Why I Don't Recommend $3,000 Marketing Courses (and What to Try Instead)

I didn't know digital marketing at all when I joined Google 10 years ago (for job seekers: they don't really hire people based on work experience, at least back then). Like many beginners, I applied for a digital marketing bootcamp at General Assembly, hoping to get up to speed quickly.

Together with another 19 classmates, we learned the basics of digital marketing – social, search engine marketing (SEM), email marketing, and more. Their selling points were instructors with real-world credentials and a lifelong community. And I have to be honest, I had a great time back then as a complete newbie.

Fast forwarding to 2025...

General Assembly is still offering the same digital marketing short course, with full tuition now at £2,800. Here’s their curriculum:

So, do I still recommend joining this programme in 2025?

No.

And here's why:

1. The ROI just isn't there: You're unlikely to land a job simply as a GA grad. Do the math on the return: £2,800 is a lot to pay for knowledge you can now get elsewhere.
2. The "community" promise is overblown: As an alumni, I've never actually used their Slack channel, and I rarely see active conversation there. If you want to network, LinkedIn is free and far more active.
3. Even seasoned instructors have blind spots: A social media marketing manager doesn't know SEM inside out, and vice versa. And CMOs or founders who genuinely know it all? They're rarely your instructors.
4. You don't need to learn everything at once: Even as a founder, you can learn what you need when you need it. Digital marketing is too broad to master in one go anyway. Did what I learnt at General Assembly helped me excel at my job? Not really.
5. The industry changes at warp speed: What these institutions claim as a strength – being in the industry for years – might actually be their weakness. Yesterday's best practices become today's outdated tactics.

The most important point: there's a wealth of free resources out there

Why pay thousands when so much quality content is available for free? Here are my top picks (and no, I don't have any affiliations with these platforms).

9 Free (or Nearly Free) Ways to Learn Digital Marketing

1. Go straight to the source

Every time I mention this, people roll their eyes, thinking I'm about to pitch Google's marketing materials. But that's not it at all.

Learn about Google Ads from the Google Ads Help Center. Learn about social media from Instagram Creators Center, Meta Ad Library and TikTok for Business.

These platforms invest heavily in their help centers to lower onboarding barriers (and eventually replace their employees). They're always updated, and I guarantee you'll find 99% of your questions answered here.

2. Coursera's free offerings

Coursera actually provides several marketing courses completely free. Chances are these courses are more updated than what your bootcamp instructor is teaching. If you want more, Coursera Plus gives access to 10,000+ courses with a 14-day free trial.

3. Google Career Certificates

Google has launched free career certificate programs in partnership with local authorities. These upskill learners in digital marketing, data analytics, project management, UX design, and more.

Each course takes approximately 6 months with 10 hours weekly commitment on a flexible schedule. You get a career certificate upon completion, just like the bootcamps, plus career resources as well.

4. Maven

Maven offers cohort-based courses taught by industry experts who are still actively working in the field. While their full courses aren't free, they host numerous free webinars on digital marketing that deliver incredible value. The knowledge is current and practical because instructors are living it daily.

5. Marketing events & meetups

You'd be amazed how many free offline events exist on marketing topics. Look for:

• Small digital marketing conferences (the big ones cost money, but many smaller ones are free)
• Marketing meetups on Eventbrite (just search "marketing")
• SaaS companies' training events (HubSpot, Shopify, etc. regularly host free workshops)
• Local business groups and chambers of commerce

You’ll make valuable connections and learned practical strategies at these events that no course could offer.

6. YouTube

Never underestimate YouTube creators. Many have legitimate real-world experience, and their content often includes detailed demonstrations of exactly how things work. Seeing someone navigate an ad platform or analytics dashboard beats reading about it every time.

7. Gumroad's treasure trove

Gumroad hosts countless digital products, including many completely free resources. For example, this folder contains dozens of free marketing templates and guides.

In fact, I've just published my own Digital Marketing Metrics Glossary that includes every metric I've encountered while consulting for thousands of companies over the past decade – all explained in plain language and ranked by importance. No credit card, no commitment, just free value.

8. AI assistants (not entirely free but shockingly affordable)

This is my personal favorite resource, and honestly, I rely on them myself sometimes. Ask ChatGPT or Claude to:

• Advise on your digital marketing strategy
• Draft budget proposals for review
• Develop a personalized learning plan
• Explain complex marketing concepts

At roughly 1/200th the cost of a bootcamp, you get a virtual assistant, lecturer, consultant, and companion available 24/7. Most have free tiers that are plenty powerful for marketing questions.

9. Learn by doing (the ultimate free education)

This cannot be more true. Most entrepreneurs I work with didn't wait to complete a course before they started advertising. They jumped in and learned as they went.

Most courses focus on theory, which is hard to retain unless you're actively applying it. With Google Ads, for example, just create an account, log in, and start exploring the interface – for free. I promise you'll learn all the important metrics and jargon much faster this way.

The bottom line

Don't get me wrong – I'm not saying you should never pay for education. But in 2025, with so many quality free resources available, my suggestion is:

1. Exhaust the free options first
2. Develop a better understanding of what specifically you need to learn
3. Only then consider paid courses for highly specialized knowledge

In this age of generative AI, the cost of quality education is dropping dramatically (this could be another topic). Don’t fall into the bootcamp trap anymore.