Marketing Graduate Desperately in Need of Help and Advice

tommytoofar

Hi everyone. Im just on here to see if I can get some advice regarding my degree and qualifications. I graduated from the BBS course in WIT specialising in marketing in 2007, but ended up in jobs that really are not suited to my qualifications. Long story short, I have been working for the last 2 years for a well knon carbonated drinks company as both a merchandiser and sales developer (rep), and to be honest I hate it. Is my degree worth anything to me at all at this stage, as I'm now 25 and feel that if I'm going to have my career working out for me, now is the time to get it going right. RThere are no opporrtunities to advance in my current employer, and I have been told that I wont be getting any, despite my hard work. I work on my own in this job most of the time and as areslut there is no social aspect to my work , and I work best as part of a group, there fore I need to get out and find a role better suited to me andmy qualifications. I dont want to end up with a career in sales, as I feel that I did not need to give 4 years of my life studying and ploughing money in to my education to get such a role. I really need help and advice with this as I reallyy ant to be going somewhere wioth my career, but am at a dead end with my current role, b ut I dont know if this is the best I can hope for. All constuctive advice would be most appreciated. I'm at the stage where I will relocate to get my career on track, even abroad

whoisshe

Perhaps it is time to look at a move abroad. There are NO OPPORTUNITIES in your line of work in Ireland. Especially as your degree is form WIT. With so many University grads and experienced people applying for jobs it will be difficult for you to get anything. In the UK, Australia or NZ they might not look down on your degree and there will certainly be more opportunities. And in my experience working abroad is great.

tommytoofar

Are WIT degrees looked on with that lack of repect?

Piriz

Hi Tommy,
Carving out a career for yourself can be a long and arduous task. Where you are now is actually not so bad, its a start and its experience too. In fairness at least you have a job i.e. many graduates are not so lucky.
If you do not manage to find something better in the short to medium term at least when an opportunity arises you can sell your current experience and skills you use as being relevant to your future employer.
While you may not use your marketing skills, in this position you will perhaps witness much of the 'marketing' involved in retail/FMCG, and also make some contacts which may be to your benefit.
Don't worry about promotion, its a recession there is little promotion anywhere, just embrace the fact you have a job and while there is no 'social scene' just be thankful you are earning money to spend with your mates etc. at the weekend.
I also wouldn't worry about a WIT qualification being inferior to a university degree, not all employers buy into that..your experience in your job is more relevant than you give credit..i.e. building relationships with store owners, managing stock, budgets & time, all good stuff. don't worry be happy keep your eyes open and your ear to the ground and you'll take another step forward sooner or later..

Einhard

tommytoofar wrote: »

Are WIT degrees looked on with that lack of repect?

When you're up against degrees from Trinners, UCD, and some of the English big boys, probably. There's a lot of educational snobbery out there. Although some of it is justified/understandable.

bills

I know its disheartening but i know loads of people with very good degrees who are in jobs completely unrelated to what they wanted or planned! its just reality unfortunately.
You just have to keep going & work very hard & hope your luck changes.

phil1985

Hi Tommy,

I've got to agree with Piriz, you need to start seeing your situation in a more positive light.
I think you are actually in a good place right now.

First of all, apart from anything else, YOU HAVE A JOB. You have an income. I am also 25 and I know so many people our age, highly qualified, in both professions and skills, and they are on the dole. You have a job , which is a great start in itself these days.

Secondly, I totally hear you when you say now is the time to get your career going right, if it is to happen at all. I am in a similar situation to you. I also work for a well known drinks company, in a front-line position which is definitely not what I want to do with my life. But for now it is fine, it pays my bills and I am making the most of it.
I also attended an IT when I left school, but I dropped out of my Business Studies degree halfway through due to family reasons. I worked in several different roles until I ended up in recruitment in 2007, where the money was great but I absolutley hated it. So I quit, took a step backwards, and secured a basic role with decent steady salary with a large well known drinks company. I then went back to college, Dublin Business School, where I am studying part-time for Level 8 Marketing Degree. So 3 evenings a week after work, I go into college for my classes. I am in 3rd year now with just one more to go.
My situation is absolutley not what I had imagined myself doing when i left school 8 years ago i.e. working fuill time in a basic job not relevant to the marketing career i want to pursue and studying at night time. I regret not getting my degree first time round and now I am doing it the hard way. But given the current climate I am just grateful I have a decent job with a decent income which keeps me in a good quality of life, and for having the opportunity to return to college on a part-time basis.
You also have a decent job with a decent income I am sure, even if it is not what you really want, at least you have money to comfortably pay your bills live a good quality of life.

I know you already have your degree and are frustrated you are not using it to your full potential, but my advice is to stick it out. What you should do is carefully examine your current job, and take note of all the good things you are doing. As Piriz pointed out - building relationshipsm, managing budgets etc. etc. You should get everything you are doing down on paper, elaborate and show how you add value to your job for your employer, keep record of everythign you do, and further down the road, when opportunities do eventually arrive, you will have all of this to help sell yourself better. I know you dont like your current role but there are a lot of people out there who are in totally miserable situations because of the current recession, a lot worse off than you and I, with no sign of improvement / promotion.

Thirdly, you could of course emigrate.. I know a handful of people who have recently left for Canada and Australia and none have looked back.... all are happier there than they were in Ireland, they feel more fulfilled.

Or, if you stay in Ireland in your current role,you could always do someting in the evening time to keep your degree up to date, you could gain a professional qualification by taking on a course part-time, a lot of colleges do them.

Finally, have you applied for graduate programmes?? There are a lot out there, you should apply for as many as you can, you could be surprised what you might get.

I hope this helps you. Tell me this, you made this post back in May, that was 7 months ago, how are you getting on now?????

phil

tommytoofar

Thanks Phil, amazing I only got to see your post now. I'm still in the same position I was when I started the tread and its really depressing me.
Pathetic, I know to think I'm still where I was this time last year.
I'm looking into getting an online marketing qualification, but the job still breaks my heart, especially when I see my fellow classmates from college progressing successfully with their careers, despite the fct their qualifications are the same and probably no better than mine.

I am lucky o be in a job, and I realise that the world doesnt owe me a Marketing role, but I'm sick of telling myself I'm lucky to have a job, when I hate it so much.

I've had a couple of interviews for jobs, and almost got a marketing role within my own company but was piiped to the post by somebody who ad a small bit of experience and my loyalty and time on the company was
overlooked. I really am beyond disheartened at the moment as I have no motivation for this role any more. This hasnt been helped by the fact that I was told that because I did so well in the interview, they wanted me to come in and work on some projects with them to gain experience. My managers put a stop to that and I heard nothing more ever since. It seems that they would rather let me waste away, than let me fulfill whatever slim pit of potential I have left.