Marketing Jobs in the Public Sector

Often times, when marketing students are looking for their first grown-up job out of college, the places they usually steer towards are pr and advertising agencies.  But it's important to remember that you can still be a successful marketing professional without working in an agency.  One way to do this is my working in the public sector.

Now I know that government job advice isn't my gig (Sean and Christina handle that) but, as graduation looms closer and closer, I think it's important that I become more and more fully committed to seeking out jobs in every possible marketing field.  I mean, why not, right?  It'd be stupid to not explore all of your options.  

 
So, just what kind of jobs do marketers get in government?  Well, one of the most obvious types is in the tourism industry.  If you think about it, every city in the country has a tourism board.  Who do you suppose it is who works for that board?  If you guessed p.r. specialists, you're right!  After all, what is tourism if it's not promotion?  Typical job duties could include everything from event planning to writing press releases and traveler's guides.  To see some of that work in action, just go to any city's tourism website.  Chicago and San Francisco are both good examples.

Another job you can get in government is as a press secretary or a public affairs specialist.  Basically, both of these positions can be characterized as publicists.  In the prior case, you would be a publicist for an elected official, in the latter, you would work for a government department like the department of defense or treasury.  In both cases, your marketing skills would be put to use frequently.  People with strong communication skills are definitely needed in government, now it seems more than ever.

So, the moral of today's story is that your future marketing job may not come from the most likely place.  If you poke your nose around different industries just a little bit, you're bound to sniff out something worthwhile.  Even if you have your heart set on having your own little cubicle in a big shot agency, it's never a bad thing to keep your eyes open to other possibilities.