Marketing Happy Hour - The State of Marketing Careers in 2026: Burnout, AI, and the Path Forward

Episode Date: October 23, 2025

In this episode, Cassie reflects on six years of consulting, the evolution of marketing careers, and what it really takes to grow (without burning out) in 2026 and beyond. From the rise of AI to the importance of human connection, we’re talking about how to stay adaptable, keep learning, and find new inspiration in your work. Cassie shares her own career pivots, lessons from the Digital Summit in Philly, and the key skills that will define the next era of marketing.Key Takeaways:// Why marketing is still a viable — and essential — career path in a tech-driven world// How to use AI as a creative tool to elevate, not replace, your expertise// The difference between career burnout and a misaligned role (and how to tell which one you’re facing)// The top skills that will future-proof your marketing career: writing, communication, adaptability, and curiosityConnect with Cassie: LinkedIn____Say hi! DM me on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - I can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. ⁠Join our FREE Open Jobs group on LinkedIn: ⁠Join now⁠Get the latest from MHH, straight to your inbox: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Join our email list!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow MHH on Social: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Communication and writing skills from a tactical level are so, so incredibly important. And so again, writing, for example, is not something that you are doing in your day-to-day. I would encourage you to do something outside of your role to develop that skill. Welcome to Marketing Happy Hour, a weekly podcast helping marketing professionals build better strategies and hit career goals. I'm Cassie, consultant and your host through these unfiltered combos with your peers. Grab your favorite drink and get ready for practical. insights to support your journey in marketing. Hey, welcome back to marketing happy hour. This is another solo episode. It has been probably three months since I've done one of these. I originally

committed to doing about one a month just to push myself, but also share some things that I've been learning. And it has been a while. So we're back. We're doing this thing. Today we're going to talk through some career questions that you submitted. And the goal of today is just to set you up for success going into 2026 or honestly whenever you're listening to this. Maybe you're listening to it in the middle of the year, but just to prepare you for the months to come and as you're thinking about your career and maybe some adjustments or changes or mindset shifts that you want to make. We're going to talk through career advancement, burning out, because we've all been there in marketing, and if you have not yet, you will get there, but I promise you there is a way

out of that. And also just industry changes. You know, technology is evolving so rapidly and so quickly. And so just making sure that you are on top of your career in order to stand out in a time like that. Of course, I got to start with what's in my glass. Before we dive into the content of the episode, I am so grateful that South Side sent me some gin cocktails. And then these are canned beverages. They are alcoholic, so just FYI. They're delicious. They have this hint of lemon and mint in them, and it is so refreshing.

It is still incredibly warm in Florida. We are starting to cool down, but these are perfect for right now. So I highly recommend checking those out. I'm a big fan. Thanks to Southside for sending those over. So really quickly, I got to catch you guys up. It has been a crazy time in my life. There have been a lot of changes and adjustments, and I think amidst those changes and adjustments, for me, the biggest thing has just been surrounding myself with supportive and just people who love me, people who are in my circle. I am so grateful for that. And so any sort of change that you're navigating, definitely remember the people in your circle who can be there alongside you. The other thing that I've been doing is just really pouring myself into hobbies and things that I absolutely love doing and even new hobbies too. So I

picked up film photography, which I am so excited about. I got my first role developed recently and I am loving it. And so it's just kind of a new challenge for me. It's something different that I'm not used to. I usually do digital photography. And so this has been a really fun project for me to dive into. I also celebrated six years of consulting and freelance work literally last week, which is absolutely insane. Like time has flown by. And I'll say if you if you do consulting, or freelance work as well, you know the challenges that come with it. But there's also so many benefits that come with it too. And I think the biggest thing for me is just being flexible because change is inevitable

in that kind of position. Change is inevitable in any position in life. But I think for me is just kind of rolling with the punches, adjusting, being able to stay adaptable through those changes and just being flexible to what opportunities are on the horizon, you know, saying yes to exciting things. I'm still collecting dots. I have to connect them at some point. And so as I prepare to do that, it's just taking in as much data as possible and figuring out, you know, what is that ultimate goal or that thing that I'm working towards. And I haven't quite figured that out yet, but I'm working

on it. And I feel like I'm getting there. I also, if you listen to the recent episodes of Marketing Happy Hour, I was also in Philly for Digital Summit, which is one of my favorite conferences ever. So please check out Digital Summit. There's one coming up in December of 2025 in Dallas, and then March, I believe, of 26 will be in Tampa, which I think Allie and I will definitely plan to be at. So hope to see you at one of those events. So let's dive into this discussion. Again, I'm going to pose, there's three different questions I'm going to share,

and I'm going to answer them in my own opinion, my own thoughts. These are ideas and tips that I have called. collected over my career, but also just from other people that I have chatted with. And so I hope that this conversation on marketing career is encouraging to you. And I think also the other thing to think about here is these questions are very applicable to a number of different industries. You know, it doesn't matter if you're directly in marketing or if you're in something related or something else completely different. I think being on top of changing landscapes and burning out and all of these different topics are very relevant to a number of different industries.

