School and Career Surprises: Tips From People on the Job
Each comment from a marketer includes their career and school ratings.
Career: "I was surprised knowing that my field of work allowed me to work at my own pace, my own hours, and set my own standards, quality, and wages. The harder I work the more I make."
+/-
Career: "I was surprised that a lot of the basic business skills that I learned in college are really outdated or do not matter in my industry. I was also surprised that I probably would have progressed faster in my career if I had not gone to school and just gotten an internship or started working because it is such a self-starting and experience based profession."
+/-
Career: "I was surprised to find out that this job required much more busy work than I expected. I hoped that it would involve meetings and projects, but there's a lot of paperwork."
+/-
Career: "I am surprised how fast marketing is changing and what it takes to reach certain people. Another thing that surprises me is how hard it is to convince older co-workers to change with the times. People get extremely set in their ways."
+/-
Career: "I am surprised by how boring my work is. I always knew that I would be working in an office at a desk and would always have some routine work that I needed to do on a regular basis. But I am surprised at how little variance and excitement there is in my job. I often feel very bored, unchallenged, and unexcited at work. I really thought that I would enjoy my line of work, but even when working on the things I love to do most I still don't find enjoyment. It's not that I dislike going to work or being at work. I just find it boring, depressing, and unfulfilling."
+/-
Career: "I was surprised at how little college had benefited me in my actual job. It prepared me for the technical aspects of the business world, but left me unaware of all of the other proceedings that I have learned about on the job."
+/-
School: "I was surprised and disappointed in how little practical information LSU had on the state of modern marketing and advertising technique. The professors teach what they knew when they were working - not what is happening now. I was also happily surprised at how nice LSU's student media department was as a laboratory to learn and exercise your skills in mass communication."
Career: "I was surprised at how much math knowledge you needed, as well as a healthy understanding of negotiation. It's also important to note how essential it is to marketing and advertising to have a well-rounded and varying understanding of multiple industries. You have to know and understand your industry as well as all the industries of your clients."
+/-
School: "I was surprised that the University of Texas at Austin would have such brilliant teachers ,who really helped me think outside the box. It was a good experience ."
Career: "I was surprised by the amount of facts and figures that is involved in marketing, I never expected so many calculations just to find out the market share amongst other things."
+/-Best & Worst Things About This Career
As reported by people currently doing the job
"The best part of the job was the creative aspect for me and the freedom to work within the various reseller companies. I had the support of my own internal team at a marketing level and as a member of the sales team. It was rewarding linking my marketing campaigns to direct sales. The worse part of the job was having to encourage smaller resellers who didn't have the manpower or marketing wherewithal to focus on the importance of creating marketing programs. I had no issue with creating the materials needed, just educating an already overburdened small team."
+/-
"The best part of the job is the research it takes to find out if people are legitimate email marketers. We have several ways we do this. Sometimes we use online tools to research the company and other times we have to talk to their customers and see what they have to say. It's very interesting. The worst part is having to terminate a legitimate customer who has broken the rules about collecting addresses."
+/-
"The best part of my job is being creative. We always try to get to the heart of the matter when developing an ad campaign. We ask "what is the most important thing that someone needs to know about our cardiac (heart) program?" Then, we develop a simple but compelling message to promote our service. It is very fun to see our ideas come to life in a television or radio ad, or on a billboard by the highway. The worst part is all the meetings. There are so many sometimes that's hard to actually get any work done."
+/-
"The best part of my job is flying around the world and hearing how our product has helped customers solve problems, become more productive or save jobs. As part of this process, I get to appear as a key note speaker at a handful of industry events. The worst part of my job is working at the trade shows for very long hours and saying the same thing over and over again."
+/-
"The best part of being in marketing is that every day is different. If you enjoy working with people and challenging yourself to keep up with what's new, what's hot and what isn't, then marketing and advertising is for you. The worst part of marketing is the pressure that can be felt by your employer, coworkers, and even yourself. If you are someone that pushes yourself to the absolute limits to succeed, and for some reason your product is not succeeding, it doesn't feel good. But when you are succeeding, the joys are plentiful."
+/-
"The best part of my job is the research because it's likes solving a puzzle or unraveling a mystery. Since we are always working on something new, I am always learning something new whether about a product or about the person we are targeting. The worst part of my job is the deadlines! There are many, and in order to keep clients happy we have to make sure we never miss them. It can be stressful to manage other people's expectations."
