Glassdoor recently published a report (as in Mashable, see below) sharing the best jobs with the best work-life balance. We talked about how work-life balance issues are talked about, and some top executives sometimes don’t even realize they’re suffering from severe stress and anxiety because of their work.
Cons
- There is always something new to learn: constant change. The speed of change is not slowing down, it is accelerating. The constant need to stay informed and let go of old tactics can be overwhelming.
- Difficulty maintaining work/life balance. This is probably the biggest challenge, because we love, think or work on SEO all the time. Sometimes bosses even think that because you think it’s cool and you’re young, it really isn’t work if they give you impossible deadlines. Well, it’s hard work, and even if you love what you do, it’s possible to burn out without anyone else pushing you. Realize that you are a limited resource and there will always be a reason to work late or skip vacation. Be smart and get off the computer as often as possible.
- You won’t be a leader overnight. Good SEO skills alone won’t make you a manager, director or vice president – it’s your ability to communicate, maintain a level temperament and focus on customer needs (not SEO technology) that will help you move up the ranks. the scale. These things are only acquired over time and in situ.
- Customers and CEOs can have unreasonable expectations. Surely there are those who think that SEO is like magic, and that if you add a little to your project, success will come overnight. Even with counseling, patient counseling, and careful presentation of progress, sometimes those unreasonable expectations cannot be reset. This is closely related to the next item…
- Many have misconceptions about how SEO works. Part of what makes SEO great is that a lot of people don’t really know what you do or how SEO works. But it can also be dangerous; they may have misconceptions about the skill level required to run a good SEO campaign or how long it takes to see results.
- You risk stepping on your toes. While it might be tempting to jump into a new project and start mandating code changes based on SEO or saying it’s SEO’s job to provide the language used in developing copy, know that there are likely IT and PR departments in the room to think that these things are their job. My advice: Before you call your baby ugly, always recognize the necessary role of IT to provide a good code base and/or PR to craft the brand message; then explain how SEO can enhance, not replace, her work.
Is SEO for everyone? Definitely not. If you like to learn a way of doing things that you can run into retirement, stay out of the field. If you like to understand how things work, and can recognize that when you talk about your SEO ninja skills, you have to take a backseat to the business needs of the project, then go for it and stay humble.
SEO is a BIG career in 2022!
The possibilities are endless when building a career in the SEO industry. SEO as a skill is extremely valuable because A) it is hard to master and B) every business can benefit from it.
Conclusion:
A career in SEO is one of the most competitive careers in the world today. I have met a few people who have tried to pursue a career in SEO. It can be tricky to get into as it requires a lot of practice and experience. The best way to judge if this is the path for you is to experience it. So join an SEO professional as an intern and learn about the job and its requirements.