Just because you know you want to work in the business field doesn’t mean you know which aspects you want to throw yourself into. And four-plus years is a long time to spend on something before you realize it wasn’t what you wanted to do. Spending a little bit of time now to figure out what a marketing is and if it’s right for you can save a lot of time and an extraordinary amount of money down the road.
What is marketing?
A marketing degree provides you with the opportunity to work in many aspects of essentially any business. You might be involved in helping to create new products, designing promotional materials, or selling products or content.
What are your goals?
Marketing is a major you can take to many different levels. While an associate’s degree in marketing is an option, it doesn’t provide you with a lot of the necessary skills for many positions. A bachelor’s degree is, obviously, much more informative, and prepares you for more opportunities. Many experts suggest that getting a bachelor’s degree in a similar major and then getting a master’s degree in marketing is the best option for someone who is extremely enthusiastic about utilizing a marketing career.
Additionally, there are many roles to fill in a business, which means a lot of room for promotion. While an associate’s degree may only be appropriate for entry-level positions. A master’s degree, on the other hand, opens up a lot of doors. While it doesn’t ensure the highest-level career in the world, it will open up a considerable amount of opportunities. Depending on what you hope to achieve in your life, a marketing degree may or may not help you achieve those goals.
Do the options actually appeal to you?
Marketing has a reputation of putting you in a lucrative career, but this isn’t necessarily so. Business degrees are extremely popular, which means there’s a lot of people competing for the same position as you. If you don’t actually want to do any of those things, they’re going to be a lot more impressive in their enthusiasm than you are. This ultimately makes them a better candidate—even if you had a 4.0 and graduated at the top of your class. Plus, if you don’t really want to do it, you aren’t going to put much work into it. And it can make the days of the future a lot longer than they need to be.
Are you prepared to work?
Because of its popularity, a lot of people are getting a degree in marketing just to have a degree. This means you have to distinguish yourself, which means putting a lot of effort into it. It’s the kind of degree you can “just get through” or that you can really succeed in. Many experts recommend double majoring when you’re in marketing because it gives you an extra edge.
