Hey I studied Computer Science a few years ago and have been working in the technical field, IT Security. About three years ago I moved into Research and now I'm really into Marketing in a big way.

I would recommend doing a Commerce degree with a Marketing focus. The understanding of business fundementals will allow you to understand all the myriad businesses your customers will have.

Ramon

Copywriting is nothing more than salesmanship in print. Therefore, I recommend you get a job as a salesman. No, not the kind of salesman you see at stores like Sears or JC Penny. But a real "blood and guts" salesman...a direct or door to door salesman.

I sold advertising door to door for many years. It was brutally hard work, but it was also the best marketing education I could have ever gotten. Not only did it make me mentally tough, I also learned more from dealing with people's psyche and emotions on a daily basis, than I could have ever learned from reading a thousand books or taking a bunch of college courses.

I'm not saying you shouldn't read books or go to college. You should definitely do both of those things. I did. Just make sure you get a direct sales education also.

And DO read plenty of books on "salesmanship" as well. A few of my favorites include Compelling Selling by Philip R. Lund, How to Master The Art Of Selling by Tom Hopkins, Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar and How to Sell Anything to Anybody by Joe Girard.

In fact, read plenty of books period. Sales books, marketing books, copywriting books, read them all.

I promise, a sales education/background will prove to be invaluble to you in your Internet Marketing/copywriting career for the rest of your life!

Dale King

Rather rarely does someone actually end up working in the same field as their 4-year degree, so don't look at this as the end-all. Maybe you will graduate initially working in your field, but today's worker will go through 12+ job changes throughout his life, whereas in my Grandfather's day he could count on enduring maybe 2 job changes. If that.

Your college education is a foundation upon which you will build the rest of the house for the rest of your life. It is in college where you learn how to learn. Acquire the fundamentals and fluency of communication, economics, society, business, science, and the like. It is where you will learn balance in a more "adult" life than you have been living to date.

If you plan on working in any sort of business -- which obviously you will be, given that you're looking at marketing -- I recommend studying business. It is a foundation that you will always be able to use, it'll never leave you high & dry. It is both universal and essential. It is so much easier and cheaper to learn business essentials in school than to spend thousands of dollars (or sacrifice much more) to learn the principles the "hard way."

If you're looking at marketing, the key principle behind any sort of salesmanship is COMMUNICATION. You need to be able to spell, write, make presentations of all sorts, speak comfortably... a communications background will be a cornerstone to whatever semi-related line of work you choose downline. It doesn't have to be in marketing or sales. Say, perhaps, that at some point you end up in middle management at a health benefits company. What are two keys that you will need to kick butt in that role? A solid grasp of the business world, and excellent communication skills. These are just 2 things you can't go wrong with.

You will learn how to learn in college. It is only the start of a lifelong journey of learning. Whatever industry you end up in after graduation, you will be able to teach yourself/"pick it up" pretty quickly with a solid educational background under your feet. The resources online are mind boggling and are growing in volume every day. It'll still all be here when you get out of school... in fact it will have grown tremendously.

Good luck in college. And above all ~~ have fun!!!


Bailey

Everyone has some great advice. Absorb all of it. Now, I'm going to give you the College Instructor's advice.

Listen to your teachers. Ask questions. When you make mistakes, personally schedule time with your professors and ask them how you can improve your performance in their classes. Make this part of your routine in each class. We love it when students "bug" us! That shows us that we have motivated learners. We are here to help you, and sometimes our feedback may be a hard pill to swallow, but it's because we know what you'll be facing in the real world once you leave our guidance. If we don't give you straight answers in college while you're learning, you better believe your boss will when your paycheck depends on it. We want you to succeed! Embrace the professors who challenge you the most. In reality, they are the ones looking out for you, not that easy "A" teacher everyone loves. (Often, your easy "A" is all about gaining popularity and making his or her job as easy as possible.) You'll love that easy teacher when your grade report arrives, but you'll thank the one who challenged you five, ten, fifteen years down the road because it will be he or she who really makes the difference in what you learn and how you apply it.

Good luck, and best wishes for a successful future!

Deb
--Challenging English Instructor and Proud of It

Thanks to everyone who has replied so far!!! I'm going to print this thread out. Thanks all for your great advice.