Question

Topic: Student Questions

Career In Marketing?

Posted by Anonymous on 4/20/2004 at 1:15 PM ET 50 Points
Hi All,

Currently, I am pursuing a degree in Computer Engineering in Singapore and in my first year. However, it seems to dawn to me that computer engineering is not what i will like to do as a career. I am interested in marketing. I am seriously pondering on a course switch to a business degree specialising in marketing.

But i went to my career counsellor in my Uni. What she advised is that marketing is rather general, and to secure a professional degree in Engineering first, and then to learn the skills of marketing will be better.

Somehow my thinking is that i want to make full use of my time and learn things that will be useful to me and my career rather than using a degree as just a stepping stone.

So some extra questions are that to pursue marketing as a career, is a marketing degree essential, good to have or no need for it?

Thanks in advance
Jason
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Blaine Wilkerson on 4/21/2004 at 10:27 AM Accepted
    My advice can apply to any career, but applied to marketing....

    You need to decide what aspect of marketing attracts you. Do you know or hear about someone who makes a lot of money in marketing? Or did you recently discover something you were good at that lends itself towrd a marketing career?

    For example, I was a pre-med student doubled majoring in Forensic Science and Boichemistry. I have always been an artist and all the math, chemistry, and physics courses proved I was good at solving complex problems as well. I always had an entreprenurial itch to scratch. Med school is my "back-up" if I burn out in business land.

    Coming from a family of marketing profs, I guess it was only a matter of time before my ventures turned into marketing exlploits. I noticed every business I started was consumed with intense branding, stategy, planning, and advertising. Little did I know I was exercising and fine tuning some of the most important aspects of marketing. The realization of discovering I was pretty good at coming up with creative solutions and graphics for start-ups and/or failing companies, I crept into the marketing world.

    So, look at your personal attributes. Are you a good artist? Can you write well? Is math your thing? How about reseach? Computers? Websites? Any and all of these things (and more) can lead to an excellent carreer in marketing.

    Which leads me to my next comment, SPECIALIZATION. Your career counseler was right, "marketing" is a general term. Hence all the difference sub-specialties in marketing. It's very much like medicine. There are general doctors and specialized brain surgeons. In marketing, there are general marketers and branding specialists (not to say branding is brain surgery but arguably just as fatal).

    So try to match up your attributes to the area of marketing that will be best served by what you can and like to do. UNfortunately, no matter what career path you choose, if it is not something you truly have a passion for, the chances of doing well for an extended amount of time are nil.

    Good Luck!
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