With 100's of Marketing graduates every year, is an undergraduate degree really worth anything?

Question

With 100's of Marketing graduates every year, is an undergraduate degree really worth anything?

I am among many graduates this year with a Marketing related degree on a hunt to start an exciting career in Marketing. However my search so far has left me disheartened and wondering whether my degree is really worth anything. With a 2:1 qualification in Retail Marketing, 6 years part time work experience, including 1 year international work placement, I thought that on paper I would make an ideal candidate for many graduate head hunters.

But without specific Marketing experience, it proves to be very difficult landing an interview with any organisation for a Marketing Assistant/Executive role? Endless adverts for high pressure sales roles appear on every job site and I fear taking a sales role will never give me the Marketing experience I desperately need.

So my question essentially is, how can a Marketing graduate without experience stand out from the rest?

Answer 1

You are right-there are too many people with this degree appyling for too few jobs. I have a BA in Communications and I had the same problem. 10 years later and having ony 2 low-paying jobs related to the degree, I am changing career paths.

The best way to get a job in this area is to either: know someone who can get you a job or live in or near a big city and apply everywhere and start out at the very bottom and hope to be able to work your way up through the ranks.

If you truly want to work in this field, I would try to do some volunteer work with a charity, or somewhere that will allow you some actual experience.

I have seen some marketing ads (very few) lately and the same thing is happening with the ads related to my degree: the employers are taking years of experience in lieu of the degree. That is the key-specific and lengthy experience.

These are the types of degrees that are too broad and general. While people will find jobs with them, many more will never work in the field because the degrees are not worth a whole lot. There are so many other degrees like this; when I signed up for my classes recently at a community college, I felt old and like I was backtracking. But, the advisors told me this is a new trend: many people with bachelor degrees cannot find long-term, decent jobs so they are entering new careers.

There is talk lately of how BAs are the new high school diploma; in many cases, this is true. NOT all of the degrees, but general ones and ones that involve flooded fields are really not worth the time.

If you find you cannot get a job and the time starts passing, I would consider a new field. I am sorry I cannot be more positive, but don't waste 10 years like I did. I was at the top of my class, multiple honors and nothing. My friends and family with high school diplomas are in GREAT jobs with fantastic salaries, some in the 6 figures.

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

You should try to get an internship of try temping at a marketing firm or in the marketing dept of an organization. That way you can build your marketing experince and put it on your resume. Good Luck!

Answer 3

You don't.

The only undergraduate degree worth anything is engineering............