The Career Ladder Is Broken – How Marketers Can Build Their Own Path

In every marketer’s career, there comes a moment when the next rung on the ladder isn’t broken – it’s just no longer clearly marked.

For me, that moment came not in a meeting or after a big campaign, but in the quiet pause after moving back to London – CV in hand, international experience built, and yet… no obvious next move. Just a gnawing sense that the path ahead wasn’t as linear as the one behind.

We were raised to believe in the ladder….through restructuring, recession, or plain old reality, we follow the well trodden route we were told to follow: Do great work. Be patient. Titles and opportunities will follow. But, the reality for many marketers today – especially those in the mid to senior stages of their careers – the rules have changed, and no one left a guidebook.

So what now?

The Illusion of the Traditional Path

Our industry has changed dramatically. Holding company consolidation and the sunset of many iconic agencies (RIP…JWT, Mindshare, Y&R, Essence, Wavemaker, Grey [?]…and all the other great pillars of our industry), the rise (and fall) of start-up players, and the steady erosion of traditional account structures have left many marketers wondering where the next step is – or if it even exists.

We’ve watched a generation of talent shuffled sideways instead of upwards, stuck in perpetual “interim” roles, or opting out entirely to freelance or consult. And it's not just structural. The global slowdown, a brutal hiring market, and increased pressure on ROI have meant many mid to senior-level marketers are overlooked in favour of “plug and-play” hires or younger, cheaper talent.

The traditional ladder hasn’t just broken. In many cases, it’s been replaced with a revolving door. And it’s not just anecdotal. The illusion of a neat career trajectory has been eroding for years, but recent shifts have made it impossible to ignore.

According to Business Insider, AI and hiring freezes are decimating entry-level marketing roles, meaning the ladder’s bottom rungs are disappearing altogether. Fast Company argues that “the best careers zigzag,” favouring adaptability over neat progression. And the Content Marketing Institute has flatly stated that the traditional marketing career path is “crumbling.”

So if the ladder is gone – or at best, unreliable – what do we build instead?

From Ladder to Portfolio

A new model is emerging: the career portfolio.

As Forbes describes, this approach is about building a collection of experiences, skills, and relationships that collectively define your value – not just a title or job description. It’s a shift that’s as freeing as it is daunting. Without a clear path to follow, marketers must become their own strategists – identifying their proposition, defining their audience, and curating their own brand.

The turning point came for me when I stopped looking for the next rung and started investing in my own credibility: writing, joining committees, earning certifications, and collaborating beyond traditional job structures. I realised that the marketers who were thriving weren’t necessarily the ones with the best CVs. They were the ones actively shaping their narrative.

How to Build Your Own Path

In the absence of a clear next step, I started building – not just applying. Not just waiting. I treated my own trajectory like a brand challenge. And through that process, in between consultancy work, coffee chats, and not a small amount of self-doubt, five clear principles emerged. These aren’t rules, but tools. They’ve helped me stay focused, stay visible, and most importantly, stay purposeful.

1. Think like a brand, not just a professional

It’s been said before and seems obvious when you say it out loud, but – you are your own brand. Craft your narrative, show up consistently online and off, be intentional about what you’re known for, and market yourself with clarity.

2. Curate your credibility

Whether it’s joining councils, speaking on panels, contributing articles (thanks, LBB), or mentoring junior talent, these acts not only build trust but enable new opportunities for learning and collaboration. In a market where employers often hire people they already follow, visibility matters more than ever.

3. Diversify your toolkit

The days of being “just” a creative or “just” a client lead are gone. Learn to speak the language of UX, data, culture, and commercial impact. Marketers who thrive are T-shaped – deep in one area, broad in many.

4. Invest in relationships, not just roles

Your network is more than your contact list – it’s your support system, your lead funnel, and your co conspirators. Rekindling past connections has led to more traction than any application portal so prioritise meaningful conversations, not just LinkedIn likes.

5. Get comfortable in the grey

Linear careers come with a false sense of certainty. The most successful people I know are comfortable with ambiguity. They explore, test, pivot, and – most importantly – keep moving.

What’s Next: Owning the Path Ahead

There’s no denying this new path takes more energy, more self-awareness, and more resilience. But it also offers more ownership, more creativity, and more meaningful impact.

If the ladder’s gone, maybe it’s time to stop climbing – and start creating.

Because today, careers aren’t built solely through job titles or tenure. They’re shaped in coffee chats, collaborative side hustles, portfolio pivots, and intentional choices made outside the job description.

Whether you’re in between roles, questioning your next move, or simply rethinking what success looks like, you’re not alone - and you’re not behind. You’re just on a different kind of path.

And the good news? You get to build it.

We’re not climbing anymore. We’re building our own path.