Many of today’s college students come to campus knowing what major they want to pursue. They do it through internships, campus organizations, and networking with local association chapters with campus chapters on site.

Many of today’s college students come to campus knowing what major they want to pursue. They do it through internships, campus organizations, and networking with local association chapters with campus chapters on site. 

Savvy associations like the American Marketing Association (AMA) are at the forefront of raising this next generation of workers. AMA has 320 collegiate chapters in the US, each of which is run like a business, with goals, a goal-directed plan, regular meetings, charity work, and faculty advisors. AMA’s University of Maryland chapter even has its own firm called RedBlack Consulting, which works with nonprofits, small businesses, and other organizations. 

“Opportunities to partner and build community can bring out the incredible talent and creativity that student marketers bring,” said Luis Sierra, director of collegiate communities for AMA. “We want our emerging marketers to continue seeing the AMA as their ‘essential community’ well after they graduate.”

Chapters work together in their regions and in other parts of the United States. AMA’s International Collegiate Conference, which is held annually, draws 1000 future marketers for professional and career development, competitions, networking, and of course, fun. Next spring, New Orleans will host the 2023 meeting. 

The excitement and enthusiasm of student chapters is powerful. These emerging marketers, as they are called, are a source of incredible talent and creativity that help build the future of the marketing profession. Student marketing leaders demonstrate the enormous value that can be gained from AMA membership and help to build careers while they are members of the national organization.

Their activities include:

• Bring in speakers from top-tier organizations.
• Hold Career Days and Job Fairs.
• Make connections with marketing professionals, other student groups, and faculty.
• Teach resume writing, interview techniques, and other career skills.
• Create mentorship relationships where seniors and juniors work with younger students.
• Elevate the opportunities in the marketing profession across the college and university communities.
• Build partnerships with local and national communities, non-profits, other organizations, and much more.
   

AMA Collegiate Case Competitions 
 

Every year, many AMA chapters hold Collegiate Case Competitions that engage marketing students to work on business challenges for sponsors. The competitions are based upon the types of cases taught in college marketing classes, where students must analyze a business challenge and come up with ideas for how to solve it.

For example, AMADC held a Collegiate Case Competition in 2020-2021 with Goodwill Industries International, Inc. so students could help its leaders figure out how to educate students about its community involvement on top of providing great thrift shops. Goodwill is also involved in helping people find jobs, create careers, and sponsors many other activities within its communities. A team from Howard University won the AMADC Grand Prize.

Many of the collegiate chapters develop relationships with corporations who come to work with the students on projects and brief them about their companies and the opportunities available. This experience helps them find jobs when they are done. Nick Bailey, UMD Chapter President, said that Toyota came to talk with the chapter and offered a brief overview of the company and some of the opportunities available. Collegiate chapters also provide enthusiastic volunteers at local AMA chapter marketing events.

“I was VP a year and a half ago and yes it helped me get a job,” says Bailey of UMD. “My experience with AMA helped me a lot. I worked for Zillow and after this year ends, I’m going to work for Deloitte.”

So fellow marketers, if are not involved with a student chapter at a college or university near you, now is a great time to get started.