I want to have a career in Advertising. What should I major in?

FYI, advertising is a team sport (and i say sport because it can be brutal) and so there is really a team who influences a campaign - it's not usually just one individual.

There could be a role for you as account executive, account planner, copywriter, or art/creative director.

And, no matter what job you do, you have to be able to *SELL* your ideas to very tough businesspeople who are the clients. Keep that in mind, you will need to be very comfortable doing last-minute projects and winging it more often than you may like since client's businesses have to be very responsive to the market and plans can change overnight. And, you have to be comfortable being at the beck and call and often command of clients who may disagree with your ideas.

Look up some jobs online for these positions - try NY, Chicago and LA. The account executive is the liaison to the client, so there is a lot of schmoozing with clients in this role. This role has influence ad campaigns and shaping the relationship with the client. Think hard about whether you want to schmooze once you have a family. A communications degree is good for this role.

If you're more interested in driving the marketing of the product, then you'll want to be in account planning. Stick with marketing and emphasize your college work experience toward market research. Lots of number crunching, but clients usually *love* the account planners because they're smart and informed. This role has a lot of influence over creative and message, but they don't necessarily get to "make" the ads.

Copywriters are usually the people who take the information from the account planners and then come up with the slogans, ideas, and stories for commercials or ads. This can be a brutal role, because there's lots of time pressure, all the time, and a huge risk of the client not "getting" your ideas. But if you can handle writing brilliantly on a dime - it's for you. Get an English or Journalism degree for this one.

If you want to actually "make" the ads, you'll want to graduate with an art or graphic design major. If you want to make commercials, get as much broadcast design experience as possible in college. This is a painful road...just telling you. Stuff you pour your heart and soul into can get dismissed or worse, criticized by clients or even other team members. You'll need iron skin for this role.

And one more thing...pick a major that can translate to something else. Advertising is a VERY hard business and a lot of people see it on TV and think it looks fun -- it's 50/50 VERY FUN vs. VERY HIGH PRESSURE. Many junior people quit because of the constant pressure to perform under daily deadlines.

I highly suggest going to volunteer at a local ad agency where you go to school so you can see it first-hand.

And if none of this has scared you...you're a born advertising professional! :)

Good luck.