During the course of your studies, you might also consider taking a course or two in film, drama, psychology, broadcast production, and something that would give you a taste of creative writing. A couple of courses certainly won't qualify you as an expert, but as an account executive, you'll be working with experts in all of those fields, and it can only help if you know a little about them yourself.
There's another side to education that you should not overlook, and that is summer jobs. Instead of working on a construction crew or as a candy striper, maybe you could get a job with a market research firm. You'd learn more about the methodology of market research in three months on the job than you would in four semesters in the classroom.
If you strike out there, perhaps you could find summer employment with a media buying service or paper company. Any summer job in any field related to advertising would be invaluable on your resume.
If you're really fortunate, you might be able to spend a summer or two on an internship program in an advertising agency. Few agencies have these programs, only the very largest, and they're difficult to get into because agencies are very selective when they hire interns. If you are lucky enough to get involved though, you'll get quite a head start on the other people who are trying to get into advertising. As an intern, you'll spend a. little time in each department. This will give you the most valuable kind of education with which to look for a job in advertising: some practical work experience.
Besides a college degree and experience, you also need a willingness to do anything at the start. This can even mean doing secretarial work, so take a typing course if you haven't already done so. You'll be surprised at the number of doors that open to someone who can type sixty words per minute.
Another thing to remember is to abstain from asking for the crown jewels for a salary. A Jr. Account Executive with absolutely no prior advertising experience can earn from 9 to 13 thousand dollars a year. Maybe a little more, maybe a little less. In the beginning, though, you really can't afford to let salary get in the way. That can mean a salary even poorer than 9 to 13.Just sit down and figure out how much you need to live, then use that as a gauge for what kind of salary to ask for. The experience you gain and what you learn about the business will more than pay for what you might think you're foregoing now. Don't be greedy. You've got plenty of time to get rich. First, you have to learn your trade.
If you can't get a job as a Jr. A.E. right off the bat, you can try getting into account service via an alternate route. You can try getting into a different department in an agency and then wait for something to open up in account service. Some account people get their start by taking a job in media. They don't make a lot of money at first, but they do get a chance to learn the business.
If you can't connect in media, try promotion, marketing, or research. Those are three more areas in which an account person has to be well versed.
If you have trouble breaking into an agency, try getting a job in a related field. That'll give you the chance to make some contacts in agencies, because if you get into the right kind of related field, you'll be making business calls on agencies all the time.
For example, one of the best jobs for a would-be A.E. in a related field is selling advertising space in a magazine or newspaper, or commercial time on a radio or television station. You'd learn about buying and planning media, and about how much money different kinds of advertisers spend in which media. You can also earn a decent living.
Since you'd be calling on advertising agencies to sell your wares, they'd get to know you, and chances are you'd learn when a job opening in account service pops up.
Selling media isn't the only job in a related field that could lead to a career in account service. You could get a job as a sales rep with a printer, a paper company, or even a typesetter. Any job that pays a reasonable salary and would get you into advertising agencies to make a few dependable contacts is just what you should be looking for.
No matter how you try to get a job as an account executive, though, it won't be easy. The competition will be very stiff. But when you do succeed and finally get to work with good people on an account you enjoy, you'll partake of a nice healthy salary and very demanding responsibilities. And you'll have an incredible amount of fun in the process.
Another interesting aspect of a career as an account executive is that it puts you in such close contact with so many interesting people from so many different walks of life. You can meet top artists, actors, actresses, painters, illustrators, filmmakers, writers, and editors. You can meet athletes and business moguls from all over the world.
More than one account person has opened his own agency and has turned it into a very successful and lucrative enterprise. More than one account executive has decided to leave the advertising business, too. That's the marvelous thing about being an account executive, and about being in the advertising business. You'll be exposed to new ideas and people who can open new doors for you.
Perhaps that's the greatest thing about being in advertising. It gives you a choice. Not just about how to run an advertising program, but about how to run your life.
