Personal Statement I Am Currently

Personal Statement

I am currently employed by a small accounting firm and am pursuing my master's degree in economics. While my studies and work have been fulfilling, there are certain aspects of my education that I believe are currently not being addressed. That is why I am seeking to change my concentration and pursue a master's degree in marketing.

My accounting degree gave me many gifts and insights. However, it did not give me substantial preparation in how to understand the consumer mindset. This question is at the core of marketing. With a marketing degree, I could gain greater awareness about the needs of consumers and learn how to sell the services of myself or my firm in the marketplace.

For example, in terms of issues specific to the accounting profession, with a degree in marketing I could learn how to communicate more aptly with my clients. Building trust is a critical element of succeeding in accounting today. Trust in the accounting profession has been decimated in recent years, given the accounting and other business-related scandals that have afflicted the profession. Learning how to position my skills within the organization, and learning how to relate to people in a 'person-oriented' fashion, rather than solely selling services based upon technical known-how is critical. Quite often the best accountants do not always gain the deepest base of clients, simply because of deficits in their ability to communicate their message, not because of any failure of their skills.

In addition to marketing accounting, a degree in marketing would also widen my skill set as a professional, should I desire to pursue a different type of business. I could use my current knowledge to begin my own enterprise. Understanding how to brand one's product or service, and knowing what makes a consumer buy a particular item or choose a particular service is essential for entering all types of commerce.

Another personal reason I seek to master in marketing is that I feel the current degree I am pursuing in economics is simply more of the same, in terms of my undergraduate concentration. While the work is interesting, it offers too much overlap with the financial perspective of accounting. In addition, it approaches the science of consumer demand from a very numbers-focused, data-driven perspective. I am often frustrated with the perspective taken of so-called Economic Man who always makes ideal decisions, based upon his knowledge of the market. Even in my real life as an accountant at a small tax firm I observe people's personal financial decisions and how they relate to budgeting and the tax code. Thus I am confronted daily with the frequent irrationality of peoples' decision-making.