Chart Your Course: A Marketing Odyssey ⛵️🌊Your Degree Is Not Your Final Destination… 🏝️

By Yonso Kwon

It’s undeniably true that as undergrad students about to enter a cutthroat labour market- we feel the comfortable, security bubble of university closing in as we near graduation. We wait in tense anticipation for the bubble to burst, paralysed and inert. 

But until then there are still many steps we can take to prepare ourselves! Let me remind you of a core principle of marketing: Perception can be reality and reality can be perception. 

As marketers, we toy with this delicate equilibrium everyday to navigate fickle trend forecasts, tap into peoples’ innermost desires, and sell, sell, sell. Why not use this to find something meaningful about ourselves and where we want this degree to take us? 

So embark on a career-odyssey (with actionable goals) to change your outlook and steer yourself in a positive career direction! 

Hopefully this article serves as a lifeboat (or at least a floating wooden plank?) in the expansive overwhelmingness of  "What am I doing??”, “What do I do next??”, “Why am I doing this??.” 

I’ll take you through the steps with words from people far wiser than me and figures from ancient mythology to make you feel less alone in navigating the age-old, never-ending cycle that is: becoming. This guide’s inspired by Christopher Nolan’s non-linear interpretation of The Odyssey, so don’t feel pressured to follow the stops in a perfect chronology. Remember: everyone’s journey faces unique obstacles. 

Stop 1: Reflect and Identify: Find your positioning  

According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, to reach the ultimate goal of self-actualisation we need to first feel safe and secure. So, instead of operating from a place of anxiety and fear: reposition yourself. 

“Do exactly what you would do if you felt the most secure” - Meister Eckhart

This way you’re guided by level headedness and prevented from acting irrationally. Remember it’s not life or death. Step back and reevaluate calmly. Moving slowly and intentionally is better than rushing hastily- it’s harder to see in cloudy waters!

Actions that might be holding you back:  “What job can I get with a marketing degree?” Endlessly researching careers without actually trying anything or knowing strengths/interests/weaknesses

Actions you can take:   “What needs do I want my career to satisfy?”  Write a career positioning statement: I want to work in ___, using my strengths in ___, in an environment that gives me ____.  Rank your priorities- what’s most important to you? (Security? Money? Creativity? Status? Belonging? Autonomy? Impact? Intellectual challenge?)

Stops 2 & 3: Recognise Fear to Leave the Familiar: Enter the Market! 

After a brief self reflection, hopefully you’ll gain a better sense of clarity to see where you stand currently and the place you want to be. To close this gap you must first leave your comfort zone!

Though it feels safe to stay in your comfort zone, it can be the most unassuming danger. It’s easy to mistake comfort as the best route. After all it is the path of less resistance. 🤷‍♀️

However, during the earliest stages of your career where you stand to lose nothing and have everything to gain: not taking a risk is in fact the greatest risk. Remember that even though you still have time, your responsibilities only increase over time. So, don’t take this time for granted and capitalise! Instead of avoiding fear, utilize it as a goal post. Don’t forego this chance card and recontextualise failure as a precursor to success.

 “Where your fear is, there is your task.”  - Carl Jung 

There’s a difference between being simply content with where you are and avoiding action. It’s your task to see past the fear and anxiety and translate it into action. Newton’s first law: an object in motion stays in motion. So will you continue to be stuck in the self-limiting prison of inertia? Or will you pick a speed? 

Conquer the antiquated instincts of your troglodyte brain that experiences fight or flight from the thought of a cold email !! Override cycles of overthinking + needless rumination ⇒ Redirect to action. A path is formed by walking, not the thought of a first step. 

Actions that might be holding you back:  staying in a degree because changing feels embarrassing (sunk cost fallacy!!)  chasing prestige because everyone else is constantly tweaking your resume instead of applying choosing the easiest subject because you're scared of making the wrong choice telling yourself you'll figure it out "later" “What should I be doing?”

Actions you can take:  Make a LinkedIn profile + connect with people you know IRL, people who have your dream jobs, anyone you want!  Apply for the internship you don’t think you’ll get- What if you do get it?  Go to a networking event (come to SMS events 😉) “What can I do right now?”

Final Stop…? The Never-Ending Cycle of Resist, Return, Repeat… 

Resist the Siren Song!! 🧜‍♀️🎶

As you doomscroll away, you’ll inevitably encounter the siren call of self-doubt echoing into your head via LinkedIn/TikTok career content. In the turbulent sea of digital noise, someone on your FYP tells you the ROI of your degree is abysmal, AI’s going to take over your job (and the world), and what are you doing if you’re not starting a personal brand?!

It’s unrealistic to expect ourselves not to be affected by external voices. We’re wired to consider other’s opinions everyday, as members of a functioning society (family, friends, etc.). However, it becomes problematic, when you begin to prioritise external pressures over your self-judgement. Know your voice from the polyphonic choir. 

Here are some ways you can plug your ears, fasten yourself to the mast, and steady ahead: 

Actions that might be holding you back:  “What would X do?”  Prioritising external feedback to what your intuitions

Actions you can take:  Ask: “Would I still want this if nobody could see it?” Keep some things private- it can be motivating to achieve goals without an audience Remember what you enjoyed doing as a kid with genuine interest, divorced from external noise.

Return & Repeat

Aside from external pressures, I’m aware of the enormous pressure we put on ourselves. Often, we are our harshest critics. When you feel the urge to / have already self-sabotaged due to momentarily losing sight of your goals, it’s important to hold steadfast and return to the previous Stops. 

“Mend your ways, start seeing what you are instead of calculating what you should become” 

- Franz Kafka

When caught up in the whirlpool of action, don’t get lost in the eye of the storm. Reflect on your progress and measure what you’ve achieved in comparison to your past self. Once you place expectations on what you should be doing, you’ve established in your mind that you’re behind- so instead look to what you have already accomplished. 

“There is no tragedy in having to start again, as long as you start again.”

 - Albert Camus 

To truly anchor yourself  ⚓: repeat, repeat, repeat. Rewire your brain through repetition. Ward off uncertainty and cement your new identity that looks to a more positive future. Make sure new tasks become familiar routine to maintain trajectory. Find joy in the process & stop thinking of it as a means to an end (because the journey to becoming never ends 😊)!