Advertising Career?

Question

I want to go into Advertising after college, and I was wondering what sort of major would be best for me to have? And I would really like to end up as an advertising manager, though I know that's not an entry level job. I just need some insight as to what would be the best major/course of study for me to take.

Answer 1

In the field of advertising, the very very best thing you can do is interships. And in advertising, many are unpaid. Start doing them as soon as possible because that is a highly competitive field. If you already know that this is what you want to do, get one your first summer after your freshman year is possible. The more experience that you can rack up, the better.

As for your major, if you rack up a bunch of experience, it really won't matter what your degree says, as long as you have one. But for suggestions (in order from hardest to easiest): journalism, advertising, business marketing, communications. I've looked into all of them, ending up with business marketing. If I could go back, I would have gone with graphic design. That is one skill that everyone looks for.

Answer 2

Some colleges offer Advertising as a major. (I went to PennState and they had it.) Otherwise, I would think most business-related fields would translate: marketing, business administration, communications, all sorts of majors. You'll find a lot of the course requirements in those different fields probably overlap. Go see your school's job counselor for more info. Going into the field as an entry-level person though, it's less important which major you had, but that you graduated. Internships are helpful, though, so definitely find out if you can intern over the summer for an advertising firm.

Answer 3

Journalism/communications/design (digital or otherwise)/management/business administration should do you well.