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I have tried all your suggestions. Stop judging me and think I am just whining . I mentioned that I have tried various strategies in my first post.
You can't expect everyone to pat you on your head and tell you everything is going to be ok or tell you things that you WANT to hear. Some will sympathize and some won't.... no matter what though we all I'm sure do wish you the best.
With that said... after 6 years... it's time to stop holding onto the "I have a marketing degree" thing and just use the fact that you have a degree to your advantage. Trust me... it gives you a leg up on those who don't have a degree or college experience at all.
Try and possibly find a large company with a marketing department that has entry level positions no matter what it is... apply... hopefully get the job.. and if it isn't in marketing just work hard and if a marketing spot opens up you apply. Sometimes you have to take a detour to get to where you ultimately want to be.
@introspective1 (original poster): You mentioned that you graduated from college in 2007. I mention this because college degrees have a shelf life of 2 or 3 years.
By that I mean that employers are much more interested in what you've done with your career since graduation.
It's a tough job market, and if you can't make a compelling case for why a company should even offer to interview you, then you won't likely get any job offers.
I also don't think going back to graduate school will help either; grad school is expensive, and there is no guarantee that you'll land a job afterwards.
Degree? I got hired to a huge corporation and all they wanted was proof that I have a 4-year degree. It's not even related. They cared that I had the skills (internships that were related) and fit in.
I went to one of the top business schools...not trying to be a snob....marketing majors is a tough job to latch on to even in the best economical environments. Of course there are always exception to the rule.
It took me six years to get a bachelor's degree in marketing. I graduated back in 2007, and I still, to this day, have no marketing job. I have worked retail and warehouse jobs since graduating because I never was able to take an internship in school. I couldn't find one that was paid and I had to work during school to pay the bills, of course. The only interviews I got coming out of school were in sales, retail manager trainee, or customer service but I was never able to get any of those positions either ( although, I made it to the final stage of interviews with a few sales jobs, but they went with someone with more experience). I'm not really interested in doing marketing for a career, at this point. I don't really remember a lot of what I learned in college because I haven't used the knowledge in so long, anyway.
My therapist keeps telling me that I would be less depressed if I get a job in marketing but I have told him I have been looking for a job in marketing for 6 years with no luck.He even thinks I should go back and get an MBA to improve my chances , but thats no guarantee. I have tried networking with family and friends, but none of them agree that I should work in marketing because they think I am too introverted and not outgoing enough to do so. They say they will help me, but they don't . I have an aunt who works in PR (a closely related field ) but she thinks marketing is not a good fit for me, so she won't help me.
I have tried going to job fairs, passing out business cards, and using linkedIn to find marketing related groups as well. Anyone else have this much trouble finding a marketing position with just a bachelors and no experience? Will anyone hire someone who has been out of school that long?
Do you think there is truth to this? Marketing is a field that requires a rather strong, outgoing personality and good social skills. Maybe it is possible you picked the wrong field. While that would s*ck, it would be better to accept it than to spend another 6 years looking fruitlessly for a job in that field. I feel if you have a relative experienced in a similar field who is telling you it's not a good fit, as well as all your friends and family, they wouldn't all say that unless there was some truth to it. What do you think about what they said?
You must be hanging in the wrong circles, because many people use their degrees. {snip}
...I could keep going, but I need to finish my coffee.
That's right! And don't forget, I asked for extra foam on that latte! Just kidding.
Most professions using an undergrad degree also need some certifications on the side. BA/BS degrees are rarely direct-entry into a career path unless they're 5 year combo degrees with certification programs.
Marketing is a great major at a handful of highly competitive ivy league institutions, but it's practically worthless if it's from Joe Bob's Bait Shop 'n' College.
Lots of marketing majors from state schools end up going into sales, management, or some other practical career track, though. It's a great major if you want start your own business some day.
OP, can you go to a head hunter or career coach to see if they have help you revise your resume? I hardly think it's your degree that is preventing your from getting a job.
Also, which metro region are you nearest? Maybe you should think about relocating if that is an option.
FWIW, I graduated in 2008 with a bachelor's in a social science field and about five years of work experience in administrative roles and didn't have much trouble at all finding a job. The first one didn't pay extremely well starting out, but that changes as you gain experience.
It took me six years to get a bachelor's degree in marketing. I graduated back in 2007, and I still, to this day, have no marketing job. I have worked retail and warehouse jobs since graduating because I never was able to take an internship in school. I couldn't find one that was paid and I had to work during school to pay the bills, of course. The only interviews I got coming out of school were in sales, retail manager trainee, or customer service but I was never able to get any of those positions either ( although, I made it to the final stage of interviews with a few sales jobs, but they went with someone with more experience). I'm not really interested in doing marketing for a career, at this point. I don't really remember a lot of what I learned in college because I haven't used the knowledge in so long, anyway.
My therapist keeps telling me that I would be less depressed if I get a job in marketing but I have told him I have been looking for a job in marketing for 6 years with no luck.He even thinks I should go back and get an MBA to improve my chances , but thats no guarantee. I have tried networking with family and friends, but none of them agree that I should work in marketing because they think I am too introverted and not outgoing enough to do so. They say they will help me, but they don't . I have an aunt who works in PR (a closely related field ) but she thinks marketing is not a good fit for me, so she won't help me.
I have tried going to job fairs, passing out business cards, and using linkedIn to find marketing related groups as well. Anyone else have this much trouble finding a marketing position with just a bachelors and no experience? Will anyone hire someone who has been out of school that long?
Unfortunately, we live in a culture where good jobs are obtained based upon your personal acquaintances rather than your ability to do a good job. If you are adamant upon getting a job in marketing, you need to start making the right kinds of friends and acquaintances who will introduce you into the decision makers in that field.
It totally sucks, but it is reality. I'm sorry to say.
Wow, lots of excuses. Well, sweet pea, it's time to stop making excuses and passive-aggressively moaning that your life sucks, and get with the program. Frankly, just from what you're writing, I don't think you're a good fit for marketing, either. You haven't been able to sell yourself -- which is one of the first steps in marketing. If you can't figure out a way to market yourself, you will probably have trouble implementing a marketing plan for something else, too. Moaning that no one is helping you is fairly useless -- ya gotta help yourself. If help comes along, great -- but to depend on help to find a job in your field is a recipe for failure.
And to declare your degree was a waste of time/money is silly. High education, ultimately, teach people how to THINK in new ways. If you think finding a job in your field now is tough, it would be several factors of difficulty harder with just a HS degree.
If I were you, I would seriously consider career counseling to identify possible career paths more in keeping with your strengths and weaknesses. You DO have people offering to help -- but you are ignoring their help because they are telling you something that you don't want/can't hear. Ironically, my degree was in industrial psychology, with a minor in statistics. What did I end up doing? Marketing. :-)
I have a degree in history and someone on this site told me that my degree was useless..it sucks, but that's what they said.
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Just kidding. 
