Marketing is a preferred choice among students. Amol Gawande shares popular programmes that one can take up

A  student’s life takes a major turn after Class XII. There is a big decision to be made about what graduation course you should do to push your career in the right direction. One of the most sought-after graduation courses among Class XII pass out students is Bachelors of Business Administration (BBA) with specialisation in marketing.

Marketing is an evergreen field that has always stayed in demand, irrespective of the nature of product, service, organisation or industry. It has adapted and evolved in accordance with the changing dynamics of the business world. The advent of digital media and technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence has given an entirely new dimension to marketing.

Marketing offers a gamut of career growth opportunities after graduation and even beyond. There is a huge demand for skilled and creative marketers in domestic and multinational companies. All you need is the right qualification, aptitude and passion for marketing. You can fetch a part-time/full-time job, work as a freelancer or even become an entrepreneur by starting your own marketing agency.

If you are looking to pursue a career in marketing, here are your options:

• Market Research: Whenever a company launches a new product or wants to forecast customer behaviour and sales, it calls for thorough market research. A market research analyst collects, organises and interprets data using various statistical tools, techniques and software as well as surveys and focus groups to give actionable insights.
• Sales: This is a hardcore marketing job which requires you to identify prospects, establishing contacts, meet customers, understand their requirements, recommend solutions, sell the products and build a long-term relationship. Depending on your position, you may also have set sales targets and lead a team of sales executives and managers.
• Product/Brand Management: A product/brand manager is involved in marketing at a strategic level. You are responsible for the development of the product and also, design strategies that manage the reputation and integrity of the brand. Your job is to establish the product/brand in the market.
• Advertising and Promotions: In this profile, you work closely with the marketing department to understand how to advertise the product and promote the product to the target audience. You allocate an advertising budget, negotiate advertising contracts, plan an advertising campaign and decide the advertising medium (television, newspaper, radio, billboards, online).

Marketing is the bloodline of every organisation. There will always be a high demand for marketing professionals in the job market. So, there is no doubt why most graduates opt for marketing for bright career prospects.

The writer is Assistant Director at Dr DY Patil  B-School