Throughout our Principles of Marketing tutorial, we make it clear that marketing is a critical component for running a successful organization. We also note that, given the Toolkit that marketers must employ and the skills needed to use the Toolkit, doing marketing well often requires a team approach involving many people responsible for different tasks. Consequently, career options in the marketing field are quite wide-ranging. Moreover, for anyone looking at a possible career in marketing, the future seems to be bright.
According to a ranking of top 25 business jobs provided by U.S. News and World Report, marketing positions are well represented. In fact, the rankings, which include position profile, salary range, required education/training, expected stress level and advice on obtaining a position, show two marketing jobs at the top of the list.
The first, Market Research Analyst, is a specialist position and is number one due to the expected demand for researchers over the next few years. In terms of training, a number of colleges and universities have begun to offer marketing research specific concentrations and certifications, including in the growing field of data analytics. However, it is important to note that strong quantitative skills are a must for this position.
The second job, Marketing Manager, is what the name suggests. It is the person in charge of all marketing activity. While these people may have initially started their career in a specialized area (e.g., sales, advertising), their skill set now requires they know about all marketing areas. In many organizations, Marketing Managers are the main decision maker when it comes to marketing issues and, as noted in the ranking information, while they face a higher stress level than most other marketing positions, they also are the most highly paid.
These were not the only marketing positions to make this list. Additional positions include Sales Manager (#13), Sales Representative (#15) and Customer Service Representative (#22). There are also several other jobs, such as Logistician (#6), Insurance Agent (#7)and Real Estate Agent (#19), which require people to possess important marketing skills.
Image by Tom Gores