Marketing Management Student Furthers Her Career

Currently, a freelance marketer, Jessica B. has the desire to transition away from self-employment. To successfully make the change from being self-employed to an employee at an organization, Jessica knew she needed to earn her associate degree. But that wasn’t Jessica’s only goal. She also wanted to fully comprehend the inner workings between business and marketing and understand how business functions impact the day-to-day decisions of someone in a marketing role.

“I feel like any perspective you can have or anything you can do to give you an edge with your competitors, or your peers is important,” said Jessica about learning the inner workings of marketing and business. “I want to have that understanding going in.”

Curriculum to help her take the next step in her marketing career

Jessica B. enrolled in the University of Cincinnati Online’s Associate Marketing Management Technology program because she felt the mix of business and marketing courses would prepare her for the next step in her career.

“Marketing is not just all creative,” says Jessica. “You do need to know how to use Excel, accounting, and things like that, and I feel like the courses speak to those things.”

Because Jessica had experience in marketing, taking relevant up-to-date courses that discussed marketing tactics used today was extremely important. The marketing courses she’s completed spoke volumes about the program. Jessica explained that she imagined overhauling an entire program to keep up with current marketing trends and strategies would take a significant amount of work because marketing evolves with new technology. She credited the valuable coursework and preparation with the faculty she’s met.

Faculty bring real-life experience into the classroom

Within the marketing management program, Jessica found her professors extremely knowledgeable and personable—whether they had seasoned experience in marketing or business—she said that mix of experience was helpful.

She explained that within her classes, that discussion boards allowed students to ask questions about assignments or speak more in-depth and add thoughts about a specific topic. She found the collaboration between students beneficial and an additional asset to the coursework, as it gave her a variety of perspectives on topics covered in her courses.

Support each step of the way

Throughout her academic journey, Jessica’s advisors helped her understand the choices that fit her needs. They’ve helped her each step of the way—from enrollment to graduation. From day one, her first advisor helped her choose the associate program that best fit her career goals, keeping in mind her desire to continue her education and transition to a bachelor’s degree in the future.

“I was able to be completely candid and fully transparent about where I was with finances, my capacity, what my goals were, and everything,” says Jessica of her advisor. “She made sure I was on track for graduation, and I had all my ducks in a row.”

Advice to others looking to pursue higher education

Jessica’s advice to others who may be hesitant about enrolling in an online program is to be realistic with yourself. She said enrolling in a program will provide you with more structure. She added that going back to school felt like a great way to challenge herself. Her biggest tip is to create and stick to a schedule that works for you–she says she leaves her schoolwork to two days a week and the weekend if she needs extra time, which works well for her schedule.

“As far as the marketing program, I think it is a great program,” says Jessica. “I found it was a great introduction leading into a bachelor’s program and moving forward.”

Ready to move forward in your career?

To learn more about our online marketing management degree and discover all the programs offered at the University of Cincinnati Online. Visit https://online.uc.edu/programs/.