Hi! I’m new here and I’m currently taking up the Content Marketing course. I’m going to shift careers but I have 0% idea where to start! 
Studying should be the first step but I’m afraid I’ll be wasting all these lessons and materials because companies would want to hire writers that have experience. Should I make a blog? Or guess write for a website? How do I start a project if I have no portfolios to show at all? Thank you for your kind advice! (If this kind of post is not allowed in this forum, I’m sorry in advance 
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Hi. I’m very new to the forum, and yours was the first thing I came across, and I wanted to offer my thoughts.
I understand that it can be daunting to start a new career, especially if you have no prior experience in the field. First of all, studying and learning is always a great first step, so don’t worry about wasting your time. The skills and knowledge you gain from the course will be valuable assets that can help you in your future endeavors. You might also want to look at LinkedIn learning and consider maybe even going back to school. I did, and it’s the best investment I ever made.
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In terms of building your portfolio, there are several things you can do to showcase your skills and experience to potential employers. Starting a blog or writing for a website can be a great way to get your name out there and demonstrate your writing abilities. You can also consider volunteering your writing services to a nonprofit organization or a local business to gain experience and build your portfolio.
Another option is to create your own content marketing project. You can develop a marketing campaign for a product or service that interests you, create a social media strategy for a fictional company, or write a series of blog posts on a topic that you’re passionate about. This will give you a chance to apply what you’ve learned in the course and demonstrate your creativity and initiative to potential employers.
Remember, everyone starts somewhere, and it’s okay to have zero portfolios to show at the beginning. What matters most is your willingness to learn and your determination to succeed. So, keep learning, keep creating, and keep building your portfolio. Good luck with your new career path!
Hi! Thank you for taking the time in providing your insights and advice. This made me tear up. Maybe I’m just overwhelmed by all the new information I learn every day. I just started a blog as well! I don’t know what to write yet but I’ll get there.
I’m glad you mentioned volunteering for non-profit organizations because I was stuck on the idea that I should try internships. I really appreciate your time in replying! Thank you for your kind words as well.
True with that danesampayan. I am inprecisely the same position. I think it is the best advice that bstudio could give at this stage of your journey, and mine for that matter: create fictional projects, start your own blog, website, write, vlog, infograph exciting content on your or someone’s site and share ideas. And by the way that is good exercise to build upon your course and further, good experience to upgrade your already begotten skill you build with the course undertaken. I am one who talks as this is what I need to do to get going myself, with all the studying the last 3 years and intense courses plus my duties at work makes it not a reality right now. Not procrastinating as I have my own website that I have started doing some odd work on. What lies ahead? Getting myself on social media and enable some traffic to my site and get some leads. Hope that helps a bit at least, keep chins up.
Kind Regards
Francois
Hi Francois! Content Marketing is the 3rd course I’m studying right now so hopefully, in at least a year, I’ll be ready to decide which niche I am good at then I can start sharing great ideas with other people, too. I work as well so I do understand the struggle in juggling all of these but I do hope you get some leads! I wish the best of luck to all of us. I hope you’re having a great day/night
Thanks again! This is really encouraging
I think furthermore a fantastic idea is to keep your projects handy and showcase them on Linkedin and some other social media, talk about your projects on Quora, advertise, get yourself out there. Remember no one is perfect, just get started and build upon your projects is a strong foundation that will certainly get you noticed and make you def stand out. Cheers 
Hi, danesampayan!
You’ve already received some excellent advice here already, but let me echo what has been already said from the opposite point of view.
I’m a senior content marketing manager who is working for an international, high-tech company. Most of my career has been spent in healthcare, either the provider or payer side, and I learned my trade in the association communications field. Professional education and staying current is the key, and the courses that Hubspot offers (for FREE!!!) are a godsend!
Two suggestions:
1.) As has been suggested, WRITE! Articles, vlogs, simulated assets, anything. Preferrably in subjects in which you’re interested, so you can showcase your passion. Hiring managers look for people who can write, and can show them samples. When a prospective boss asks for samples, it’s a million-dollar feeling to be able to say, “what are you looking for?”, and then being able to provide a PDF or two of that sort of asset. Practice, practice, practice, and do it for free if you must!
2.) You can’t cover everything any given prospective employer may want in terms of certifications, but I would think hard about learning all that I could about the role that artificial intelligence is, and will, play in content creation and management. That’s where the future lies, and you have the opportunity to get in at the ground floor.
All the best!
Hi MPaulson! Thank you for providing your perspective on this. Hubspot really is a lifesaver! I’m even surprised I’m enjoying their courses! I was so afraid I’ll just finish it for the sake of the credential but the resources and other materials they provide at each module make me want to dig deeper. Now I’m even becoming comfortable posting here at the Hubspot Community forum because of kind people like you guys
I’ll keep writing as everyone says! And I wont stop learning until I get to say, “what are you looking for?” to a potential client :)) thank you for keeping my hopes up in this career shift!
Hi @danesampayan and welcome to the HubSpot Community! Cheers to you for being hungry to learn. That’s the first key: Curiosity. Being curious and ready to learn will take you far.
Here’s my thought on where to start: Once you get through the course (and maybe a couple others like Email Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and Inbound), build a portfolio by working with local nonprofits to help them build their efforts as a volunteer.
This helps them and builds your skills & portfolio. You’ll have to help them decide where to start, which builds your strategic muscle. For instance, do they need a blog to help their web presence? Or do they need social media content? What about video?
You can help them decide, then work on your content marketing skills.
Hope that helps!
Hi Dan! I just recently found the Digital Marketing Strategy Checklist you guys provided at the course and I’m thankful for that because I no longer feel lost
I do hope I discover my strengths and weaknesses soon but I still have a lot to learn! I believe I’m just at the very tip of the iceberg haha. Thank you for you advice! I hope I’ll be one of the people giving a great insight in this community soon
Hi @danesampayan lots of good advice here, definitely encourage you to use the free learning resources to your advantage and set a goal to write every day.
Start small - write 1 sentence per day for 1 week, then write 1 paragraph per day for 1 week, and build up until you reach a steady pace that works for you.
Congratulations on taking the initiative to educate yourself before beginning a new profession! As a Business Marketing Consultant for the past 8+ years, let me assure you, YOU ARE NOT wasting your time! Marketing is always evolving, especially digital marketing. I 100% recommend starting a podcast and being consistent with posting. The consistently tell your audience when you will show up and shares expertise. Have fun!
Best Regards, Shameka_TheRealMcCoy