What is the best position or industry to enter a marketing career out of college?

by neXres

Question by Ryan d: What is the best position or industry to enter a marketing career out of college?
I am looking to start a career in marketing, my ideal job would be brand manager, but most companies require several years experience in order to even apply for a job. Is there a type of company or industry that offers entry-level marketing postitions or training that would fulfill these experience requirements?

Best answer:

Answer by boschyb
As a recruiter, I’d say any industry would be fine. Marketing means a lot of different things to people so first determine how you want to enter marketing. You could start in sales and then work yourself into an internal position representing the “brand” from a sales perspective. This is probably the most lucrative way to go if you want a healthy income from the get go. Otherwise, get an entry level position in a marketing dept somewhere. Remember those positions often require strong software skills like Quark-photshop- etc. I’d say if you can get yourself into an ad agency as an admin or anything really, you’ll learn a ton about many different industries and develop useful contacts while being a part of “brand management”. In my expereince, marketing, although a very common major, is one of the toughest coming out of school b/c it really is one of those positions where experience is key.

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