Advantages and Disadvantages of a Marketing Major

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Marketing Major

Choosing to earn a college degree is a big decision. You want to make sure you pick an area of study in which you can excel. But, you also want to make sure your area of study has career possibilities. Earning a marketing diploma is a terrific choice.

Advantages of a Degree in Marketing:

- Of all the business degrees to earn, marketing is one of the most versatile. Every company, regardless of size, uses marketing. Marketing is not just advertising and promotional messages. The marketing function is also involved in research, product management, pricing, and distribution. Thus, marketing majors have a variety of opportunities from which to choose.

- Marketing is a popular choice for many people because of the possible career paths they can take. If you love to sell, become a sales representative. If you want to use your marketing skills and your creative side, consider becoming an advertising manager or account executive at an advertising agency. If you are interested in developing marketing strategies for a product or service, think about becoming a marketing manager or brand manager. If you love marketing, but are more analytically oriented than sales oriented, then perhaps becoming a market research analyst is for you.

- Earning potential is another plus. Since marketing is so instrumental to a company's success, many marketing jobs will pay a great salary. As you get more experience and hold higher-level jobs, expect your income opportunities to increase. Sales representative and sales manager jobs can be especially lucrative. Many of these jobs pay a salary plus commission. So, if you are a terrific salesperson, you can expect your income to rise. Many companies also offer sales contests with awards ranging from money to lavish vacations.

- Since every company has some sort of marketing strategy, these jobs are located all across the country. You may go to school in North Carolina, but have to move to Colorado after graduation. Not to worry, there are plenty of marketing opportunities all over the country. In addition, you get to choose the industry in which you want to work.

- Maybe you like the medical field, but don't want to become a doctor or nurse. Consider becoming a sales representative, market research analyst, or marketing manager for one of the many companies in the health-care industry. Maybe you have a cause that is close to your heart. Check out related non-profit organizations to see if they need a marketing specialist.

- Marketing will cross over many different departments in a company. Marketing majors are able to interact with all sorts of different individuals. Many business degrees will have you working in just one department like accounting or finance. But marketing allows you to interact with a variety of people. This not only makes your work more interesting, but it could also open up even more career possibilities.

Disadvantages of a Degree in Marketing:

- With all the great advantages to earning a marketing degree, there are also some disadvantages.

- There are many opportunities a person can pursue with this degree. As a result, it has become one of the most popular degrees to earn. This means that competition in the job market can be stiff. With so many people earning a degree in marketing, you will need to do a little marketing of your own when applying for a job.

- Time spent on the job is the other disadvantage. Many sales representative jobs will require you to travel. A company will typically reimburse you for your expenses, but you will be spending time away from your friends and family. Marketing managers and advertising managers can work very long hours with a very tight, demanding timeline. Take a look at your personal situation and decide which marketing career fits best with your lifestyle and family commitments.