Question

Topic: Career/Training

Pr, Advt & Marketing In Software Industry/company?

Posted by Anonymous on 3/21/2010 at 3:19 AM ET 125 Points
1. What are the possibilities of getting a job in Software Industry, after completing a 2 year post graduate course in "Public Relations, Advertising & Marketing"?

2. Will there be any preference given to the graduate if he/she has a good prior work experience in the software industry (as application developer)?

3. What is the career growth scope and limitations? Is MBA better than doing a specialization course in "PR, Advt & Marketing"?

People from the relevant industry, please guide and help me in taking an important career decision. Thanks a ton.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by thecynicalmarketer on 3/21/2010 at 9:28 AM Accepted
    In order:

    1) There are always good possibilities in the software industry. It is very dynamic and there are many new start-ups. A few years back, data showed that 1/4 of all start-up funding went to software companies. It is definitely more challenging today as the impact of the recession has hit marketing harder than other areas in most companies.

    2) For sure prior experience is a definite plus. Many software companies today utilize a SaaS and/or Freemium strategy in their marketing. Expertise in these areas and in online marketing and social media are critical in today's market.

    3) Silicon valley loves MBAs - always have an always will.

    *) Connections are critically important. Build your network with software industry professionals. There are many associations and groups you can join. Get LinkedIn and check out the SIIA.

    Best of Luck, JohnnyB.
    The TCM Blog, https://bit.ly/75KkSG
    https://twitter.com/tcmblog
  • Posted on 3/21/2010 at 10:03 AM Accepted
    Johnny has pretty much nailed it.

    Regarding an MBA or not: PR, Advertising and Marketing will definitely limit your career more than an MBA will, but that may not be bad. If your goal is to devote yourself to PR, Advertising and Marketing (only), then the MBA could be overkill.

    But if you think you might want to get into a senior management slot someday, then the MBA will probably be more valuable. It will help you see the business issues from a broader perspective, work on cross-functional teams more effectively, and generally be of greater value to your organization.

    So the first question has to be, "What is your goal?" Where do you want to be 10 years from now? As Stephen Covey says so well: "Start with the end in mind."
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 3/22/2010 at 12:40 PM Member
    Agree with the above. Lots of opportunities. My first job when I moved out here was MarCom for a small software company.

    And these companies often love people who have technical background along with the marketing education/experience.

    Yes, MBA is better than specialized course. And many job ads ask for at least a BS, with MBA preferred. But to me it seems like after you have been working a few years, the degree is much less important than the work experience.

  • Posted on 3/26/2010 at 2:31 AM Author
    I have an entrepreneurial mindset and want to run my own business in future. I also want to run a magazine, and author a book (have draft for both) in future. An MBA will get me a good job initially, and a post graduate degree focused in "PR, Advertising and Marketing" will mostly not; but MBA could be an overkill as "mgoodman" suggested. But I feel that the latter would be better considering my long term goals. Will you please guide me here? By not doing an MBA, will I miss some serious stuff/knowledge which may be essential in order to achieve my long term goal like starting a business, or I will just do fine?

    About me - I am an engineering graduate with 3+ years of software development experience (financial services, client relationship, team leading). I quit my job and did a stint in entrepreneurship, but ran out of partners and luck.
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