What to Expect

Marketing students are learning how to win over the hearts, minds and cash of the consumer.

Jim Aquino studied marketing at San Jose State University. He says his original interest was in promotions. "Then I found the marketing side much more interesting," he says. "If you are in marketing, you are making the decisions, whereas in promotions you are usually taking orders."

Aquino discovered a great deal while studying marketing. "If you want to accomplish something in business and have a great deal of influence in a future career, marketing is the way to go. With a degree in marketing, you will be listened to simply because it encompasses so much: research, promotion, business...everything."

Sophie-Anne Ferland also took marketing. "Marketing students must be prepared to deal with the need for excellent presentations," she says. "This means that students should have access to a computer and a good color printer." That can mean a hefty investment.

"Marketing offers so many options," she says. "It's so different from accounting or finance."

She advises students who feel they do better with a system of rules or a structured lifestyle not to go into marketing. "Intuition and common sense play large roles in marketing; there are no right or wrong answers."

Dave Wournell says his marketing program made him change the way he looks at things. "Instead of being the object of advertising, now I'm analyzing everything I see," he says. "I look at things on TV and in other media and pick them apart, trying to see how I could do it better!"