<p>Hey Guys,</p>
<p>I'm off to Grinnell this fall and I've had something poking my mind for a long time.</p>
<p>Whats the prospectus like for students wanting to go into Marketing/Advertizing or other professional areas after Grinnell? there's been this huge aura of "If you go to Grinnell, you end up becoming a college professor" talk. </p>
<p>What do you guys think? Business/Advertizing after Grinnell an oddity?</p>
<p>siddj08 -
There is plenty of opportunity in advertising and marketing after Grinnell. I’m a Grinnell alum and I’m a creative director at an ad agency. A liberal arts education gives you the ability to think critically and that’s crucial in advertising. It also gives you the skills to learn and understand new things, and in an ad agency with many types of clients, that’s absolutely essential. I won’t hire applicants who majored in marketing or advertising because they don’t know anything other than their major. I want people who can think and who have vivid imaginations and can make associations that give them ability to communicate in a way that’s compelling, entertaining and memorable. So go to Grinnell, major in whatever fascinates you, take courses in areas that challenge you and give you different perspectives, go on 2am Bakery runs, eat lots of Pags pizza and you’ll be perfect in advertising</p>
<p>MadsDad, Thank you so much for your encouraging words.</p>
<p>How would you advice on summer internships and such things?
also, what did you do right after Grinnell? Straight to a big University or work first?</p>
<p>Its great to hear from someone right in the field! (I dream to be a creative director of some advertizing/production firm in the future). Thank you for your help.</p>
<p>siddj08 -</p>
<p>The school’s career placement office usually keeps a roster of intern opportunities. I think my company is listed for students interested in advertising in St. Louis. I went to Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism after Grinnell and received a masters in journalism. So I went from writing 5-7 page papers in college to 10 column inches in grad school, to 6-8 word headlines for a career. My life is all about how to tell a story in ever diminishing numbers of words!</p>