Dolan 1

Maxim Dolan

Dr. Russel Thomas

English 1201

26 May 2020

Marketing: Is this Career Right for Me?

Ever since I entered Ms. Butler’s marketing class at Northmont High School, I have

thought about going into the marketing field as my future profession.  Ms. Butler did an excellent

job of sharing the different fields in business, specifically marketing. From teaching to branding

products, Ms. Butler explained the wide spectrum of jobs that the field carries. I came to believe

that a degree in marketing would be perfect for me.  Before entering college to pursue marketing,

I need to answer an important question: What will the marketing field be like in the next five

years and is it right for my future career?  Before I can look to the future and answer the

question, I need to discover the history of the marketing field.

The profession of marketing has multiple areas, including advertising, analytics, and

promotions, for example.  As the economy has grown and developed, marketing itself has

evolved with it. Marketing and advertising have existed since people moved from a bartering

society to a commerce society.  For instance, one of the earliest marketing techniques was

created in early China when candy vendors wanted to attract customers they played a flute. The

use of music to attract customers is still used today; notably, with ice cream trucks.
 Dolan 2

The preceding image of the ice cream truck from Google Images is one of the many examples of

the marketing strategy of using the bamboo flute to attract customers.

Furthermore, the earliest known printed advertisement was found in the Chinese Song

dynasty from the first and second centuries Common Era. The Chinese had an ad for needles that

stated: “We buy high quality steel rods and make fine quality needles that are ready for use at

home in no time” (“The Ancient Origins”). Advertising placed on buildings and structures dates

back to ancient times. Vendors in early high functioning societies, such as the Egyptians and

Romans, used walls and natural structures to attract customers as they walked by. The following

picture from the LaFleur blog depicts what early advertising would look like before the Industrial

Revolution. In the picture, one can see a exterior wall covered to capacity with advertisements.
 Dolan 3

This practice of using billboards and election signs can still be seen today along highways and

roads and throughout cities.

Marketing in our society today derived from concepts used during the Industrial

Revolution, a time of significant change in how goods were produced. Mass production was

possible on a scale that was impossible for citizens living before the 18th century to comprehend. 

The result of this high number of goods required a market to sell them in.  This happened

naturally for the most part, but producers surely had to create ways to draw more interest for

their goods and services for not only the rich, but the larger society as well.

In the early 19th century in the United Kingdom, shoe polish became known as one of the

first products to be advertised: “One of its much-admired ads pictured a cat spitting at its

reflection in a highly polished Hessian boot” (“History: 19th Century”). During this early period

of advertising, manufacturing focused on posting bills on doors and walls rather than placing ads
 Dolan 4

in newspapers.  This was due to the fact that many of Britain’s citizens could not read; therefore,

they were unlikely to buy a newspaper. Even though few could read, every citizen were able to

see ads throughout his or her town or city (“History: 19th Century”). 

During the early to mid-19th century in the United States, merchants tended to advertise

in their local community and by the mid-19th century, newspapers were more widely used as

tools of advertising.  This created the opportunity to increase advertising and sell more products.

However, newspapers had a rule that ads could only run for two weeks in order to remain fresh.

U.S. advertisers, like marketers in Britain, avoided this by building up “big letters from scores of

smaller ones and repeated copy blocks” so that their ads would look different from ads near them

(“History: 19th Century”).  Advertisers also made several versions of an ad to beat this rule.

From this, various slogans were used to market the same product. The competition drove the

need for inevitable creativity over time and the art of marketing became more intricate.

In the mid-19th century, the United States Civil War shaped the country politically,

geographically, and economically. The massive troop movements and the new need for supplies

caused manufacturers to produce goods and services to meet the needs of the Union and

Confederate armies. The sewing machine became popular because of clothing needs for soldiers.

Advertisers then targeted consumers for the popular sewing machine.

The end of the Civil War and the movement of people into cities to work in factories

created an opportunity for merchants to sell more goods.  The department stores were introduced

in the United States, which was an idea that came from Europe: “A.T. Stewart and R.H. Macy in

New York, John Wanamaker in Philadelphia and Marshall Field in Chicago set up department

stores” and became very popular because of the competition through the department stores’
 Dolan 5

design, visual appeal, wide selection of products, and friendly employees (“History: 19

Century”). The modern era of shopping, and marketing, was born.

The growth of mail-order houses such as Montgomery Ward and Sears and Roebuck, the

railroad system, and mail services helped businesses understand the advantages of advertising.

Legal protections provided by trademarks and patents allowed advertisers to expand their

businesses.  And the early 20th century with innovations in communications, increased literacy

as a result of widespread education, and an increase in travel would provide even more

opportunities to expand their profits (“History: 19 Century”).

During the 20th century, the steep technological advances in communication that took the

world from relying on newspapers to listening to information on the radio and then to watching

information on television increased opportunities for advertisers to create demand for

productions.  And now in the 21st century, the Internet and social media help to increase the

impact of marketing. Now, I will look to the future and attempt to address how the marketing

field will look in the next five years.

According to Mike Profitia in his article the best jobs for those with a marketing degree,

the top 10 jobs are admissions representative, brand/product manager, event/meeting planner,

fundraiser, marketing assistant, market research analyst, media planner, public relations

representative, sales representative, and social media manager (Profita). The information shared

by the author became a great starting point as I began to try to answer my research question.  I

then decided to take a glance at the Bureau of Labor Statistics in order to gather data on the field

provided by a government agency.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics on its Career Outlook page shared “median annual wages

for these occupations ranged from $18,960 for cashiers to $123,220 for marketing managers.” As
 Dolan 6

an example, I focused on public relations and fundraising managers.  The data shared on the Job

Outlook portion of the Bureau Labor of Statistics page identified annual growth in the field of

8% from 2018-2028.  This is faster growth than most professions and is due to the growth in the

use of social media (bls.gov). Like many in my generation, fortunately, I am quite skilled in

using social media, which would benefit me in this profession.

