Hey Clay friends - I think I accidentally backed into Go-to-Market Engineering before I even knew it was a real career p...

Hey Clay friends - I think I accidentally backed into Go-to-Market Engineering before I even knew it was a real career path. A bit about me: I studied Marketing & Digital Media, have always been obsessed with whatever felt “next,” and even wrote my bachelor’s thesis on the metaverse… which, in hindsight, was a very specific moment in time. 😅 My background is in digital marketing, and I now work as an EMEA Marketing Specialist at a software company, where I collaborate closely with Sales. Through that, I started using tools like Clay and quickly realized this is the kind of work that makes my brain light up: enriching data, identifying ICP fit, spotting useful signals, and helping build more targeted, automated outreach. At some point I discovered there’s actually a name for this mix of strategy, systems, data, and execution: Go-to-Market Engineer. And that was a bit of a moment for me, because I realized I already have some of the skills for it - but I also know that “having some skills” and becoming really good at it are two very different things. So I’d love some honest advice from people who are further along:

For example, I came across GTM Engineer School https://gtme-school.com/CourseDetails?id=69937afb31d9937d18821c83 and I’m curious whether programs like that are actually worth it - or whether I’d be better off just building projects, learning in public, and using the endless amount of free content out there. My instinct is that the fastest path is probably doing real projects with a clear goal, but I’d love to hear what kinds of projects helped you level up the most. Would really appreciate your honest takes, hard truths, or underrated tips.