I Shouldn’t Know What I Want to Do in 5 Years
“Thank you for coming in today for the Social Media Internship. I was hoping I could ask you a couple basic questions just to get to know you better. Starting off, where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
“Well I would love to do marketing for technology companies.”
“Oh what type of technology?”
The pace of technology has completely changed how we live and adapt. I have lived my life never knowing a world without the Internet. My thirteen-year-old brother has never known life without the personal computer. Finally, my six-year-old brother has never known a world without a smart phone. Within a span of just a few short years, our world has been transformed. The way technology functions in our lives has disrupted our way of communicating and going about our day.
Technology has completely revolutionized how we market. Between e-commerce, SEO, and social media, the way we communicate with brands has moved online. My marketing classes change every year with new analytic programs and marketing practices.
“Starting off, where do you see yourself in 5 years?”
I can’t tell you what marketing will be like in 5 years. I can’t tell you what technology I want to go into once I graduate. This question that we traditionally ask in interviews no longer prompts a cookie cutter answer. Do I want to work for a big company, a small company? It depends on the culture. As a millennial, I care more about culture of the particular company and the difference their particular product or service is making for their customer. Nestle will have a very different culture from LinkedIn, yet both are considered “big” companies that have a major influence on their consumer base.
Saying that I just want to go into digital marketing for technology companies isn’t really much of a plan. I can't tell you the step-by-step process of getting there like a lawyer or accountant. But, that’s the point. Especially with college degrees that don’t seem to be paying off, keeping an open mind about different industries and positions sounds like the best way to go about paying off all that debt. So where do I see myself in 5-7 years? I see myself working with a technology company on their online presence, if that’s still around.
This post was written as part of the #SpringForward series, which is tied to LinkedIn’s student editorial calendar. Follow the stories here or write your own. #StudentVoices
Accomplished Writer-Helping Companies with their marketing/advertising needs.
8 年I can tell you right now we have a gap in skills especially technology. Computers were only in college (and the internet, pre-Facebook/Twitter time) for me and technology has grown by leaps and bounds in the last few years. People who are middle age need to keep up-to-date with the latest changes and that will be hard with outside obligations from work.
Organizer and bloat-cutter open to offers - Organisoija ja bloatinleikkaaja avoinna tarjouksille
8 年This is why I feel long term planning is really irrational. Sure, you can do general course planning, but you can't plan for anything accurate. The pace of change is still increasing so it'll only get worse for a while until it reaches the point where the new tech and ideas simply can't reach the market before it's obsolete. I make short term broad plans, for possible scenarios I can come up with, and then pick the one to which direction the events are headed, and then redo the process, but still reality throws a curve ball occasionally and I get caught unprepared. Otherwise I just try to navigate in the general direction I want while going with the natural flow of things towards the larger goal as much as possible. Saves strength and resources for those surprises.
Dedicated Shared Administrative Associate | Expert in Case Management & Data Accuracy | Streamlining Processes for Operational Efficiency
8 年Great points...the world is changing everyday and you got to be able to change w/it or you'll be left in the dust. What one may see now for their future won't hold true in five years from now.