How the Marketing Major Prepares You for the Job Market
The business major is one of the most widely-accepted and applicable majors available. Every industry, from health care to non-profits, has a business aspect that demands attention. For this reason, business students are highly likely to find employment in a variety of fields. This may account for the popularity of the business degree. In 2006-2007, approximately 21 percent of the 1,524,000 degrees conferred were given in the field of business, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Marketing majors in particular focus on the selling points of a product or service, taking into account the state of the economy, market trends, and other factors that can affect the success of a productís launch. To prepare for a future working with both large and small businesses, marketing majors take courses in consumer behavior, marketing research, competitive strategies, and other topics related to how to best push a companyís goods. This educational background prepares marketing majors for a successful career after graduation, as the majors already possess the valuable knowledge needed in the field.
Best Career Paths for Marketing Majors
Marketing is a tricky field that takes into account many ever-changing factors, such as market trends. Marketing majors can find work in a variety of settings and industries, keeping these companies competitive and prosperous. The best career paths for marketing majors to take are:
- Marketing Management. Marketing managers are responsible for identifying the target consumers and competitors for a companyís goods or services. They study to market to determine what to price a companyís goods in order to maximize profit without alienating the target consumer base or sacrificing the productís integrity. Marketing managers make an average salary of $118,160 annually, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Advertising Management. Advertising managers supervise the activities of a companyís advertising and promotion staff, ensuring that proper work is being done on active client accounts. They may also work with a company to check up on the progress of a third party advertising agency. Advertising managers make an average salary of $97,540 annually, according to the Bureau.
Both of these positions utilize the business skills and industry knowledge that marketing majors possess.
How to Market Your Marketing Degree
Earning a marketing degree is an important step towards starting your career. However, you will also need to know how to market your degree to potential employers in order to prove that your education makes you an excellent candidate for the position. To do this, be specific about the skills you learned in class. For example, mention that you worked learned how to best determine the ideal price point for certain goods and services for maximum profit. Be sure to mention the challenging projects you tackled and how those projects helped you hone your skills in the field. Reassuring employers and clients that your educational background helped you develop real-world skills is the most effective way of selling your marketing degree.
