Marketing Communication Career Pathway
Does your student enjoy watching Superbowl commercials as much as the game? Are they great at selling things, whether Girl Scout cookies or candy for a school fundraiser? Do they love discovering new products and telling family and friends about their favorites? Then a career in sales and marketing may be a good fit!
Sales positions are great for those who love meeting new people—constantly talking on the phone or traveling, making new connections, and sharing a love of a particular product with new people. They might attend trade shows, conduct demonstrations, or hand out samples.
Marketing positions tend to be more behind the scenes and focused on strategy and analytics. Marketing professionals estimate market demand for their company’s product, decide which customers to target, and design or launch advertising campaigns.
Gain real-world skills through project-based learning.
Students who choose this Stride Career Prep* pathway will prepare for a career in marketing communication with our project-based learning curriculum, designed to hone their problem-solving, communication, critical thinking, and team collaboration skills. This curriculum is taught by experienced business professionals and includes preparation in the Microsoft Office suite, plus practical, hands-on exercises that require students to analyze a company’s competitors, create an advertising campaign, and observe customer service interactions in their own community.
Get ahead of the competition.
Our curriculum prepares students with the skills to embark on a career in sales or marketing right after graduation—without the hassle or expense of additional training or degrees.
We encourage students to jump-start the job search by helping them create a professional résumé, cover letter, and profile on Tallo, the leading professional networking platform for Gen Z. Plus, they connect virtually to working marketing professionals and entrepreneurs through Nepris.**
Our Marketing Communication Curriculum in Detail
All our students take the core courses required for high school graduation in their state. The chart below, however, shows the additional classes they will take as a Marketing Communication student, and the industry-recognized certification exams they can prepare to take. You can see the rest of the curriculum by viewing the full course list.
Find a school near you that offers marketing communications.
Stride Career Prep programs with the Marketing Communications pathway are available at tuition-free Stride K12-powered, public online schools in the following states:
ARIZONA
Miami Virtual Program Arizona School
ARKANSAS
IDAHO
Idaho Technical Career Academy
INDIANA
Indiana Digital Learning School
MINNESOTA
SOUTH CAROLINA
Cyber Academy of South Carolina
WASHINGTON
WISCONSIN
Destinations Career Academy of Wisconsin
WYOMING
Don’t see your state? Check out the tuition-based option here in Marketing Communications. There are also tuition-free options in related fields like the Entrepreneurship Pathway!
Occupational Spotlight
Advertising/Promotions/ Marketing Manager
Marketing managers plan and implement marketing campaigns, which can include online, print, and TV/radio advertising, as well as promotions such as contests, coupons, or giveaways. They may also negotiate joint marketing campaigns with strategic partners, evaluate and hire contractors/vendors, track updates to the website to boost search engine optimization (SEO), and oversee the organization’s branding and image. Marketing managers may focus on a particular brand or product of their employer, or on a particular advertising channel (e.g. social media or print advertising).
2020 Median Starting
Salary1
$61,677
Projected New Jobs, 2019-20292
18,800
Expected Percentage Growth in No. of Jobs, 2019-20292
6% (faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education
Bachelor’s degree, plus several years of experience in a role such as Market Research Analyst or Sales Representative
Market Research Analyst
Market research analysts study market conditions to examine potential sales of a product or service. They help companies understand what products people want, who will buy them, and at what price. To do so, they may create and administer surveys; run focus groups; or conduct polls. They also examine data on past marketing campaign performance to guide future campaigns.
