Which all subjects are required to find a job in the field of marketing? And is there any job in the commerce field which does not require math?

Hi,
Never mind a job for a second, your everyday life will require a basic knowledge of math. When it is time for you to get a job, if you eliminate all jobs that MIGHT require you to do any math, you will be severely limiting the kinds of jobs you can get. Many people "do not like math" but, they can do math. You find math difficult (as do many people) , my suggestion to you is to get some extra help ASAP so that you can be somewhat comfortable with the basics of math. Once you are more proficient with the basics, you may find your math classes a little easier. You may never "like" math, but at least you will be able to do it. Secondly, math is a great exercise for your mind to help you develop logical thought processes. Something we can all use no matter what the job.

Good Luck,

Hi Aisha,

First let me explain what marketing is in the business world. Marketing is the field of understanding WHO ("customers") a company is selling to and HOW (what "strategies" will they use) to reach the MOST customers.

I'll give you an example: If I wanted to sell a car, I could go into the middle of the street and yell "Hey, who wants to buy a car?" That would be a terrible marketing strategy (HOW to sell this car), but if I advertised that this car was for sale--with a photo and some words that say how great the car runs and that it's for a low price, and placed this advertisement online in a few places where people (WHO) buy cars, that marketing strategy is much smarter and would probably sell the car pretty fast.

People who are marketing professionals spend their time figuring out WHO are their customers, depending on what they're selling, and HOW to best reach them as much as possible (like advertising the sale of a car where people who want to buy a car would look online). It all depends on what you're selling. In any "marketing material," whether it's an ad, a verbal or written presentation, a commercial on TV, a blog, a press release, whatever way is used to make sales happen, marketing professionals think of the best ways to accomplish sales.

Also, marketing executives have to know WHY their product or service that they want to sell will sell. That is, what makes the car special so someone would want to buy it. Maybe it's in mint condition? Maybe the price is low and it is an SUV with plenty of room and has a beautiful interior? Whatever the reasons are that make the product or service that a marketing professional must sell as their goal, it is also their responsibility to KNOW THESE REASONS WHY.

There are different parts to marketing, but that's it in a nutshell, Aisha, and math really isn't a big part of marketing at all, except for setting the most reasonable, yet the highest possible PRICE on an item or service, since business is based on profit, unless the business is a "non-profit" organization, which is a small percentage of businesses. Pricing is determined through research and ultimately understanding the VALUE of what you're selling, which depends on how special and important the REASONS are as to WHY the customers would buy this product or service (We call this the "demand") and how many are available (We call this the "supply").

The only part of marketing that involves math is called "marketing research analytics," which others can do, if you don't want to be involved with math. I almost never, in 40 years, have become involved in math, yet pricing is always an issue, but again, pricing is figured out by the factors I've described above.

I hope this helps you, Aisha! Let me know if I can be of more help.

All the best,

JoAnne L.

"Well of course my base in maths is strong, and I know that the basic math is necessary for all kinds of jobs, but i'm talking about the math taught in 11th grade and 12th grade as they are my final years in school. Thanks,"

As I mentioned before, I am not in marketing (there are many different aspects of marketing), so I can not answer your question directly. But, if you are planning on attending college and majoring in marketing, you could go to a potential college that you might be interested in (U-Mass??) and check their handbook for those subjects that they would require you to take - that might give you a real good idea on what subjects you will need to take now so that you can be successful in college.

What math classes are being offered to you in the 11th and 12th grades? I would be happy to comment on them.

Hi,

I hope you keep taking math and working hard to learn it as best you can. High school math is a prerequisite for degrees like Business and Marketing -- and those degrees will also require you to take other math classes in college.) My jobs have often included things like forecasting demand and forecasting and measuring results of campaigns and this is very common. That's in addition to what someone else mentioned about the importance of math in your everyday life for everything from budgeting to loan analysis to investment strategies for all the money you probably hope to make some day.

Math didn't come easily to me (I was horribly behind in it before starting high school so it was a heck of a road to catch up)... but I'm so glad I kept taking it every year including well into college. I still use not just the basics, but also many of the more complicated things I was taught. Plus, (weirdly) it gives your brain other ways to solve non-math problems.

Like I said at the beginning, I really hope you will hang in there and learn as much as you can!

Good luck!

Hi,
I am not specifically in the Advertising Field so I can not answer your question specifically, I was speaking in a more in general. You did not say what specific math classes you were thinking of not taking, so I can't comment directly. What I know is that everybody needs a basic grounding in math and with out some math, you may be limiting your future job potential. You mention not taking math in the 11th, by that you mean your junior year in High School? If that is what you are talking about, I think your advisor, telling you to not take math classes might have been taking the easy way out. Not gaining a basic familiarity or understanding of math in high school, I think is a mistake. If you do not work at it and learn it now, you probably never will. But, as I said at the beginning of this note, maybe you should get an answer from someone who is in the field of Marketing. All of the people I know in Marketing have 4 year college degrees and to get such a degree you will need some math.

Good Luck,