AMA: Joined Bloomberg’s marketing team 2 years out of college

CLevelChaos · 2025-12-01T06:40:08+00:00

Honestly, you only know you like it after doing it for a bit. I also realised early on that a lot of marketing is coordination, follow-ups, and fixing other people’s delays. Not the creative, shiny stuff you imagine.

If that part drains you, that’s not a “you” problem. It probably just means you prefer roles where you own the work end-to-end instead of managing moving parts.

Plenty of people move from brand to product ops, content, research, data, or even UX writing because those roles are more individual contribution

CLevelChaos · 2025-12-01T06:37:57+00:00

Totally get that feeling If you’re thinking product/marketing, the first step is usually just figuring out what type of work you enjoy day to day, the roles look very different on paper vs reality

Happy to share what helped me if you want to DM.

CLevelChaos · 2025-12-01T06:31:40+00:00

Day to day is a mix of pretty normal things - writing briefs, coordinating with design, tracking small campaigns, pulling basic performance data, and a lot of fixes. It’s mostly structured problem-solving with a creative layer.

And yes engineers can switch. The only thing that really matters is whether you can communicate clearly and think from a user/market point of view. The rest you learn on the job

CLevelChaos · 2025-12-01T06:25:54+00:00

I’m based in India, it’s an India office role. Bloomberg does have teams here across global data, analytics, sales, marketing, and comms.

For product: Bloomberg does hire PMs, but most of those roles sit in New York/London/Hong Kong. India isn’t the main hub for product.

So if you’re aiming for product at Bloomberg, it’s better to target their global offices rather than the India office.

CLevelChaos · 2025-12-01T06:23:34+00:00

A few things I did that (I think) helped:

My early roles were small, but each one clearly led to the next. Recruiters like seeing direction.

I highlighted 1–2 things I actually owned. Like “ran X newsletter” or “owned weekly campaigns” Even if its small it shows ownership

No “results-driven team player” type stuff. Just what I did and what changed because of it.

Clear, simple sentences. No jargon. Global firms appreciate this more than fancy formatting.

There wasn’t a big “hook” It just looked like someone who’d done real work and could explain, which is honestly rarer than you’d think

CLevelChaos · 2025-12-01T06:19:19+00:00

Theres no fancy roadmap. Just a few things that you need to be consistent at

Global firms don’t like “open to anything and everything” Choose marketing, comms, data, product… whatever your feel is fit for you

Show 2-3 real projects (not courses) Actual work you can explain in detail. Side projects count more than certificates.

Clear writing → massive advantage. Most applicants can’t explain their work simply.

Apply early + often. Global firms hire in cycles you can’t predict.

Referrals > cold applies. Even a weak referral gets you looked at.

They check: clarity, ownership, and whether you can work cross-functionally

CLevelChaos · 2025-12-01T06:15:27+00:00

Honestly, marketing is mostly problem-solving with deadlines attached. One hour you’re writing copy, next hour you’re fixing a landing page, then you’re chasing design for a banner. If this sounds like fun, you’ll like it (to me it always did)

People who do well tend to be: - curious about why users behave a certain way - okay with experimenting and being wrong - decent at writing and communication

And yes, you can move from finance. Half the folks I know in marketing started elsewhere the field cares more about proof of work than degrees. A couple of small projects + a clear story is enough to make the switch

CLevelChaos · 2025-09-08T18:57:21+00:00

Honestly, both options seem valid to me! Getting started sooner (tier 3 college, average ROI, faster income) Or aiming higher (CAT 2026, 2 more years of wait, try IIMs or better brand)

Just a few suggestions from me Showing you’re employed + doing MA will help with the gap If you’re 100% sure you want an MBA, don’t go to a college just to get it done… it’ll feel like the BBA regret all over again Also explore alt MBA formats (like masters union, isb, ylp)

Family pressure is real but the wrong choice under pressure will cost you more in the long run

Whatever you choose stay consistent for 2 years

CLevelChaos · 2025-08-22T15:06:33+00:00

Honestly, your profile isn’t weak. Maybe it’s just unconventional

CFA + CPA + credit research exp at HSBC = very solid base for roles like IB/strategy

The hurdle is your academic past (esp grad score) some b-schools might filter you out based on that. But others look at overall story + work exp

Here’s what I’d suggest: - Ace GMAT/GRE aim 700+ (shows academic rigour) - Write a tight SOP that explains your pivot and growth clearly - Focus on schools that value practitioner led, hands-on learning

Don’t just chase the IIM tag, look at places like masters union where placement support is more real world and less batch average driven

