Social Media Manager

The work is planning content calendars, writing posts, making images or short videos, replying to comments and messages, running campaigns and tracking what works. Creativity, good writing, an eye for trends and some comfort with numbers matter, since you build a brand's voice and have to show that your work brings results.

It can be office-based, hybrid or freelance, usually weekday hours though social media never really sleeps, and pay starts modestly and rises with experience and results. The work mixes creative tasks with admin and reporting, and keeping up with fast-changing platforms is part of the job.

You can get in without a degree, often through building your own social presence, an apprenticeship or a marketing course, with a portfolio mattering most. Many start by managing socials for small businesses and grow from there, and freelancers handle their own tax.