Career investigation is an important exercise as it helps a lot in assisting an individual identify personal skills and match them to possibly related occupations. Also, it helps a person to learn more about a career of interest and what to do to pursue the profession (Harrington, Niles & Garraway, 2006). Therefore, this paper is going to give a report of a career investigation in the marketing profession. It is essential to note that the career investigation exercise was carried out through “GIOADA problem solving process” (Goal setting, Information collection, Options identification, Analysis of the alternatives, Decision making and Action to take) as follows.
The Goal
The goal here is to perform a career investigation on the possible marketing profession. This goal can be carried out by using the skills search tools of the Occupational information Network (O*NET Online) or the Occupational Outlook Handbook (OOH).
The Information Collected
After performing the goal of investigating the possible marketing profession through the O*NET Online tool, adequate information was obtained.
Options Identified
Options are the career choices in the marketing field. From the information collected by using the O*NET Online tool, the options include Market Research Analyst & Marketing Specialist, Marketing Manager and Search Marketing Strategist (Mynextmove.org, 2016). Some of the cities with above average opportunities for the marketing options include Los Angeles, Portland and Chicago. Among these cities, the cost of living is highest in Chicago then followed by Los Angeles and Portland respectively.
Analysis of the Alternatives
Even though all the three options identified above are possible careers in the marketing field, they differ in one way or another regarding their skills. For instance, for one to be a Market Research Analyst; the basic skills include listening to others attentively without interrupting and also problem solving skills (recognizing a problem and determining the best method to solve it). However, for one to be a Marketing Manager; the basic skills include figuring out how to apply new ideas besides listening to others without interrupting. Also, a person has to have the skill of problem solving. On the other hand, for one to be a Search Marketing Strategist; the basic skills include talking to others and reading work-related information. Additionally, it also requires one to have problem solving skills (Mynextmove.org, 2016).
Decision Making
Actions to Take
For a student to pursue a career of Marketing Manager, he/she needs to have the knowledge, skills and abilities needed in this career. In school, the student needs to develop knowledge in Business particularly in sales, marketing and management. Additionally, the student needs to develop knowledge in English language and also develop knowledge in both engineering and technology. Moreover, the student needs to develop basic skills such as communication (listening to other people without interrupting, and asking appropriate questions). Also, the student needs to develop problem solving skills whereby he or she will try to identify a problem and then figure out the effective method to solve it.
References
Harrington, T., Niles, S., & Garraway, G. (2006). Career planning. Circle Pines, Minn.: AGS Publishing.
Mynextmove.org,. (2016). Search results for "Marketer" at My Next Move. Retrieved 12 February 2016, from http://www.mynextmove.org/find/search?s=Marketer
