Landing a Full-Time Job in the Online World

graduating with a degree in facebook

If you told me two years ago that one day I’d be discussing Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the likes as part of my full-time job, I’d tell you to put down your Solo cup and step a way from the keg. I was a Senior at Rutgers at the time and although I majored in Marketing I don’t remember learning about the ways the web was changing how businesses and advertising operated. In fact, most schools don’t have courses on these topics and quite frankly it’s pretty obvious why.

Why aren’t courses on the web being offered?

• The current digital marketplace is only a decade or so old and those with even the slightest experience are still in high demand. Facebook was started while I was still in college, heck I remember the good ole’ days when only college students could use it!
• The internet seems to be evolving much faster than advertisers, agencies, and websites themselves can keep up with. So, although you have agencies like the IAB trying to standardize things, it is very difficult to come up with principles as the basis of a curriculum.
• The online/new media industry requires people to have knowledge (don’t confuse this with expertise) in a number of subjects. Where’s the course that covers content management platform, web design, web analytics, e-commerce, social networking/media, content distribution/syndication, SEO, CPMs/CPCs/CPAs, and so on. You try finding someone with all that knowledge willing to work for a professor’s salary.

Obtaining all this knowledge would require a major in Marketing, Communications/Media, AND Computer Science. It’s going to take some time before Universities are adept enough at creating the right programs and paths for students.

How can students get a leg up and land their dream job?

• Do your research. Read all the books and blogs you can get your mac and cheese covered hands on. Avinash Kaushik is a guru of analytics while Gray Vaynerchuk is a fellow dirty Jerz boy and true wine and social networking connoisseur (yay for spellcheck!)
• Get a job. It doesn’t matter if it’s part-time, freelancing, or even an unpaid internship – just do it. When I was back in school I landed a kick-ass internship at Apple doing retail marketing. My original role had nothing to do with the web but I showed interest in a specific project and was given the opportunity to work with an amazing web-dev team to build out a site. This experience eventually led me to where I am today. Check out Media Bistro for some awesome opportunities and thank me later.
• Start a blog. It’s really not that difficult and it’s great to put on your resume. In case you missed it, read my previous post on how to start a blog.
  

At the end of the day you want to show employers that you took some initiative and now have some online exposure under your belt. It’s this exposure, not necessarily experience, that companies are seeking and even the slightest amount can help you get to where you want to be.

Tagged as: Apple, Blogging, Education, IAB, Jobs, New Media