Jan. 29, 2025
When was the last time you saw an advertisement? Odds are, you’ve recently passed one on a billboard or seen one on a commercial break for your favorite television show.
For many, these are what comes to mind when they think of marketing. But, according to Felix Pereiro, who heads the Business Department at Grand Rapids Community College, advertisements are just one small part of a much bigger picture.
“Marketing people are creative problem solvers,” Pereiro said. “They look at issues that customers, or potential customers, have and ask if there’s a better way to do it.”
With a marketing degree from GRCC, you’ll learn the fundamentals of operations, strategy, and customer relations. You’ll dive deep into the 4Ps of marketing: product, price, place and promotion. And you’ll study the marketing process whereby goods, services and processes move from concept to adoption by the customer.
Expand your career horizons
All of this will give you a head start on the path to solving problems in sales, retail, advertising and a whole host of other fields. According to Forbes, marketing is an essential component of every business, because all companies rely on marketing strategies to develop marketing plans, determine pricing, implement advertising campaigns and gather analytical information to evaluate their efforts.
Choosing to study marketing at GRCC means opening yourself up to a wide variety of excellent career options. There really is something for everyone in the world of marketing, says Pereiro, no matter your personality or interests.
“It’s all very entrepreneurial. You have some people who are the inside engines, some who like to go out and talk to people, some who like to stay back at the office and really work the data and analytics. You could go into marketing for 40 years and I guarantee you, you could switch areas every two to three years, and you’ll never run out of opportunities,” Pereiro said.
Explore emerging industries
According to Pereiro, some of the most exciting opportunities for using your marketing degree lie in the world of digital marketing and content creation.
“Massive amounts of content are being created online every day, whether that’s through social media platforms like TikTok and X or in other places. It’s a whole new world,” said Pereiro.
In fact, data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that jobs within digital marketing are set to witness a 6% increase in growth by 2032, higher than the average rate for any other profession. This wealth of opportunity is being fueled by another industry that Pereiro is excited by – artificial intelligence.
“We’re not afraid of AI; we embrace it. We’re asking how we can use it, to the best of our ability, to help our customers solve problems,” Pereiro said.
Get ahead of the competition
When it comes to the world of marketing, the sky really is the limit, and the strength of your education at GRCC will leave you well positioned to get there.
“What we do with our marketing degree is prepare our students to go out and get jobs right now,” said Pereiro. “There’s never been a more exciting time to be in marketing.”
Learn more about the Marketing degree from GRCC.
This story was reported by Alissa Griffin.