Know-How Exchange : Career/Training

Alex,
It depends on how long you have been in Omaha. As a person who has moved a number of times in my career, I would say you never know how things are really going to work out until you have 2 years in place.

Give me a call, I am on the other end of Iowa and would be willing to chat with you.

Alex,

Smile and move.

Michael

In cases like yours the best thing is to move out unless you notice a change in your boss behaviour or a chance for you to move over him. At any rate the road now is quite tough to move out of a job as the economy still looks bleak. Do you like Marketing in general? If you do keep on studying and learning so you are better prepared for a move in the area once the sky gets clear or perhaps your boss will depend so much on you that he will be forced to behave differently. If you do not like marketing then think about moving to a different industry. Think deeply what is it that you like to do! Meanwhile, think with your head not with your heart.

Getting a mentor would be a good move, because at least that way you'd be learning. Do you think your company would pay for something like that? If so, there are probably several good candidates.

As others have said, this isn't the best time to be looking for a new job. My suggestion would be to set goals/challenges for yourself, find the motivation within, and make Omaha your home for another year or two. Things could change (somehow), or at least you'll have a couple more years of useful experience under your belt.

If you haven't checked out my list of 10 recommended books for serious marketers you might want to do that, and go through all 10 of them over a period of a few months.

The best thing, of course, would be to get a mentor, as you suggest. Let me know if you want to go that route. I've done it before, always with great results. We do a combination of reading, case studies, and specific market tests and programs for your business. We can even bring in a small team of specialists if that's what's needed.

Hi Alex,

I feel your pain. Here are some suggestions based on my own experience.

On the personal side - first, take a deep breath, and accept that you can neither predict nor control the future. I know this sounds basic, but it's a trap so many people (including myself) fall into particularly in career planning. Moving to Omaha was your choice. You'll never be able to predict with total accuracy whether the choice you're faced with will make you happy. Moving back could be just as unhappy, who knows. You've just got to do your best in the present. Sometimes we focus on what we miss so much that we miss what's great in front of us, y'know?

Sounds like you like marketing but need a mentor. I would recommend joining some professional networking groups if there are any near you. If there aren't, you might even start one on Craigslist or LinkedIn. Many people are really open to networking now because the job market is so soft. You could also request informational interviews with marketers. It's kind of a cold call, but I've done it before, and usually there are at least 1 or 2 people that are happy to share 30 minutes to talk to you and give you free advice. Your college alumni association can be a good place to find fellow alums in marketing near you.

I would also recommend reading some marketing books to help you get a feel for things. Some that I particularly enjoyed are: Kellogg on Branding, Marketing Plans by Malcom McDonald, Made to Stick. There are countless others but it depends on what type of marketing you do.

For a longer-term strategy, think about applying to companies with better marketing leadership. Big companies could be a place to start, but small companies often have good leadership too. Good luck!

I would suggest that you remove your name and your e-mail address from your user profile.

Otherwise, someone from your firm (possibly your boss) could easily find your posting here with a simple Google search, and I do not think that would be good for your career.