If you are under the impression that the advertising game is going to be easy, ignore what comes next. If you are a realist - cognizant of the real world of advertising, what it entails, what it demands, then heed this advice: Get your degree in advertising from a university that is known for the quality of its marketing and advertising curriculum.

Notice, if you will, I included 'marketing' with advertising. Fact is, if you desire to work within the pantheon of the god-level advertising agencies, a firm grasp of the concept of marketing is mandatory for participation in the art of advertising. The Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University will prepare you for what will come next after you graduate. Be clear about this, a degree is necessary if you entertain hopes of finding employment with an agency in, say, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, one of the major agencies in the WPP Group consortium. The same can be said of Omnicom Group or Publicis Groups. These agencies do not want people who are not academically prepared.

Advertising is a component of marketing, and not the end-all. Advertising is the public projection of a company's overall marketing philosophy and operations scheme. A good advertising person in charge of an agency's clients will, in all truthfulness, becomes a team member of the client's vested interests. David Ogilvy said that when he began writing copy for a client, he would hole up in seclusion and read everything he could find relating to the client's company, products, sales programs and product manufacturing research and development. It was not at all unusual for Ogilvy to know more about a client's product, or services, than the owner of the company. He did so with Rolls-Royce and, as a result, came up with one of the greatest advertisements for the car ever produced. The same holds true for every client Ogilvy and his agency represented. Thing is, David Ogilvy did not have a degree in advertising. His formal training was as a French chef. But, those were the glory days of swashbuckling advertising giants. Today, the game and its rules have changed. Today, a degree in marketing and advertising are a must.

Don't think so? Send your non-academic resume to any of the large advertising agencies and see how far you get.

If, however, you want to risk winging it, may I suggest you read four books that may allow you to limp into the advertising arena and maybe hold your own. The first book is "Scientific Advertising" by

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