And maybe even some of these are relevant to all industries. Again, I hope this is helpful for you. Grab a drink. And let's dive in. So question number one is marketing a viable career path in today's changing landscape. So first of all, I want to acknowledge and empathize with the fact that you may be overwhelmed with AI and all of these advancements that are happening. and there's this fear of will it take over my job and am I going to be able to stand out anymore

because all of these things are changing and evolving so quickly and I can't keep up. That is completely valid. Those concerns are valid. I want to recognize that first. But I also want to encourage you that people are needed more than ever nowadays. The human brain, nothing can replace that. And so right now, I think the biggest thing, is to lean into your creativity, to lean into your unique skill set and what sets you apart

and showcase that to your team, to your leaders, to your partners, to anyone that you are collaborating with. The biggest thing right now is adaptability. You have to, as a marketer, be willing and able to stay on top of these changes. We have to evolve and grow. If we stay complacent, we will get left behind. That goes for AI. That goes for platform adjustments and updates on social media, that goes for consumer behavior and how that's evolving and changing. And so I highly encourage you, even if you are not getting any sort of learning development opportunities within your role and in your job right now, make sure you are seeking those out outside of your job because we have to be able to stay on top of these

shifts happening here. And so I think with AI specifically, remembering that AI is a tool, not a takeover. It is not going to replace you. It is meant to capitalize on the creativity and the knowledge that you have. But it is a very real thing taking a strong place in our industry. And so we have to be able to figure out the ways we are going to adopt AI. We need to make sure we are aware of these platforms and we know how to use them and we know how to develop efficiencies within our roles using AI. And I think, again, kind of similar. to what I said a second ago is humans are still very important. Ultimately, humans connect best with humans. Humans do not connect best with computers. And so just figuring out ways how do you

humanize yourself as you're building your personal professional brand, but also how are you humanizing the brand experiences that you are working on? And so I think that's going to be super important. And again, hone your expertise. Why are you different? What is the area that you are really strong in what tools do you know how to use and make sure that those expertise areas are known to leaders and your team okay next question i am burnt out in marketing should i change careers or what okay again i'm going to validate you burnout is very real in marketing trust me i have been there time and time again where i am doing something that i am either not fulfilled in i'm not passionate about it is draining it's too much work the reward is not very high

of that function. I completely understand. But before you decide to change careers, which is obviously a last resort option here, a couple things I want you to think about is number one, take an assessment of what you love about what you do and what you don't love about what you do. Literally get out a piece of paper and write this stuff down. Have two columns, write out all elements. It can be something really small or it can be something really big. It can be traits of a leader. It can be the type of jobs that you're working in or the campaigns that you're working in. It can be the way you go about your day at work. Are you sitting at a desk all day? Are you in and out? Are you up and doing different fun things? Do you love that? Do you not love that? Literally write all of those things down.

And then the next thing I want you to write down is what lights you up in general. What gets you excited? It can even be outside of your career currently. Do you love photography? Do you love to write? Do you love to sing? Do you love to create videos for your own personal channels? Those are all creative examples, but they don't have to be creative or marketing examples. Literally write down what you love.

All of that stuff should be in consideration here. And then how do you show up best for others and in your career? So similar to what I just said a minute ago. What is you're almost like professional love language? Like what do you do that makes you excited? How do you love showing up for other people? That's another thing to write down as well. And so as you're considering kind of what your next move is, you can assess against this list and pay careful attention to what you love and what you don't love about your role and what you hope to be doing. There are so many subsets of marketing. And so you don't necessarily need a total career shift. it may just be a slight pivot into a different category. For example, I used to do social media management solely. That was like my day-to-day. I offered that to most of my clients, and I got extremely burnt out.

