How Long Am I Gonna Be a Newbie?!

I was logged into my blog this morning, and our VP/COO caught a glimpse of it. "Marketing Newbie?" he said. "You're not a newbie anymore, are you?" I laughed and said yes, I was definitely still new to the game. He said that maybe in a couple more weeks, I could change the name of my blog to "Marketing Veteran." That got me thinking: when will that shift (in real life, not within my blog, of course) actually occur?

I've been a marketing assistant here at JB Chicago for over seven months now. After graduating from IU (go Hoosiers!) I plunged headfirst into the world of marketing, hearing terms like SWOT analysis, RFP and pay per click on a weekly basis. My background is in journalism, so this was somewhat of a culture shock. Granted, things became less abstract once I was exposed to their uses, but I remember writing down each unfamiliar phrase I heard uttered, then googling it at my first opportunity.

My role within the company has shifted a bit in the last month or so; I have moved away from many of the "typical" duties you might think a marketing assistant performs. Though I might be biased, I really think JB Chicago is on the forefront of understanding how companies can use social media resources effectively -- and I am now performing a lot of the research. This means knowing about RSS feeds, profile aggregators, SEO, backlinking... the list could go on and on. Overwhelming as it was (and can sometimes still be), these terms are once again become less abstract as I work with them and see their practical purposes.

So, because I am acquiring these new skill sets and learning the ins and outs of the beast that is social media, does this mean I am no longer a newbie? No -- I still have a lot to learn. I am, however, ok with that term... for now.