<p>My parents are always giving me advice, but sometimes I feel like they know me too well and I’d like some more general input from other adults.</p>
<p>[I’m a senior marketing major at the University of Maryland.]</p>
<li><p>I’ve recently become interested in a career field that doesn’t make the greatest use of my soon-to-be marketing degree. I think it’s a great match for my personality, but I would not really be doing any advertising/marketing per se. My parents seem to think the job is “beneath me”, that I’d get bored, and that it wouldn’t be a good use of my skills. But it really interests and excites me.</p></li>
<li><p>I suddenly came to the realization that this is the one time in my life when I’m not tied down to anything and could move anywhere. I feel like I SHOULD take advantage of that and get out of the DC area for a while, but I also really like it here, and to be honest, I’m a little scared to pick up and move to an unfamiliar area where I have no friends or family.</p></li>
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<p>If any parents feel like giving some general guidance, I’d love to hear your thoughts. (I know kids tend to dislike hearing advice from their own parents, so lay it on me!)</p>
<p>I like your second point. I believe that now would be a perfect time for you to try something you are interested in. The marketing degree is not going away and if it is not used now it maybe in your next position.</p>
<p>This is your first real career move. My vote would be go, have fun, explore, and grow. And if it does not work out, come home and regroup.</p>
<p>The career I've been thinking about is real estate, more specifically with a company that builds its own communities and I would be walking customers through the entire process, from figuring out their needs, to showing the homes to helping them figure out payment options along with the finance department. I really like the idea of connecting with people on a personal level. It's one of the things I'd be afraid of missing out on with a marketing job.</p>
<p>In this company (or another company I've been looking at where I'd be in a management training program), I would have the opportunity to live anywhere around the country.</p>
<p>Is it something that requires more schooling/training?</p>
<p>Is it something that is risky or will take a long time to get to the point of supporting yourself??</p>
<p>(I doubt that your degree will not contribute in some way - however small. the concepts that you learned in Marketing can be applied throughout your life.)</p>
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<li><p>I think that you can make up your own mind about this. :) My advice is to investigate a number of relevant opportunities until you are comfortable with your decision.</p></li>
<li><p>I wouldn't place too much emphasis on feeling that you "should" get away from DC. Think more carefully about what you want to do. In that process, consider occasions when you have been on your own in some way or other in the past, and how you now feel about those occasions.</p></li>
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<p>What you describe is sales, and back when dinosaurs roamed the earth all of us marketing majors were merrily told by our professors "we're teaching you marketing, but what you really will be doing your first job out of college is sales and here is why you can be a brilliant salesperson if you understand marketing."</p>
<p>If it turns you on go for it because good salespeople make more money than almost anybody else, and the key to being a good salesperson is an understanding of marketing--your product has to resonate in a personal way with your prospective buyer. You need to tie their needs to the product's features. If you can do that you can sell anything. Training in marketing allows you to present sophisticated sales presentations that are basically "I have the key to the door that is keeping you from your aspirations/dreams/needs." Other sales people just wear people down or manipulate them--marketers know that 90% of the sales process is finding people with a genuine need for your product. That means profiling--mini marketing research sessions. Good sales people do this intuitively--you will find it easier to be intuitive about it since you have been trained.</p>
<p>Good luck and have fun--so much of success is a genuine passion for what you are doing.</p>
<p>Actually... having a marketing degree fits well with real estate - you have to "market" homes, right????</p>
<p>Also, in some states, such as CA, you get some parts of the licensing requirements waived if you have a college degree - soooo not a waste at all!!!</p>
<p>And, if this becomes "your thing", then get a brokers license and start lindz's real estate company!!!</p>
<p>However, depending on your money situation, it may take a bit of time to be able to support yourself on a real estate income, so you may have to take one job and work real estate part time until you can afford to work full time.</p>
<p>If you do it and like it then you'll have no trouble making a living wage and you'll be set.</p>
<p>If you do it and DON'T like it you'll have some pretty relevant experience going into your next job.</p>
<p>If you don't do it you'll probably regret it. You're an adult. Your parents don't have much of a say on this if it's really what you want to do; I know a LOT of people I consider to be very successful that are in real estate.</p>
<p>lindz, if you think this decision through thoroughly and it still makes sense to you I say do it. This is the time in your life where you can take career chances and where most people are amenable to change.</p>
<p>And real estate will allow you to make use of your marketing degree imho.</p>
<p>Just remember that the industry is in the doledrums presently and most RE developers are in defensive mode. Finally if you are considering commission sales there are thousands of experienced RE agents you will be competing against. Its a tough career to break into when sales are weak as they are now.</p>