I love being creative. I love making content, but I like the strategic and analytical side of the work way better. And so I pivoted into strategy, and that's what I do today. And so that is a slight iteration. It's me paying attention to what do I actually like? do I not like doing and just making a shift there. I didn't need a full career change. I just needed that slight adjustment to be in a space that better complemented my skills and passions. And I think the other thing, too, just in general with burnout and stress and career,

is having passions and people that light you up outside of your work. What inspires you, what fuels you? Is there a certain hobby? Like, do you love to knit? Do you love to ride horses? do you love to read about whales, you know, whatever it is, find those things outside of work that you love doing and make sure you make time to do that because that stuff will fuel your career as well. And ultimately with that too, don't forget to take care of yourself, like exercise, eat well, drink water, because all of those things will help you better show up in your career each and every day. And the last thing I'll say, similar to just finding these different shifts and pivots within marketing talk to people in other verticals that you're not in

if you're interested in doing paid media and you're currently in a creative role go talk to someone in paid media and see what they like and dislike about their role share with them you know what lights you up what interests you and see if some of the things that they do align with that and so i think that's a really good way to continue to collect data and research on what might be a good pivot for you and shadow people. Don't be afraid to ask those questions that would help you kind of decide what that next step is. Okay, last question we're going to go through is marketing professionals, what advanced your career the most? I did an episode on, I think it was three skills that every marketer needs to develop or something like that. It is one of my top performing episodes ever.

I'm going to link it below in the show notes. So go check that out if you're interested. But I'm going to touch on some of those things and more here in this discussion. So first thing I'll say is saying yes to everything, especially early on. I had Kyle from Morning Brew on the show a few months back, and he shared this quote that I now repeat all the time. If you have met me and we have had a conversation about marketing career, I probably said this quote to you, but it is you have to collect the dots before you connect the dots. Saying yes to things, especially early on in your career is a way of collecting dots.

it is capturing data, it is assessing what you love to do, it is finding the things that really excite you about marketing. And so I would say if there's an opportunity that comes on your desk and you are hesitant or you are interested in taking it, go for it, try it out, see what you can learn from that. See if maybe that's something that would interest you later on. And it's not permanent. You don't have to stay in that thing forever, but it's important to collect that data so that you can connect the dots and figure out what you're really meant to be doing later on in your career. If there's something you want to learn more about, ask.

Ask your leader. Ask your teammates. Ask people in other departments in your company. Ask mentors. Ask people on LinkedIn. Don't be afraid to ask questions and people are more than willing to share. I think the other thing, too, is just tell your leaders what your goals are. You won't be thought of for opportunities if you don't voice your goals.

It's really hard for leaders. just to guess what you want to be doing later on or how you want to advance in a company. So don't be afraid to check in and share that with your leaders often. Communication and writing skills from a tactical level are so, so incredibly important. And so again, if writing, for example, is not something that you are doing in your day to day, I would encourage you to do something outside of your role to develop that skill, whether it's writing a blog, developing social media content on your own, make sure you are writing very often and then communication as well communication internally externally

with partners clarity is key making sure that you are able to share an idea in a cohesive direct way is really important and the next thing i'll say is be a sponge you will never know every single thing that there is to know in your career it's just not possible and so having this humble attitude of i still need to learn i have a lot to go go, no matter at what stage you're at in your career, I think is important and asking questions and meeting people and connecting with others who are in a space that you want to be in and just be a sponge and collect information. Networking is of course key. If you've also met me, you will hear me talk about networking and just relationship building. Most of the opportunities that I

have gotten in my career have been from my network. And so it is very important to surround yourself by a number of different people inside of your industry, outside of your industry, and just collect information, like I said a second ago. Be a sponge. Lean on those people in your network, help people in your network. And you never know what opportunities may come up that you are thought of for. And last but not least is staying on top of the industry. I mentioned this at the top of the episode, making sure you are aware of changes going on and things that are happening in your field is incredibly important. And even if that means doing so on your own, do not allow your career to be the only place that you are learning and growing in. Make sure

that you are seeking opportunities outside of your role to find that, attend conferences, speak with mentors, get coffee with someone in space that you're interested in. Read blog. Social media today is a really great platform for social media updates. Look at campaigns that brands are creating and crafting marketing dive. There's all these different networks and podcasts and resources that we can lean on to make sure that we are collecting ideas. And don't be afraid to use that collection of data that you're bringing in to then pitch ideas to your team for new campaigns and new ways to use platforms or new ways to connect with audiences. And so you can use that new knowledge as a way to stand out. I want to thank you, as always,

for listening. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please let me know what you think. My contact information is below. Shoot me a message on LinkedIn, Instagram. I also want to share to you really quickly that I am opening up sponsorship opportunities for the podcast and all the content I'm creating for marketing happy hours. So if you are interested in chatting about that of just connecting and figuring out a way to elevate our brands together, please also reach out to me for that. And I just want to thank you again for listening as always. Thanks for being here. for this solo episode, and I can't wait to see you next time. Thank you so much for tuning in to this week's episode.

If you enjoyed this conversation, I would love your feedback. And if you're ready to take things to the next level, sign up for my weekly newsletter in the show notes. You'll get weekly career and marketing insights straight to your inbox. And if you have an idea for a future marketing happy hour episode, shoot me an email. Hello at marketing happy HR.com. Thank you again. and I'll see you next Thursday.