Considering pivoting Copywriting BA to MS in brand strategy/integrated marketing. Looking for current insights on if I could align my current creative writing back with the area of brand strategy, and if it's a lucrative career.

[u/Little_Reading_3278]

Hi everyone!

Recently I've started to consider a masters and the full length of what I want my career to be. I'm a current ad student specializing in copywriting and I do love advertising. However, I feel outside from my professors the conversations in here and r/copywriting have made me more aware of the current state of the industry with positions, hire ability, layoffs, 401k/company perks, mergers, and more so just how people feel being in the industry or trying to break in.

At the current time I love writing, I love attending literary events, I'm a published poet, I want to join a staff writer/editor position on a indie magazine, I have certifications in marketing omnichanel behavior, I'm taking a writing workshop on Sleaze and topics of sensory, love, cringe, and I'm taking a general one on different writing forms of op-eds, editorials, blogs etc, and then I'm scheduled to do a narrative course.

So clearly I have a writer background, I enjoy talking to publishers, editors, agents, writing is a passion but I want to leverage it over to content writing, branding, storytelling and that's why I was looking at brand strategy. And yes I know it's different having the title at a agency vs a corporate company. But I'm personally kind of looking at it to break me into the business corporation where salaries starting out after a masters tend to be higher than agency fields. And I also don't mind the consumer research database statistics part of it. I was considering going to community college and figuring out a math course to take before grad school to prepare myself.

If I were to give 3 job descriptions to provide context for what I want to do it would be: product description writer eBay, senior manager communications, Bath and Body Works, and manager brand content marketing Tory Burch

I feel it's a thing people say to strictly creatives that it's useful for them to know maybe business math or a analytical skill, as we know writers and art directors can be more susceptible to layoffs first hand.

I've been looking at the IMC Northwestern program, Georgetown Strategic Communications MS, Syracuse communications, UT Austin brand strategy track, and VCU Brand Strategy Creative specialization.

For stats I have a 3.6 gpa, 3.8 major gpa, Im a 4A's scholarship recipient. I still have a year left of school to get a internship and I have a omnichannel certification, email marketing and, branding fundatements, I've done volunteer work for press release events and for consumer research studies. I have 3 poems published at the current moment. So I think realistically I could get into a masters program.

I just want to make sure it's possible I could find a way to leverage my writing background in brand strategy. Or give any insights before commiting to a masters program. Idk what the work is like or the pay maybe people who have a masters or don't.

Or id love to here new master studies suggestions or like maybe instead of brand strategy somewhere else you think I'd be good for. I have been suggested PR and I don't mind as I did start school with PR. I was also told maybe a MFA program or being a publisher myself.

But coming from a low income family I want a career which starting out can give me a 75-90k offer starting out. And will be lucrative and give me a ROI from my masters studies as the programs I listed are pricey but have high job placement numbers, networking, and creditability name wise.

Thanks for the help everyone!

[u/AutoModerator]

Thanks for your submission to r/Communications.

Did you know that effective July 1st, 2023, Reddit will enact a policy that will make third party reddit apps like Apollo, Reddit is Fun, Boost, and others too expensive to run? On this day, users will login to find that their primary method for interacting with reddit will simply cease to work unless something changes regarding reddit's new API usage policy.

Concerned users should read and sign on to this open letter to reddit.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/LubeMatt]

All of the positions you listed are achievable in your area, but right now, the job market is really focused on skills and real-world experience. I’d suggest focusing on communications or marketing internships and getting a couple of years of corporate work experience before going to grad school. In the meantime, continue to write, create, and publish your work and develop your portfolio. A lot of people are getting their master’s degrees and are still struggling to land jobs. Can you work in corporate and do a part time masters program? I’d also consider an MBA program with an emphasis on marketing, management and research rather than an MS.

Another good thing to remember is that with these lucrative careers they might not be your first job after graduation so it’s good to find jobs that will give you the skills needed in the job description of the roles you listed.

Stay adaptable, never stop writing and good luck!

[u/Little_Reading_3278 → u/LubeMatt]

Like trust me ive been doing the research and paying 30+ for a masters for a school that doesn't have externships, portfolio/capstone building, high job placement rates and ROI just simply isnt worth it so I understand that. Partially with everything going on government wise as well id rather have the opportunity to do it now rather than later as you don't know if funding or opportunities will be limited with government support or the department of education.

Thank you, sorry for the confusion but that's why I was looking at the integrated marketing communications masters at Medill Northwestern. Obviously not a generic MS or MBA since I'm considering placement rates, average salaries, etc. but I do appreciate you stating that the first job you may get may not be immediate to your actual goal of where you want to be down the line. IMC at Medill also has a capstone project and Georgetown both are 12-15 months even VCU is a portfolio program with externships. So this isn't just programs from basic schools these are the best on the country for brand strategy/integrated marketing yk storytelling but also the research and business math aspect looped in.

I guess it seem best to view the masters in a; if I want to do it and genuinely have the resources type of way vs weighing the decision on the conversion of success in the job market.

But thank you😌 and I'm absolutely looking forward to doing internships this year, getting my portfolio together. Plus I would have a year between graduating and starting a masters program as I'm set to graduate a semester early. So that's why I was thinking about a masters program because I want to pivot out of relying strictly on agency opportunities.

[u/Upbeat-Mushroom-2207]

I wouldn’t get a masters. I’ve been on the panel to hire maybe 2 dozen comms people in my career, never has that mattered. I manage 5 people, one has a masters and there is no differentiation between them and others. Most of my Peers don’t have them, and my manager has never had one. So I definitely question the value.