If I were to pursue a career in public relations and fundraising, the average pay is

$116,000 which equals $55.86 an hour (bls.gov). Earning this salary and living in the state of

Ohio would provide me with a great living. A six figure salary is an above average salary and

would enable me to afford a house rather than an apartment. I would like to purchase a house

worth approximately $200,000 as a starter home. With a job in public relations and fundraising,

I would be able to so. The following chart from bls.gov, provides a snapshot of employment

facts for this aspect of the marketing field.

Quick Facts: Public Relations and Fundraising Managers

$116,180 per year
2019 Median Pay
$55.86 per hour
Typical Entry-Level Education Bachelor's degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation 5 years or more
On-the-job Training None
Number of Jobs, 2018 81,200
Job Outlook, 2018-28 8% (Faster than average)
Employment Change, 2018-28 6,300

The job itself is a typical office job and would require 40 hours per week. The main

purpose of the job is to improve the public image of a business and/or client. For example, Noir

represents small businesses in Dayton, Ohio. They specialize in graphics, branding, and social

media. This would appeal to me since I enjoy helping people’s ideas take off and help their
 Dolan 7

businesses excel. Also, as the chart above shows, jobs in this field are growing at a faster-than-

average rate of 8%.

In addition to look at public relations and fundraising as a career, I looked at what an

admissions representative would do and earn. According to Indeed.com, and admissions

representative would earn $41,000 per year based on 600 salaries at different colleges. The role

of an admissions representative is to persuade and guide students through the registration

process. This is not a career I would want to go into because it would not be close to the amount

of money to sustain my lifestyle. However, this would be a good option if I needed a good

fallback job, or if I wanted to pursue further education, I could do so while working at this job.

The best thing about a marketing degree is that there are many different careers that I have

access to and it gives me the option to decide a career path after college. Further along in my

career, I may consider being a marketing manager of a business. Marketing managers earn an

average annual wage of $147,000. Most marketing managerial jobs are found in the management

of a companies and enterprises, advertising and public relations, and scientific/technical

consulting services (“11-2021”).

When doing my research on marketing management, on the webpage, “11-2021:

Marketing Managers,” I found that Ohio was in the top 13 states for employment opportunities in

the marketing management field. However, the employment opportunities in Ohio are miniscule

compared in California. With over 37,000 jobs, California has double the opportunities than

even New York and Illinois, which have two of the biggest cities in the United States, New York

City and Chicago. With this information, I believe that if I pursue a marketing career and hope

for the opportunity for advancement in my career, moving to California would be highly
 Dolan 8

beneficial. The following graphic from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website depicts

employment opportunities for marketing management in each of the fifty states.

Dolan 9
 Dolan 10

The top paying industry is scientific research and development with an annual wage of

$190,460. To pursue this job, I would have to work my way up within a company like Proctor

and Gamble or Amazon, for example.

With a versatile degree like marketing, when I graduate from college, I will have many

different career choices available to me. After researching the marketing field, I have no worries

about finding a position as the field is expanding at such as high rate due to social media and the

use of the Internet. Even though I already had some background in marketing because of the

DECA business program that I took in high school, I found it surprising how long the art of

marketing has been in existence and how it was even used by Romans and Greeks for the
 Dolan 11

Olympics and gladiator brawls. In my opinion, it is fascinating that some of the same appeals we

use in marketing today were used thousands of years before we were born.

Bibliography

“11-2021 Marketing Managers.” Bls.gov, 31 March 2020. www.bls.gov/oes/

current/oes112021.htm.

“30 Most Popular Degree Majors Studied by Millionaires.” MBA Central.org, 2020.

www.mbacentral.org/30-popular-degrees-studied-millionaires/.

“The Ancient Origins and History of Modern Marketing and Advertising.” LaFleur.Marketing, 1

May 2018. lafleur.marketing/blog/ancient-origins-history-modern- marketing-

advertising/.
 Dolan 12

“DECA Inc.” deca.org, 2020. www.deca.org/.

“Defining Marketing.” Bournemouthuniversity.ac.uk. 2020. Media3.bournemouth.

ac.uk/marketing/02defining/01history.html.

Giang, Vivian. “15 Business Etiquette Rules Every Professional Needs To Know.” Business

Insider.com, 31 July 2013. www.businessinsider.com/business-etiquette-you-need-to-

know-2013-7.

“History: 19th Century.” Adage.com, 1994-2020. Adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/history-

19th-century/98706.

Lake, Laura. “Find out Which Marketing Career Best Fits Your Personality.”

Thebalancemb.com, 17 Nov. 2019. www.thebalancesmb.com/exploring-careers-in-

marketing-2294887.

Profita, Mike. “Here's a List of the Top 10 Jobs for Marketing Majors.” The Balance

Careers.com, 14 Aug. 2019, www.thebalancecareers.com/top-jobs-for-marketing-majors-

2064050.

“Salary Statistics.” Kelley.iu.edu, Indiana University, 2020. kelley.iu.edu/recruiters-

companies/undergrad/statistics/salary-statistics/index.cshtml.

Schweitzer, Karen. “Why You Should Consider a Marketing Degree.” ThoughtCo.com, 3 July

2019. www.thoughtco.com/should-i-earn-a-marketing-degree-466301.

“What Can I Do With a Marketing Degree?” TheBestSchools.org, 23 Sept. 2019.

thebestschools.org/degrees/marketing-degree/.
Dolan 13