Friday, April 27, 2007

Finding the Best Career in Marketing for You

For those who want a career on the cutting edge that is continuing to grow by leaps and bounds, a career in marketing is a great one for consideration. With the emphasis on sales being so large, marketing professionals are in high demand, and will probably continue to be so in the coming years. Deciding on a career should not be a decision that you take lightly, for it will affect the rest of your life, so it is important to know what the marketing field has to offer you before you dive into this field.

Career Choices in Marketing

There are many different career choices that you can choose from in the marketing field. Whether you enjoy working with numbers or you are a person who enjoys creativity, there are career options for you in the marketing field. One career opportunity in marketing is as an account executive, which will mean that you will oversee that amount of money that is spent on advertising and marketing within a company. If you are more creative in nature, you may enjoy a career as a creative director, who oversees art directors and other creative staff. For those who enjoy artwork, there are career opportunities as art directors in marketing, and you will be able to use your artistic abilities to create art for marketing purposes.

On the management side of marketing there are a variety of great careers, including promotion managers, who oversee special marketing promotions, and marketing managers, who work within a company to outline marketing techniques and strategies for success. Other careers in the marketing field include marketing research managers, media directors, product development managers, and sales managers.

What Education is Needed?

Although the amount of education needed will depend on your specific job, most careers in marketing will require that you have at least a bachelors degree. Usually a liberal arts degree will work; however, some jobs in this field may require a more specialized degree. Some more advanced marketing positions, especially those on the financial and business side, will require that you have a degree in business, and some employers may even prefer to hire people who have a master's degree in business, preferably with a concentration on marketing. Jobs that include public relations and advertising management may require that you have either a bachelor's degree in journalism, or a bachelor's degree in advertising. Before you make your decision on which specific marketing career is right for you, you may want to research the special education you will need to have the best chances at that kind of a job.

Money Matters

One thing that many people consider before they decide on a specific career is the amount of money that they can make. Jobs in marketing are usually extremely lucrative; however, what you make will depend upon your specific job within this field. If you are considering a career as an advertising manager or a promotion manager, you can expect to earn between $55,000 to $65,000 each year. Marketing managers usually will be able to make somewhere between $80,000 to $90,000 annually, and sales managers generally will bring in between $75,000 to $90,000 a year as well. As a general rule, those just getting started in the marketing field, right out of college, can expect to earn between $30,000 and $40,000 a year in entry level positions. While these are general estimates of what you can make, your actual salary will depend on your specific employer, and in some cases you may make even more if you add in bonuses that some companies pay successful marketing employees.

Prospective Employers

Once you get the education needed to get started in a marketing career, no doubt you are going to be looking for quality jobs. You want to make sure that you get a job with a company that will pay you a great salary and that will also offer you various benefits as well, such as sick days, paid time off, retirement programs, and health insurance options. For those who are looking for great employers in the United States, some great companies to consider working for include Wells Fargo, American Heart Association, Susan Harris and Associates, Comcast, and Group Publishing Inc. Canada also has some great companies that you may want to consider as well, such as Cisco Systems Canada, Sears Canada Inc., TD Bank Financial Group, Yahoo Canada Co., and Maritz Research Canada.

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