Sales & Marketing

You may think, you know what a business degree entails, but business is a broad term that encompasses many varying programs and career paths. There is a lot to consider when choosing a major, such as job outlook, earning potential and time to degree-completion. You want to choose something with a favorable outlook, as well as something you are truly passionate about. To help you make the best decision, we broke down the basics of each career. Marketing is the business of introducing or promoting products or services to other organizations or consumers directly. This is done through traditional means such as TV or print ads, flyers, newsletters and billboards, or through newer, digital means. Digital marketing has an ever-increasing scope that now includes content marketing, search engine optimization and email marketing. Finance, on the other hand, is all about budgeting money and assets. It is similar to accounting in that it involves computation and investments. However, those who study and work in finance will understand how to effectively manage debt, properly manage an investment portfolio and efficiently monitor financial markets and trends.
Common marketing job titles:
Marketing manager
Daily duties:
Create marketing strategies from objectives and market characteristics
Promote services or products through various marketing activities
Describe product offerings and create strategies on pricing
Projected job growth: 9%
2016 Median annual salary: $131, 1802
Sales representative
Daily duties:
Identify prospective customers and follow sales leads
Communicate with prospective customers about the features of products or offerings
Build and maintain customer relationships through regular check-ins
Projected job growth: 7%
2016 Median annual salary: $60, 5302
Market research analyst
Daily duties:
Gather data on market conditions and possible sales of a product
Determine company position in the market and compare to competitors prices and sales
Collect statistics and information through surveys, polls and questionnaires
Projected job growth: 19%
2016 Median annual salary: $62,5602
Communications specialists
Daily duties:
Create, maintain and promote public image of company through media
Form beneficial relationships between company and consumers, communities or public interest groups
Determine objectives and needs of different companies and develop strategies to promote products or services
Projected job growth: 6%
2016 Median annual salary: $5.