I have always had a talent for building up the ideas of others. I could never come up with any on my own, so marketing was just a natural fit! I was the guy yelling about the lemonade stand when I was 6 bringing in customers, but if you asked me to think of having one in the summer, I would think you were speaking German!

A rough range for managing 20 people in a highly successful midsize company would be anywhere from $90K to $125K, depending on benefits. I am at the high range of this with great benefits, so I'm definitely happy.

Find a company with an idea that you believe in. Don't sell lies. Your soul is more important than a dollar. If you think that you will never find a job, you are simply looking in the wrong place. Do not be afraid to change cities or work online. So many more things are possible than when I began.

After graduating from Brown University magna cum laude, I could not find a job. I actually went home and worked for my local church, who really needed a marketing person. I then moved to a bigger city, and my home priest just happened to know the priest / CEO at my current position and gave me a glowing review. They needed someone immediately because their programs were in the red because of all the negative press.

Marketing is all about people and nothing else. What got me my contacts with local and national media was not my writing or negotiating ability, or even being professional. It was because they liked me. People like to work with marketers who believe in what they sell because that shows personal integrity.

Even though my title is marketing, I do a lot of PR as well. Handling media is no cakewalk, because they love to edit what I tell them to fit whatever angle they are selling, so I have to be extremely careful about what I say.

It’s a stressful job, yes. There are times that it takes 12-16 hours of my day. I fly 4-5 times a month to different cities where the clients have offices. Then again, if you love what you’re doing, would you really call it a stress? And I’ve been in this industry long enough to have learned the science of time management. I’ve pretty much adjusted. And when it gets too “stressful,” I just step away from it for a day or a few days. It’s that easy.

My job is relatively stress free because I'm my own boss, make my own hours, and I include making time for family and friends regularly. As long as I'm where I have access to the Internet, I can vacation when and wherever I want. I can also outsource jobs to others to increase my free time.

A rough estimate of a salary you could expect for a marketing management (mid level) position is from $80 - $120K, depending on how many people you manage. I do not think that is worth it for all the flak I get. Everyone blames marketing first. Marketing is always the first cut in the budget.

Video game companies are now multimedia conglomerates, so you can come in from any angle: Programming, marketing, writing, voice acting, etc. But just be prepared to pay dues, do unpaid internships, and be underpaid for a while. There are more applications than positions, and companies know that they can get free work out of overzealous noobs. But there is no shortcut. You have to be that overzealous noob to get in.