marketing fundamentals
Email marketing strategy
Customer segmentation
Customer journeys
Marketing automation
HubSpot and/or Klaviyo
Email copywriting
Excel/Google Sheets
Basic SQL
Marketing analytics
A/B testing and experimentation
Campaign reporting and performance analysis
My goal isn’t to become an expert in six months. I want to become competent enough to understand how the work is actually done, build a few relevant projects, and eventually be competitive for a junior CRM/lifecycle/email marketing role.
For people currently working in CRM, lifecycle, retention, or email marketing:
If you were starting over with a Psychology degree and no professional marketing experience, what would you prioritize learning during your first 6 months?
Are there any skills/tools that you think aspiring CRM/lifecycle marketers spend too much time learning, or anything that beginners commonly overlook?
And realistically, how difficult is it to get that first CRM/lifecycle marketing job without a marketing degree?
I’d really appreciate advice from people who actually work in this area.