+/-School : BS, Communications, New York University
Career: Director Of Strategy, Marketing, currently based in Connecticut
"The best part of my job is helping two companies work together to broaden their market access and to create better solutions for joint customers by virtue of partnering. It is exciting to be able to analyze a technical problem and put multiple solutions together to solve a customer's business problems with a full technology solution. The worst part of my job is traveling."
+/-
"There are a bunch of things I like about the job. Projects rarely last for more than 8-10 weeks and since I'm generally involved with several different projects at once, I never have time to get bored! I get to learn a lot about the pharmaceutical business, medicines and marketing all in one job. It is a specialized role, where you get to becomes an expert in a few therapy areas. And you often work in a team so you always have support. On the other hand, the hours can be long and you often have to conduct fieldwork (interviews, focus groups) in the evenings. You need to manage several different projects at once, which can be demanding."
+/-
"One of the best parts of my job is that no day is the same as the next. You get to be creative and come up with fun ideas. Not all of them make it to project stage, but it's never the same thing twice! The worst part about working in TV is that television is not a growing industry right now. Media is changing: people do not sit down and watch television to get their news any more. Stations that can't keep up with technology are firing people and closing news departments. It's scary to work in such an unstable field."
+/-
"The best part of my job is working hard on a project and finishing it and having it accepted as good work by the company president and some of our big clients -- recognition of a job well done. The worst part is feeling like a babysitter and having to deal with immature people who cannot work together. Office politics and dealing with people who have hidden agendas or are only looking out for themselves are part and parcel of this."
+/-
"The best part of the job is when I go to opening night of the show and the house is filled with people. I also often get the opportunity to give large blocks of tickets to charities so that underprivileged kids can come see the show, and have a magical night that they otherwise would never get to experience, The worst part is when the show doesn't sell well. There is a lot of pressure to "hit the numbers" which is difficult in a tough economy."
+/-
"The best part of my job is developing campaigns that our sales team can use to help sell our services. This is the best part of my job because I can use my creativity and develop something that can help our organization as a whole. The worst part of my job is updating outdated content: changing dates, locations, messaging and anything else that is outdated. This is the worst part of my job because it is tedious and doesn't involve developing or creativity."
+/-
"The best part of the job is watching families come to the parks and enjoy a great day with each other. It's very rewarding to see people come together and truly have a fun and thrilling day. The worst part of the job is the weather. Since we are seasonal and dependent on good weather it's very frustrating when the best laid plans go to waste because it rains."
+/-
"The best part of my career is getting to be creative when it comes to marketing the dealership and our vehicles. It's fun to see your ideas on paper, especially when it means that the entire city will see them, too, or hear them on the radio. I also love working with customers and hearing that they've had a great car buying experience. The worst part of my career is dealing with the stigma that comes with car dealerships. Most people don't have positive thoughts about car dealerships and car salesmen, so we have to prove to them that we're different than the rest."
+/-
"The best part is that I get to talk to new people everyday, and I always have something new to learn. Marketing requires one to "keep pace" in order to do well, so being well versed on your product is just as important as your people skills. The downside to the field is that it is a very rapidly changing part of business, in that marketing itself shifts so heavily into favors and always stays so biased. You're either having a great year or a bad one."
+/-
"The best part of my job is the seeing the changing landscape of the retail industry over time. The trends change a lot but the basic premise of the business remains the same; sell the most items to the consumer for the best price and make the buying experience as easy as possible for the consumer. The worst part of my job is the routine. The categories change but the procedure for each review or new item placement is the same."
+/-
"The best part of being a product manager is the variety of tasks that you have to do and the teams that you interface with, combined with the satisfaction of defining and driving products that make money for your company. The worst part is carrying the can when your product is not selling as well or making as much money for the company as you predicted it would, although putting this right can often turn into a satisfying challenge in itself."
+/-
"The best part of my job as a Relationship Manager is that every day is different and the work is never monotonous. I have an opportunity to interact with many people on a daily basis from all different parts of my company, as well as at my clients' businesses. The worst part is when we make a mistake or an error. Then I'm accountable for talking to my clients about what went wrong and why. Sometimes these can be difficult conversations, but they're part of the job."
