You understand people, you analyze TV commercials, and you know what makes great brands sell intuitively.  Maybe you’re just fascinated by consumer behavior, or you really enjoy working with design software. There are applications for a broad range of skills within Marketing, and there are many career opportunities for someone with a Marketing degree.

Marketing is much more than just sales.  It’s about bringing your company’s brand, product or service to the forefront of your target market’s mind, and making your name the first people think of when they need whatever you sell. It’s about knowing your market, and advising company strategy in order to align it in such a way that you can access your customers most effectively.

It can be about research and numbers, or about designing great magazine adverts – it all depends where your talents lie.

What Will I Study?

In a marketing degree you will tend to study some courses that are more business-oriented, and others that are more creative.  Some examples include:

• Copy Writing and Effective Communication
• Brand Development and Leadership
• Graphic Design and Publishing
• Market and Trend Analysis

How Long Will It Take?

A standard Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing Management will normally take three to four years, depending on where you do it.  Of course, there is more than one way into Marketing, and you could do an unrelated business degree and convert to Marketing via postgraduate studies or through a graduate training program.

What Career Options Are There In Marketing?

Your first step is usually to join a company’s marketing team and gain some experience either doing market research and analysis, or the more market-facing aspects of Marketing like graphic design or copy writing.  Which you choose depends on your individual talents and skills.

Once you have around five years’ experience under your belt, you may be promoted to Marketing Manager or Brand Manager, or you can strike out on your own as a Marketing Consultant. 

What Will I Earn?

Salaries differ dramatically depending on sector, job title and employer.  However, you can expect to start on around $30,000, with the earnings ceiling growing exponentially as you are promoted.

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