Top 10 Reasons to Specialize in a Career in Marketing

A career in marketing has become extremely desirable, especially now that social media has taken career opportunities in the industry to the next level.

There isn’t a private or public business that doesn’t need a fresh digital marketing strategy to appeal to consumers and bring in traffic, and this is when MBA graduates come into play.

While there are different areas of marketing, specializing in the field offers many benefits to students and graduates alike.

Here’s 10 reasons that might convince you to pursue a career in the field.

You can kick-start your career quickly 

While other industries require graduates to do an internship or a graduate placement before they can truly get started in the field, marketing can be easier to get into. With an impressive educational background and a good awareness of social media, you’ll get hired in no time.

You’ll have many career options

Because marketing is such a dynamic field, the skills you’ll develop during your MBA and within your job role will be highly transferable. You’ll be able to choose from a wide range of roles and industries, from e-commerce to brand management and anything in between, so don’t worry, you’ll never have to settle for second-best.

You’ll be able to keep up with the times

We’re living in a digital era where there’s more to digital marketing than a quick Instagram post. By working with clients on their social media presence, you’ll develop a lot of the unique internet-driven skills needed to keep up with this ever-changing field in the years to come.

You’ll develop emotional intelligence

While marketing requires similar skills to other industries – such as communication and problem solving – there’s one skill that is hard to develop elsewhere: emotional intelligence. Not only will you have to deal with clients and stakeholders as well as understanding how consumers behave, you’ll gain a unique ability to empathize and build relationships with others – a skill you’ll find useful in every aspect of your life.

You can be creative

While other career specializations value hard skills over soft skills and creativity, this isn’t the case for marketing, making it the perfect field for those with creative flair. You’ll constantly need to think outside the box and come up with innovative and cutting-edge ideas to beat the competition – sounds fun, right?

You’ll have endless networking opportunities

Marketing is one of the most social industries there is, ideal for extroverted, open-minded and collaborative people. You’ll not only get to work alongside different teams to bring strategies to life, you’ll also get to attend a wide range of events and network with people from all sectors and backgrounds.

You’ll have a flexible working life

Marketing isn’t a slow, 9 to 5, always-in-the-office type of industry – quite the opposite! If you dread pedestrian and unstimulating jobs, a career in marketing is probably the one for you, as you’ll often be out and about meeting clients and attending events. But be careful, the hours can be long.

You can work for top-tier companies

Marketing graduates are needed anywhere, and world-renowned businesses are no exception. With a great skillset and curriculum, you could land jobs at giant companies like P&G, PepsiCo, Google, American Express, Coca-Cola, Apple and Starbucks.

You can work for yourself

While marketing agencies are extremely popular, many companies turn to freelancers to cut down costs and/or have a more individualized experience – so if you have an entrepreneurial spirit and marketing experience, you can easily become your own boss.

You’ll learn a lot of money

Even though marketing is a diverse sector where salaries can vary, with an MBA specialization you’ll easily average US$93,000 (£72,755). Marketing directors can earn up to US$162,000 (£126,674) and Chief Marketing Officers (CMOs) can even hope to achieve a whopping salary of US$273,000 (£213,470).

Popular marketing careers include:

• Internet and digital marketing trends, channels, management and strategies
• E-commerce
• Brand management
• Market research and analysis
• Content marketing

If you are not sure where to start your search for jobs, this site can help.