+/-
"The best part of my career is that I get to work in a small team and interact with my customers often. I get to listen to people's real world problems and come up with product solutions to help them out. My job involves creativity and thinking and is never boring. Sometimes this can be the worst part too - it can be tough to come up with solutions at times, and it can be frustrating when a project I spent a lot of time working on ultimately fails as a product."
+/-
"The best parts of the job are... 1. The people. I get to work with lots of different people from different places and very different backgrounds and experiences from me. I enjoy being able to learn more about them and their culture. 2. The travel. I get to travel to lots of different places and meet more cool people. 3. Thinking. In general, I have a thinking job, which means that I get to do a lot of data analysis and brainstorming and thinking. I am paid not so much for what I produce materially, but for the ideas and thoughts that I can come up with. (Of course, I'm also expected to execute those ideas - or get someone else to.) 4. Flex-time. Currently I work 24 hours a week, predominantly from home. I have worked more and less hours, from home, from the office, and from lots of different countries. Since my company and organization are focused on results, it doesn't matter all that much where I am. This allows me to spend time with my son instead of commuting into work. The worst parts are... 1. Red tape. Big company means lots of politics and red tape. Yuck. 2. Meaning. There's not a whole lot of meaning to what we do... but, on the positive side, the company is generally supportive of volunteer activities."
+/-Tips for Succeeding in This Career
Helpful info from insiders
"Make sure you have the personality that allows you to work with difficult people and be willing to do what it takes to get the job done in an ethical, professional manner. If you can take a Graphic Design course, I recommend you do this as it will help you create your own marketing collateral. People skills and the ability to work in various teams is critical in this position. You will have to travel as well within your geography. Mine spanned Maine to Fl at one point."
+/-
"In order to pursue a career in this field, learn as much as you can about online and email marketing. The best way to do this is by doing online research. There are many websites out there that can assist you with this. It's a fun and flourishing business, which is not something you can say about a lot of other businesses these days."
+/-
"Learn how to communicate. Excellent writing skills are essential. You will use them in writing marketing plans, advertising copy and even speeches. Texting with shortcuts is common, but the basics of the English language are critical to be successful in the business world. You must also learn to work well on a team with photographers, graphic designers and others who are part of a project. You must have your own ideas, but also be able to accept constructive criticism if they are not the right ideas for a particular project."
+/-
"Learn how to think on your feet and become solutions-oriented. There is always a solution to any problem. Always reach for the impossible, and then stand back and watch the miracle unfold."
+/-
"The biggest tip I can offer someone who is looking to get into the marketing world is to keep learning! Intern or volunteer somewhere on the weekends, at night, and in the summers. Even if it's just for free and even if you're not getting any credit for it. The experience and people you will meet will be priceless and if anything, you will have some memorable experiences to look back on. Start a blog and write about what interests you. Engage with people who have similar interests. Read about your topic and, again, never stop learning!"
+/-
"Hone your writing skills with a specific focusing on excellent editing abilities. To keep someone's attention it is always important to get your point across with as much impact as possible Don't let "NO" be part of your vocabulary. Get exposure to as many different functions as you can even if it means working as a 'go-fer.' Listening to more experienced people can be very valuable. Stay current! Be a student of pop culture (present and past). From music, to food trends, to digital technologies, knowing what is "on trend" is critical to successful marketing"
+/-School : BS, Communications, New York University
Career: Director Of Strategy, Marketing, currently based in Connecticut
"It is important to have a solid technical foundation in order to sell IT solutions, but it is equally important to invest time in developing your communication skills. The best technical sales people are those who have the analytical ability to see how their solution solves a problem and convey it to an audience, either in written or spoken form. Without that ability you risk being misunderstood or seen as boring and confused. Yes, grammar, spelling and sentence structure still count."
+/-
"1. Get as much experience as you can in research: interviewing, analyzing data and preparing PowerPoint presentations. 2. Make sure your computer skills are up to speed, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint. 3. Try to gain some experience in presenting to groups of people. 4. Often market research agencies will appoint somebody whom they feel has the potential to succeed, so do not rely solely on job advertisements. Find a list of market research agencies online that you are interested in working for and write to them directly."
