Surfing the web for information is second nature to generation X and beyond. As a college student, I use the internet daily for research in my studies. As a marketing major I’ve learned the traditional theories and processes such as statistics and SWOT analyses. However, I haven’t learned much about internet marketing in my classes, besides the fact that it exists and is important… then the professor moves on with “But, we’ll touch on that another day.”

On the other hand, at this internship, I’ve learned so much about PPC, SEM and SEO in just 3 months. I doubt few other marketing majors across the country could tell you as much about these topics as I can. Online marketing is an essential part of any company’ marketing plans, so internet marketing experience is highly sought after. My friends who already graduated told me that the internet marketing course they took received the most attention from prospective employers than any other class on their transcript. My school, Santa Clara University, actually does offer one internet marketing class - but, we are located in the Silicon Valley and technology is a top priority so that makes sense. However, scanning through the course offerings at USC and UCLA I found little besides a 3-unit “special interest” class in internet marketing.

Besides internship experience, at first glance it seems there is little other education available to undergrad students interested in getting actual coursework in online marketing and/or search marketing.

If the internet has become such an integral part of our daily lives, and online marketing is so important to overall marketing strategies, then why aren’t universities educating students about its importance, and more importantly giving students a skill set that they can apply to the industry at graduation?

This is my last post as I’m heading back up to school. When I finally do take SCU’s internet marketing course I’ll be watching to see if they cover half of what I’ve learned just from working hands-on in this industry all summer.

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