Career development and professional project planning

Career

Over the next fifteen years I would like to prepare myself for an upper-management career in a top advertisement firm. By then I will have amassed the requisite skills for such a position, in which I will network and interact with people in any number of business sectors to fulfill their marketing and advertising needs. I will also be able to control the design and production of multimedia advertisements; research demographics; and stay abreast of industry trends. At a top position of management within a large advertising firm, I will enjoy the perks of a highly stimulating, intense work environment, including a plethora of networking opportunities, lasting business relationships, rewarding contracts, and a relatively high salary.

Before I reach that level of success within a top advertising firm, however, I will first take some primary steps. For example, five years from how I will have completed my undergraduate and perhaps also my postgraduate education. Fresh from school, I will be engaged in an entry-level or mid-level position within an advertising firm. Because my strengths lie in management and business relationships rather than in the artistic side of the industry, I hope to secure a position that will enable me to understudy the work of an advertising executive. For example, I would like to work with existing accounts within the advertising firm, make decisions affecting those accounts, and take charge of smaller advertising campaign projects.

One year from now I will still be an undergraduate, steadily working toward my ultimate goals in the advertising industry. I hope to be well on my way toward my degree, taking courses relevant to my career as well as in fields of interest related to potential future clients. For example, if I hope to cultivate strong relationships with the professional sports industry related to advertising needs, then I should hope to take some classes related to that business sector. Moreover, I would like to develop lasting relationships with my professors and academic advisors so that they can help steer me in profitable directions for my professional and academic future. For example, my professors and academic advisors can help me choose appropriate coursework, suggest possible graduate schools, and let me know about any possible opportunities for internships at advertising firms.

According to the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOC), advertising managers (code 164.117-010) engage in activities similar to managers in any professional field. However, advertising managers in particular know the ins and outs of marketing strategies, media relationships, and business networking. Also referred to as promotional directors, advertising managers help companies promote their brand name or their products through the best available means. For instance, an athletic gear corporation will want to make sure their advertisements reach a demographic that cares about athletics. They will want to print their ads in Sports Illustrated as opposed to Guitar Techniques and will want to place their television ads during sporting events not during soap operas. According to the DOC, advertising directors also supervise the final product of advertisements to make sure that their creative content matches the marketing needs of the company in question. For example, if the company wanted to reach a young crowd they would want to produce funky, edgy ads rather than relying on traditional jingles or more conservative imagery. Finally, advertising directors constantly interact with people within the advertising firm, such as creative directors and graphic designers, and without, such as clients and the media. According to the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Outlook Handbook, careers in this field are forecasted to expand but competition is expected to be fierce. Travel is required, as is knowledge about specific geographical regions or demographics.

Based on what I have read in the Occupational Outlook Handbook as well as the DOT, I am perfectly suited for a position as an executive advertising manager. I enjoy long hours and highly intense work, especially if it involves dealing with other people and forming business relationships. I want to network and act as a liaison throughout my professional career. Moreover, I relish the idea of keeping abreast of marketing trends and researching the changes to the consumer demographic as well as changes occurring in specific industries. Working as an advertising manager will enable me to constantly learn about different fields and different businesses and the job will never be boring. Finally, although competition is stiff, the salary level is relatively high.