To think marketing is a career?

[luckylips]

Help me settle and argument between me and a friend. She thinks marketing isn't a career and only roles like doctor/lawyer, etc, are careers. I think marketing is a career. Who is right?!

I'm a marketing manager. It is indeed a career

Since obviously the OP's friend is the only person bizarre enough to think it's not a career, and we here all agree, I thought it might be interesting to talk instead about whether it's a "profession".

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profession looks like a good basis for such a discussion. Of particular note:

"A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested objective counsel and service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from expectation of other business gain."

"A profession arises when any trade or occupation transforms itself through "the development of formal qualifications based upon education, apprenticeship, and examinations, the emergence of regulatory bodies with powers to admit and discipline members, and some degree of monopoly rights."

So far so good IMO, I'd say marketing meets those criteria.

"Typically, individuals are required by law to be qualified by a local professional body before they are permitted to practice in that profession."

This, I think, is where it starts to trip up. Since you can legally "do marketing" without any qualifications, even though most marketers do acquire such qualifications, that's a strong strike against it being a profession.

"Professions enjoy a high social status, regard and esteem conferred upon them by society."

Okay, never mind then ;) (joooooke, marketers!)

Doesn't it have a chartered institute? If so it's a profession

But you don't have to be registered with that institute to practise marketing. A Doctor must have their qualifications recognised by and be registered with GMC to practise, likewise a teacher in England needs to be registered with the GTC.

Anyone can do marketing and doesn't have to be a member of the chartered institute of marketing nor can that body take action to stop someone working in marketing. So in my opinion, not a profession.

I'm a marketing consultant, just growing out my own agency. It's definitely my career.

I have always been agency side, started at 22 as account exec, manager at 25, director at 28. Started my own business at 29 and at 30 it's finally taking off like I dreamed.

Other people can do the same (and maybe some better) but surely it's the same as doctors/lawyers - they can't all be the best one!

@ThePants999 I never claimed to know the entire list of royal charters, just offering up a definition! If it's got a Royal charter and you're a member of it (and therefore regulated by it), then yes, you can call your job a profession

Career just means progression. You can have a "career" in anything from being a bin man to being a doctor and everything in between. My degree was French and Marketing, I did the CIM diploma exams, I worked in a couple of Marketing positions in financial services and retail before going freelance.

Definitely a career if you make it so though

I became a marketing manager at 24, senior manager at 25, head of marketing at 29, marketing director at 35 and CMO at 41.

It's been a great career in terms of job progression, travel and earning ability for me.

It can be a career, but anyone often it's a pretty dismal and worthless thing to be doing with your life.

(Yes, I work in marketing.)

I would define a career is something with continuous progression opportunities in the same area - i.e. you start as a marketing assistant and can work your way up to being a marketing director
As distinct from a job, which is something you do for now and not for the future opportunities it offers you

And I agree with BoysofMelody that a profession is something that requires you to be registered to practice, rather than gives you the option to be - doctor, vet, solicitor, dentist, teacher etc

I hope so, I've been at it for 20 years. I'm a lapsed CIM Chartered Marketer though, so maybe I'm not that professional.

Hairdressing is a skilled trade like plumbing and carpentry. Like both of these it can be highly lucrative but none of them are professions.

My DS1 has a First in Marketing. I think he'd find something creative to say if he were told it wasn't a career.

career
kəˈrɪə/Submit
noun

1. an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life and with opportunities for progress.

leanne

Sorry, you're right - got myself confused there!

I'm a marketing manager, moved from previous career in sales so was 40 when I got the job.

And also got my qualifications through CIM.

Everyone thinks they can do Marketing, I regularly get called Head of Colouring-In.

Companies and individuals that don't get it are ten a penny. Looking forward to ensuring my next role is with a business that take it seriously.

Senior Marketing Manager aka Glitter applying girl

Everyone thinks they can do Marketing

I hope you didn't take my previous post to mean it was an easy job or anyone could turn up and master it by lunchtime. 'By anyone could do marketing' I meant the chartered body doesn't have the monopoly on the registration to practice. So someone with no formal qualifications could call them selves a marketer and no one could prevent them presenting themselves in that fashion or working in the occupation. So on that basis, I wouldn't consider it a profession, just like I wouldn't consider my own occupation (University lecturer ) a profession either.

yes it's a career. I'm a B2B marketing director in the city aged 40. Get paid very well, interesting work, have had great work/life balance and ability to switch between full time and part time. I love it and don't want to change for the forseeable future!

No, not at all, I genuinely come across it all the time. Everyone has an opinion at my place on everything we do without any understanding of audience,context, media etc etc.

It's genuinely frustrating. I would LOVE to rant, I have a horrendous problem at work as a Senior Marketeer but daren't due to outing myself.

I'm a chartered marketeer.
Graduate training scheme in marketing at a large bank, marketing manager then senior marketing manager. Of course it's a career.