So, I was thinking about my career plans. Now that my final term in London is off with just a few papers, my second year project client presentation and a Brand Management block-week elective in the pipe, I’m starting to get worried (for lack of a better verb) about the job hunt. I’m more and more considering going back to the technology and internet sector if I cannot find either a decent marketing job in a large company or a position with a content producer or distributor – in any media.

I was thinking in particular about Google deciding not to go further in the recruitment process for a position of European Product Manager and then it hit me: Google is a great innovation powerhouse but maybe not the right place for me because, to be more precise, they are a technology and strategy powerhouse. Then it hit me again (no pain yet): there is one guy doing exactly what I want to do – and it is not the first time I think about that. Steve Jobs has my dream job: he has a hot studio producing incredible movies and he runs a technology company with fabulous products.

What Apple does appeals more to me that what Google or Microsoft do, even if Microsoft is becoming more interesting as they forego the tech champion position to Google and get their innovation and customer focus from other sources than copying Apple (think Xbox vs. any version of Windows). I like Apple because it is a customer-driven innovation and design laboratory-slash-agency.

So, how to get the top job there? I can see only three solutions:

• Start my own success story, sell it to Apple (not realistic? not funny for my readers?)
• Be Steve Jobs (hmmm)
• Start by being the CEO of Pepsi!

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?" – Steve Jobs to John Sculley to lure him to Apple

Part 2 for the not yet bored and Apple / Google stories enthusiasts.

Of course, this is debatable. I concede it to you. And I guess that for every user like me who minds Google’s disdain of people’s need of folders in Gmail there is another user who will complain about iTunes’ proprietary format or any other arguable decision or design from Apple. I’ll try to articulate that in another post: that’s a topic I have not yet found the time to address - with other funny quotes comparing Google to "an over-enthusiastic Golden Retriever puppy".

Part 3 – damn, do you really want more? :)

To go on a tangent, I want to argue that Apple is customer oriented despite the criticism that they don’t listen to customer / bloggers and even try to shoot some of them down. Quoting Henri Ford: "If I had asked my customers what they wanted, they'd have asked for a faster horse." Thus it is right to listen to customer input but not enough. Also, it is comprehensible that people want to know what’s cooking at Apple because they have hot products but it is equally understandable that Apple wants to keep new developments secret; especially as a big part of Apple rollout marketing strategy is based on building expectation and excitement.