Q “Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will.”-- James Stephens ________ Dear Marketing Research Students, it must be obvious, from this above inspirational quote, that early in my life I was very afraid about looking for a job!! You, too, might feel this way, but I want you to do a little bit of "marketing research" on you, for this very small assignment, so that you do not feel such a way! Specifically, members of this class, I have taught over a hundred marketing research classes. Many students began the courses thinking that they would never go into marketing research: yet, they indeed went into marketing research! Marketing research is very broad and it can lead to widely different careers. Consider some of the areas in the first unit, and the different talents they involve: about developing focus group interviews, or netnographic research, or the examination of ERSI findings, or even developing plans based on your logic and secondary information. You can easily come up with ten very different careers that fall under the umbrella of marketing research, and they involve different skills. I am certain that almost all of you will find some areas, in marketing research, that will be rewarding to you. Marketing research involves "playing detective," and using your creativity, and most marketing students love doing this!! I linked a few articles below. Please quickly skim through them because they give a nice general overview about the qualities about going into marketing research! The first one, from U. S. News, lists a career as a marketing research analyst as #8 out of all business careers, and those that are more highly rated tend to be for particularly senior management or strong technical areas. https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/market-research-analyst (Links to an external site.) https://www.driveresearch.com/market-research-company-blog/4-reasons-i-love-working-in-market-research-firm-in-syracuse/ (Links to an external site.) https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/market-marketing-research (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.) (Links to an external site.)It is valuable to spend a little bit of time looking at marketing research positions to learn more about what is involved in marketing research! Even though you have numerous other courses, I would like you to devote a small amount of time “pretending” that you are seeking a marketing research job for this May! I have mixed emotions about the text’s Appendix A about marketing research. Yet, please skim it, too. If you are from Minnesota, use Indeed.com and select marketing research for the state: https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=Market+Research&l=minnesota (Links to an external site.) If you are not from Minnesota, or you would prefer using another state, please select any other state, or even do not select a state and look nation-wide. Find a position that hypothetically might be interesting. Please explain the position, and the types of qualities that you would need to have to be successful. Try not to pick a position that is far more senior than you think you will be able to obtain over the next couple of years. In addition, write a brief plan for the next year that identifies courses, special activities, interests, and anything else you might do to “develop a case” to show how you hypothetically might be more marketable for this position. After reading this, write me if you would prefer to select another area that has a relationship to marketing research but could be more practical for you! Even if you do not think that you will go into marketing research, though, I hope that you will find this modest experience to hardly evoke fear -- and instead be practical!! Write me, too, about your job search -- in any area of interest!! Why??? “The key to success is for you to make a habit throughout your life of doing the things you fear.” –Vincent Van Gogh