Are Digital Marketing specialists the new graphic designers?

I graduated in Winter 2019 with an Associates Degree in Graphic Design. Right now I am working towards my bachelors. I have always felt that I am a head of my classmates because I always go beyond what is required of me. I try my best to implement what I learn and apply it to the real world. I have been in the art industry for more than 8 years too. I got interested in graphic design 5 years ago. I had two digital marketing jobs but not graphic design. I always do my best to stay updated with the newest technology, trend, medium and anything that is new.

Lately, I have been feeling that as graphic designers we do not get appreciated if we do not do marketing. Do not give me wrong, I taught myself marketing and lied a little bit in my interviews about my marketing skills, but who hasn't exaggerated a bit or lied in their job interviews? If the pay is awesome, you like the company' values and are ready to learn everything about marketing than do it!

True story: I worked at a YMCA as a part time -digital marketing associate. This was my second marketing job. For my interview, I was upfront, I was very honest and told them I only know the basics of marketing such as social media posts- Instagram and Facebook-, I had no idea about email marketing or running a campaign. The head of marketing liked me because the lack of my marketing skills balanced with my photography, photoshoots, video, printing, magazine designs, branding, art administration and my organization skills. I worked with them for a couple of months during the pandemic, I couldn’t keep going because my daughter’s daycare closed too. I was very thankful for the opportunity, they were willing to teach me everything about marketing because I was very enthusiastic to learn. But in this circumstance my daughter came first.

As I stated previously, I am always ready to learn new things. Since the last marketing job I have been learning on my own. Now I know email marketing from different platforms, content creation, SEO and more. But now it seems that if I am not a completely expert in marketing then I am not enough.

Right now as we speak, companies prefer to hire a digital marketing specialist rather than a graphic designer. (Of course, it depends what jobs you are applying too, such as: package design, branding, etc; those companies will hire you as a graphic designer) What I am talking about here is that companies prefer marketing people because they know both skills, marketing and graphic design too. How come aren't we as graphic designers being taught in school some level of marketing? Why is it the other way around?

It used to be, if you need a marketing specialist then you would also need a graphic designer. Now, it feels like we are not taken seriously. Many people think graphic designers are people who only know illustration, which is also wrong. Illustrators are a whole different creative career.

I also understand that if there is something out there that you want and need to get better at it and learn new techniques, then we should work harder on our own.

My thing is if I am paying for school, shouldn't they prepare us more for the current market and not old tactics? The world is constantly changing so shouldn't we start to learn the basics of new technologies or techniques? It is hard enough to find a job after graduation and even worse if we are not more than 40% prepared.

Graphic Designers should learn about marketing too just as Digital Marketing Specialists are learning graphic design too.

That's all I am saying. Do you agree?

~ mq