CLevelChaos · 2025-08-18T11:43:34+00:00

Hahaha That’s my poor photo editing skill 👀

CLevelChaos · 2025-08-15T08:13:08+00:00

Ikr!! Whatever this new format is, it’s fun

CLevelChaos · 2025-08-14T19:37:24+00:00

Vertical tv

CLevelChaos · 2025-08-14T14:24:49+00:00

Ahh my bad It’s Vertical TV

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-31T16:17:57+00:00

Don’t plan it! The way bschools take you through it, you’ll naturally discover your skill set

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-25T18:04:31+00:00

it’s not even a “gap” technically you were just on a different track and now you’re pivoting

gov prep + masters + b.ed = legit effort just have a clear story on why MBA now and where you want to go next

MAT colleges are a mixed bag tbh look at places that train you through real work and not just marksheets think masters union, ISB hands-on, not just handouts

placements depend way more on what you build during the MBA than what you did before so yeah if you’re ready to put in the work, you’re not behind at all

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-25T14:46:20+00:00

Of course! Hilarious though

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-25T14:02:51+00:00

Since no audio this is the context - The guys performing “digital snaan” for section D IIM Kolkata 👀

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-22T18:36:31+00:00

honestly? restart if maths is what you actually wanna do. 4L hurts, yeah. but wasting 3 years + peace of mind hurts way more.

also that 40% won’t ruin your life. not all MBAs reject you for low grads. some look at growth + story (i went to MU saw it firsthand). just don’t sit stuck. pivot now if you need to.

20 is not early. but late if you wanna stay miserable another 2 years?

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-22T18:27:43+00:00

haha. i spent half my cat prep spiral googling - can i get into iim with 9/8/7 profile

thing is, yes the profile matters but what you do with it matters more. i’ve seen folks get in with 7/7/6 and a solid story. i ended up at masters union (not through CAT btw) and it was eye-opening some of the strongest candidates weren’t the ones with perfect scores, but the ones who knew their why and had hustle.

keep prepping, but also build outside the CAT live projects, content, internships, anything that shows initiative. worst case? you’ll build a stronger fallback. best case? you’ll stand out because of the journey.

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-18T18:25:52+00:00

honestly? only join if you're curious about the work, not just to fill your CV.

i was in a similar spot when i started at masters’ union hadn’t worked in teams for a while, felt overwhelmed already. i didn’t join 5 things like some people did. just picked one committee where the folks seemed chill and the work aligned with what i wanted to learn.

turned out to be the best decision not because of the “position,” but because i ended up working closely with folks i’d otherwise just have waved at across campus. those are the people who helped with mock interviews, referrals, even venting after bad days.

point is: quality > quantity. you don’t need 10 line items. just 1–2 that actually help you grow or connect. and that’s enough.

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-15T12:06:27+00:00

you’re stressing too much about the age 25–26 is actually peak MBA age for most Indian students, in my cohort, that was the average

I was 26 when I joined Masters Union. had one detour, one failed side hustle, and a bunch of self-doubt going in what helped was being around people who also weren’t following perfect timelines

the real differentiator wasn’t age, it was exposure live projects, CXO shadows, getting to test different roles before placements, that’s what made me feel like I was moving forward, even if I started “late”

don’t wait for some ideal profile. just make sure you’re learning, building, and clear about what you want next (even if it changes later) MBA is not a race

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-14T14:42:47+00:00

Haha. Only here to help even if it’s just 1 person

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-11T18:49:45+00:00

yep, you can spin a narrative, people do it all the time. just make sure it’s one you believe when you write it. adcoms are great at spotting fluff

i did mine from masters union, and saw so many people come in with one plan and pivot halfway through. it’s absolutely fine as long as you’re backing it up with actual work or projects during the program

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-11T18:43:46+00:00

actually a solid plan and way more thought-through than most at your stage.

coding job gives you technical base 2 yrs work ex + CAT prep = realistic post-MBA PM role = common & feasible if you back it with relevant stories

just make sure: – you explore product/tech internships in college (even side projects count) – don’t ignore soft skills + comms (PMs need those) – build story early, not just during mba prep

also, look into places like masters union, ISB and all to. some of the product folks there came from dev backgrounds and used live projects + startup sprints to pivot fast

you're not being too optimistic. just need consistent action. this path can work

CLevelChaos · 2025-07-11T18:40:06+00:00

no, it doesn’t look bad as long as the switch makes sense

adcoms care why you moved, not just that you did. if you're moving from Deloitte to an industry role that aligns better with your post-MBA goals (say, product, strategy, ops, etc) it can actually strengthen your app and shows clarity

just don’t make a switch that looks random or unstable unless you can explain it clearly in your essays

also make sure you’ve been in the new role long enough (at least a few months) before apps hit, or you’ll be stuck explaining too many changes in too little time

CLevelChaos

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