2020 Median Starting
Salary1
$52,792
Projected New Jobs, 2019-20292
130,300
Expected Percentage Growth in No. of Jobs, 2019-20292
18% (much faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education
Bachelor’s degree
Real Estate Agent
Real estate agents help clients buy, sell, and rent properties. Real estate agents may specialize in commercial or residential real estate, and in working with buyers or sellers. When working with sellers, real estate agents handle all aspects of listing the property, recommend repairs and upgrades, recommend a listing price, advertise through direct mail campaigns and magazine and newspaper ads, hold open houses, and assist the seller in negotiating and closing a deal. When working with buyers, real estate agents identify suitable properties, accompany buyers on property visits, and assist in putting together an offer, negotiating a final contract, and closing the sale. Most agents are self-employed, although many are affiliated with (though not employed by) a real estate brokerage firm (e.g. Long and Foster).
2020 Median Starting
Salary1
$46,612
Projected New Jobs, 2019-20292
11,300
Expected Percentage Growth in No. of Jobs, 2019-20292
2% (slower than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education
High school diploma or GED, plus state real estate license, which typically involves taking a few courses and passing an exam; requirements vary by state
Sales Representative
Sales representatives sell their employers’ products directly to customers, often through in-person visits, sales calls, webinars, or appearances at conventions or other industry events. Sales representatives specialize in a particular industry and gain expertise in a particular product line; sales tactics are very industry-specific. For example, pharmaceutical sales representatives market prescription medications directly to doctor’s offices, often providing free samples during in-person visits. A sales representative in the software industry, however, may focus more on product demos, whether live or via webinar, for target customer segments. A sales representative in the education industry might focus on sales pitches to school districts and on attending education-related conferences. Frequent travel is often required, and much of the sales representative’s pay may be commission-based (i.e., the sales representative received a relatively low base salary plus some percentage of every sale).
2020 Median Starting
Salary1
$50,863
Projected New Jobs, 2019-20292
18,800
Expected Percentage Growth in No. of Jobs, 2019-20292
6% (Faster than average)
Typical Entry-Level Education
High school diploma or GED; for more technical sales positions (pharmaceutical, software) many employers prefer a bachelor’s degree
FAQs
Do you need a college degree to get a job in marketing?
Jobs with the word “marketing” in the title typically require a bachelor’s degree. However, many other jobs—from sales rep to real estate agent to small business owner—involve marketing but do not require a college degree.
The Marketing Communications pathway is excellent preparation for a bachelor’s-level marketing or business program, as well as for careers that don’t require a college degree but involve sales and marketing.
Do you need a college degree to get a job as a sales rep?
For most sales representative jobs, you do not need a college degree. However, for positions that require selling more technical products (e.g., software or pharmaceuticals), a college degree in a related subject (e.g., computer science or biology) may be strongly preferred. For most jobs, though, the principal job requirements are a “can-do” personality and top-notch people and sales skills. Experience with Salesforce or other sales tracking software is often required.
Do you need a college degree to become a real estate agent?
While many real estate agents have college degrees, it is not necessary. The minimum requirement is to be licensed in the state in which you sell real estate, which typically means passing an exam. Check out this comprehensive guide to getting your real estate license.
Of course, getting a license is only the first step. To be successful, you’ll need fantastic marketing and people skills. Plus, you’ll need to be tech-savvy and super organized—those open houses and real estate mailings don’t organize themselves.
Learn more about course offerings in the other Stride Career Prep career fields.
Hear how Stride Career Prep can work for your teen.
Think this might be a good fit for your student? Want to learn more about the program from current participants? Email your questions and hear what Stride Career Prep students have to say.
1Burning Glass Labor Insights, accessed October 16, 2020. Data is median salary for job postings with that job title, with typical minimum education requirements for that job title (as shown in chart on this page) and 0-2 years of experience, from October 1, 2019, to September 20, 2020.
2Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S.Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook. Website last modified date: Wednesday, September 1, 2020.
*Stride Career Prep is a program for grades 9–12. At some schools, career exploration is offered in middle school.
**Opportunities vary by school; please visit your school page or check with your school counselor.
†Many Microsoft®️ Office certificates can be earned after completing one course. Other certificates require more classes to be better prepared, and students who participate in the program for at least two years will have further preparation for certification testing.