+/-
"Diversify! If you want to work in television, know how to do a lot of things. Learn how to write, how to edit, how to shoot. If you can do more than one job, you will be infinitely more valuable. Get an internship. Lots of our interns are hired on as employees when their internships are over. Be flexible. Some days working in TV are really exciting, and some days you will be doing boring tasks that make you wonder why you went to college at all. Take the good with the bad."
+/-
"1. Learn desktop publishing software. If you deal with graphic artists it is good to know the programs they use. That way you can gets things done on your own if they are unavailable. 2. Be careful when you work for a family owned/private company. Decisions made are not always good for business but will always benefit the family. 3. Be patient when speaking with others and make sure you hear what they are saying. Listening is an important skill. You can learn more from listening than you can when you are doing the talking."
+/-
"Although the job is mostly about creative marketing and selling, it also involves a lot of math. Pay attention in math class; you will need those skills, I promise you. And get your MBA. Once you figure out the kind of company you want to work for, find the best in the field and volunteer and do internships. You will gain great work experience, even if you don't get paid, and you'll meet people who can help you to the next phase. Find a mentor, and keep in touch with him."
+/-
"Try to get involved in an internship while you're in college. This will give you experience and help you get your first job. Join clubs that have to do with your major or what you are interested in. You never know who you could meet. When interviewing for a job, research the business and research questions that may be asked during your interview. By answering those questions ahead of time you look prepared and the interviewer can tell you are taking the interview seriously. Be prepared!"
+/-
"Pay attention to all of the marketing, communications and other media around you. It's always there, but most of us don't really pay it much attention unless it's about something we're interested in. If you want to learn the best way to communicate with people you should observe and take something from a variety of sources and strategies. Also, if you can afford to, get in at as low a level as possible and work you way up. There is no substitute for doing, and the experience you gain doing the dirty work at the bottom of the ladder will help you truly understand your whole business as you move up."
+/-
"1. If your major is marketing, make sure to take a lot of advertising courses. 2. With a marketing degree, business classes are also very helpful. 3. If considering marketing, bigger cities tend to have more job opportunities."
+/-
"1. Familiarize yourself with Microsoft Excel and Powerpoint as if your life depends on it. 2. Keep a good, strong attitude. Most employers in the business world appreciate charismatic people. 3. This job requires both focus and out-of-the-box thinking. If you have a sharp mind and are creative, you're on the path to success!"
+/-
"The art of compromise is essential for this job. You must be able to balance the needs of two separate parties in a way that makes them both happy. Interpersonal skills are important. You must be able to communicate quickly and effectively to get the job done. Computer skills are critical, and the more programs you know the better off you will be. Try to be open to the job's possibilities. I have found that it is very flexible. I have had the ability to work full- or part-time over the years based on my families needs at any given time."
+/-
"1. Make sure you have the relevant educational and technical experience in the area in which you choose to become a product manager. The best product managers usually have a sound understanding of how their product works. 2. If you are going into product management straight from college, consider a course in marketing, if you haven't already done so as part of your studies 3. Pick a company in a product area that interests you. It is much easier to be a product manager when you enjoy or can relate to the products you are managing."
+/-
"Try to gain experience in different areas so you have a well-rounded background. Don't be afraid to ask for "informational" interviews, even if you don't feel you have the level of experience or qualifications for the job. Volunteer to work on projects that aren't necessarily part of your regular job requirements."
+/-
"1. Take a variety of classes in college to teach you how to think in different ways. Even if you never use the material you learn in an advanced math class or a literature class, learning how to problem solve and analyze are transferable skills. 2. Networking is a useful skill - and not just to get a job. Bringing in new clients is vital, and being a strong networker helps you make the connections you need to do so. 3. Make yourself invaluable to the company by coming up with strong ideas and working well in your team. If you can't work with the rest of the group and don't contribute, you will not be an effective worker."
+/-
"1. Even if you are an introvert, learn to work well with others. As difficult as consensus-building can be, advancing in virtually any career direction will require negotiation skills. 2. Be willing to take jobs that are "beneath" you. Getting broad experience enables you to understand other roles and responsibilities and will ultimately allow you to see the bigger picture and allow you to be better at what you do. 3. Regardless of what job or career you pursue you will be required to communicate extensively, verbally and on paper. Even if you hate writing, practice. The faster you can write a clear, concise, coherent paragraph, the more efficient you will be overall."
+/-
