Question

Topic: Career/Training

Pursuing An Imc Degree After An Unranked Mba

Posted by Anonymous on 4/22/2009 at 1:06 AM ET 250 Points
I am finishing up my MBA at an unranked school. I went straight into the MBA program after undergrad mostly because I wanted to find a career path that interested me and not just a job. However, I have now decided that I am most interested in marketing, particularly brand management.

My question is would getting an IMC degree in a few years (after getting a bit of experience) be a good way to get into brand management? Obviously I can just try and work my way up to brand management with just my MBA but would a good IMC degree make my path considerably easier?

The schools that I've looked come across with IMC degrees are Northwestern, Loyola Chicago, NYU, Eastern Mich., WVU, etc. The first three are obviously really good schools and I've read on here that Eastern Mich. isn't really worth it. I haven't found anything on West Virginia's program in any forums though (which might be telling in itself). Any info on schools?

Thanks!
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 4/22/2009 at 6:51 AM Accepted
    If you really get some serious work experience, I'm not sure the IMC will be worth the time/expense for you ... assuming you still want to be in brand management after a few years of working in the industry.

    Of course, more education never hurts, but an MBA -- even from an unranked school -- should equip you with the know-how you need to do a good job as a brand manager.

    If you're set on getting the IMC, Northwestern and NYU are probably in a league of their own, and you don't need another second-tier school on your resume.

    My suggestion: Try to land a brand management job as soon as you finish your MBA, even if it's at a smaller company. Learn all you can and stick with it for at least 2-3 years. Then decide what your next step should be. Alternative: get a job in account management for an advertising agency. The activities day-to-day are often similar.
  • Posted on 4/22/2009 at 12:09 PM Author
    No one seems to want to look at me since I don't have much experience or a highly regarded degree. I plan on trying to work my way into brand management one way or another though. Just hard to get into CPGs especially when there are very few anywhere near my school.

    I appreciate the advice. It makes a lot of sense and is pretty much what I was thinking too. Guess I just wanted to see if there was a more surefire way to get my foot in the door.
  • Posted on 4/22/2009 at 4:28 PM Moderator
    Is it feasible to move to a major market where CPG brand management jobs are more available? You have a much better chance of finding your way in if you're in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, etc.

    If brand management is your goal, it's going to be really hard if you're not near any of the potential employers.
  • Posted on 4/22/2009 at 5:40 PM Author
    It is definitely feasible. However, I am getting married next month and she will have to do student teaching locally (b/c she's a deaf ed major) so I'd rather not have to be apart so soon after getting married. After she's done in December I'm open to moving anywhere. I am worried though that not getting into a CPG or advertising agency with CPG clients immediately will make it that much more difficult to get started.

    I have accepted how tough it is going to be. Now I'm just trying to map out a path.
  • Posted on 4/26/2009 at 9:19 PM Moderator
    You don't want to go for 6 months before you start looking, especially since it could take another 6 months to find the right job. What's the nearest good market? Maybe you have to start commuting this summer and see if you can land a job in a favorable market in something less than 6 months.

    It's not ideal, but it sure beats being stuck in a career that isn't fulfilling for years. Take the long term view and make the short-term sacrifices you have to. The time will go by quickly, and if you get lucky you'll be glad you did it that way for a long time.
  • Posted on 4/27/2009 at 12:50 AM Author
    There really isn't a good market anywhere nearby (I'm in MS) so not exactly sure what to do. Moving to a new, distant city seems insane without any real job prospects, but it might just be what it takes.

    I've applied to some internships for the summer and if I get one of them I can just push graduation back until Dec. since I only need one class.

    Do you think that I should just identify an area such as Chicago and move there? I'm willing to do it but would be really nerve-racking.
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