<p>The excitement you express for the real estate/development job is evident. My husband, a teacher, always tells his students (and our own kids) that if you do what you love, you will be successful ....because it won't feel like work. </p>
<p>Any entry level job is very demanding and has long hours. Working that hard is much easier when it's something you really enjoy. And, as has been pointed out before, this is not totally disconnected from your marketing degree. If the job doesn't work out and you return to straight marketing, you're going to have a good first job on your resume. Like most of your other readers, I say go for it.</p>
<p>Don't worry too much about moving away from the DC area. You'll get back to see your family and friends for the normal holidays and, if, after a year or so, the new location isn't a good fit, you can always return. </p>
<p>You'll be surprised at how much people scatter after college. Either by moving to new places or by spending more time at new jobs or with new friends. I've seen it with my two older kids. After graduation, people go their separate ways for awhile and then come back together. There are lots of interesting places to live in this country and lots of interesting people to meet. This is a great time to go explore. My family lives in the suburbs of a big city in the northeast. One kid went to college in New England, one went south, one went to the west coast, one to the midwest. After graduation, one has settled in the Pacific Northwest and one in the south. I don't think they'll stay in these places permanently but both are living on their own, doing work they find fulfilling, and figuring out what makes them happy. That's what your 20's are for.</p>
<p>You are not being foolish at all. Real Estate and real estate development is a huge industry that employees architects, finance people, sales people, construction management people, marketing people, consumer research people,....all kinds of degreed people. It can be lucrative and fulfilling and fun and challenging. It can be anything from the sole proprietor selling houses in his home town, to a real estate franchise operation to a multi-tiered private, global private or public company development and management company (think Donald Trump or Taubman). Sometimes parents think that a degree is a trade-off for some specific market value that equates in some way to starting salary and have a difficult time seeing the path. Good luck and do something you enjoy...the real world is tough enough without disliking your job. Any kind of sales position will add value to your marketing degree no mater what field you ultimately land in. You can design, make and build all kinds of things but if they can't be sold.....</p>
<p>And lindz--I didn't mention how many doors were open to me after I had completed a formal sales training program at a big company (Merrill Lynch) and worked as a comissioned sales person for two years. I loved the work, but I learned that I personally was too risk averse to be happy on commission, and my risk aversion kept me from being truly objective about many investments. BUT..once I had that on my resume and a couple of years under my belt employers treated me completely differently than they had BEFORE I had done that program. It was like an MBA only they paid me.</p>
<p>Real estate is the only sort of sales I can imagine getting into. The people I know doing all seem to love their jobs, both those working as little real estate brokers and those doing more big development type projects in NYC. I feel sure your marketing degree can only be helpful.</p>
<p>I spent 7 years w/ NYSE-traded real estate development company in marketing and communications. Those years were by far my favorite "working years" to date, the hardest work and the most fun.</p>
<p>Marketing people are only sales people too fearful to carry a quota.</p>
<p>I've done marketing, product marketing, product management, and commissioned sales. They all go together nicely. The best sales training I ever had was the five years I spent on commission at Radio Shack working my way through college. Nearly everything I learned at that job has paid off later in my career. Even if you want to be a brand manager for Procter and Gamble someday, a sales career will provide great experience to draw on later.</p>
<p>I triple and quadruple everything all above have said. I want only to add that my H's degree was in marketing and he eventually opened his own photography studio. Although he has an MFA in photography, it's probably his marketing background that made the studio a go. </p>
<p>As others have said, anything sales related, or presenting any product to the pubic in any way, is going to benefit from a marketing background.</p>
<p>Having moved to five different cities--three of them overseas, I can confirm that your sense that the early 20's is a good time to try a big move is correct. Once you have children, they have school needs and moving is a much bigger deal. Think about getting into a larger company--so you will have a built in group of social contacts. Once you do move--be the giver. Entertain until your budget can't take it. A happy immigrant is usually the one who initiates social events and meetings.</p>
<p>The biggest downside to moving away from family is that you tend to spend much of your vacation time visiting them! ;) If you are dutiful like me, that is.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would take note o f the posters who have that real estate industry experience--momofthreeboys? TheDad is also one? Barrons?--and let them help you target a good market and a good job. </p>
<p>My parents didn't want me to go to Manhattan. They thought it was 'above' me. I went anyway and thrived. My parents never had a clue about my career. 30 years later, they are still dumbfounded.</p>