haha, I'm having a little bit of a moral dilemma and I wanted to hear some input from my good pals at MustangForums.
I just finished a bachelor's degree in marketing, and I'm out shopping for that all important first "real" job. I applied at a whole bunch of places, and one of them was a large tobacco company. So I was wondering, would any of you ever consider a job at a tobacco company?
My thought is, right now I'm a total nobody with no experience or anything substantial I can offer to the business world. Just another young kid with a degree.
Tobacco is bad, obviously, and sooner or later it's gonna be basically outlawed and inaccessible to pretty much everyone, so there's probably not a great future working for a tobacco company. But I'm thinking, if I can be successful and do a good job promoting/selling a product that is largely looked down upon (and maybe even hated), that should showcase some talent on my part and might help me to land a better job in a few years.
Other the other hand, future employers might look down on the fact that I worked in an outlandish, nasty industry such as tobacco, so there's also the potential that a job like this could actually hurt future career prospects.
Then of course, there's always the moral issue. Nobody can argue that tobacco is a healthy, good product to use, but I've always supported the right to free choice and the fact that grown adults have a choice to do whatever they want with their money and their bodies, so that's not a huge issue for me personally.
I don't smoke or anything, this just seems like a good area to get into in which I can showcase my marketing ability.
Thoughts? Would you ever consider working for a tobacco company?
< Message edited by raubt -- 5/20/2008 2:22:40 PM >
Well, first of all everybody knows smoking is bad for them. If they choose to keep doing it, that is there choice.
I'd say go for it.
EDIT: There is no way Big Tobacco would be shut down. Way to many influential owners, and there is also the fact that the government rapes people on taxes for cigs.
< Message edited by KTownGT -- 5/20/2008 2:27:56 PM >
well i dont see it ever getting shut down.. and it may/may not be bad for future careers.. but in the event they accept you, youd def learn a lot of really great marketing strategies and such so it would be good for you regardless, right? id say go for it.. and if you dont like it, stay there ATLEAST two years then look at other job opportunities.. youll be more likely to get something you want with more than a year of experience under your belt
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Screw all that think with your heart B.S. Think with your head and your wallet. Nobody forces cigarettes, snuff, dip, cigars down peoples gullets. They are making that decision for themselves. And there is no way in hell 'big tobacco' is going out of business. Uncle Sugar needs the revenue too much.
Don't get all knotted up and verklempt about some great, non-existant moral dilemma.
If it looks like a good gig then go for it. Gain the experience they have to offer, take their money and raid the office supply cabinet for everything it's worth on your way out the door.
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I smoke 1 cigar per week myself. However they are hand rolled and not made by big tobacco. If people want to smoke it's their choice. First job out of college you can't be real picky. I wouldn't look as working for them as a disadvantage. Turn it around when you are looking for another job down the road and use moral dilema as one of your reasons for leaving.
your in marketing no matter what job you take some will think of you as a pimp. take the job do the best you can those that critizize wont pay your bills the prez has critics,the pope has detracters see a pattern here. im retired now but i was in marketing and sales my whole career.its an honorable career choice and remember nothing happens until somebody sells something good luck
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Ok, so what's the problem. If things were differant and a defence contractor wanted to to come to work would you think it was wrong because the products, when used properly, kill people? You need a job and it may surprise you what tobacco company might pay. I dated a 'Winston Girl' years ago and couldn't believe what she got paid just to do that.........
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Screw all that think with your heart B.S. Think with your head and your wallet. Nobody forces cigarettes, snuff, dip, cigars down peoples gullets. They are making that decision for themselves. And there is no way in hell 'big tobacco' is going out of business. Uncle Sugar needs the revenue too much.
Don't get all knotted up and verklempt about some great, non-existant moral dilemma.
If it looks like a good gig then go for it. Gain the experience they have to offer, take their money and raid the office supply cabinet for everything it's worth on your way out the door.
Spoken like a true cut-throatr capitalist with no moral fiber. You'll make a great lawyer some day.
Im going to have to defend 351 here and say, bOB, you're an idiot...
And this is America, so you can say that if you want to.
But, to get back to the OP. The question is, would you accept a job you're morally opposed to? Or, would you be like 351 - be a mercinary (pimp?) simply for the green, and then steal from them when you leave?
We have a lot of problems in this country (and most all others, too,for that matter.) that could easily be resolved or avoided if we had a little moral fiber. Look at all the high profile cases in recent years: Exxon, Enron, Broadcom, Adelphia. Look at what our elected officials do! They're the worst! All these events hurt thousands of people, and done by people who didn't give a damn about anyone but themselves.
What is moral, and what is right. That's a decision you have to make on your own. If you see nothing wrong with tobacco and smoking, then by all means get that job and do it well. OTOH......
But, if your goal is to grab the bux regardless, and screw the people who gave you the job, well, I'm glad I didn't hire you.
I would say the answer depends on whether you can find another job that pays a decent wage or you'll starve without this one.
I personally would not work for a company I despised. I wonder if the tobacco companies are having issues finding people to work for their legalized drug-pushing departments.
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Pitchforks and torches are the answers to all of our nation's problems. KOBE4MVP
Im going to have to defend 351 here and say, bOB, you're an idiot...
And this is America, so you can say that if you want to.
But, to get back to the OP. The question is, would you accept a job you're morally opposed to? Or, would you be like 351 - be a mercinary (pimp?) simply for the green, and then steal from them when you leave?
We have a lot of problems in this country (and most all others, too,for that matter.) that could easily be resolved or avoided if we had a little moral fiber. Look at all the high profile cases in recent years: Exxon, Enron, Broadcom, Adelphia. Look at what our elected officials do! They're the worst! All these events hurt thousands of people, and done by people who didn't give a damn about anyone but themselves.
What is moral, and what is right. That's a decision you have to make on your own. If you see nothing wrong with tobacco and smoking, then by all means get that job and do it well. OTOH......
But, if your goal is to grab the bux regardless, and screw the people who gave you the job, well, I'm glad I didn't hire you.
actually, the drug company is the pimp and he would be the whore.
_____________________________
Pitchforks and torches are the answers to all of our nation's problems. KOBE4MVP
Big tobacco's a cash cow. I'd be honored to work for them. You have a right to buy or not buy their products. A big right our govt. takes every day in their huge gains from taxes on tobacco. The big pharma companies are the real crooks.
Tobacco is bad, obviously, and sooner or later it's gonna be basically outlawed and inaccessible to pretty much everyone, so there's probably not a great future working for a tobacco company. But I'm thinking, if I can be successful and do a good job promoting/selling a product that is largely looked down upon (and maybe even hated), that should showcase some talent on my part and might help me to land a better job in a few years.
Other the other hand, future employers might look down on the fact that I worked in an outlandish, nasty industry such as tobacco, so there's also the potential that a job like this could actually hurt future career prospects.
Then of course, there's always the moral issue. Nobody can argue that tobacco is a healthy, good product to use, but I've always supported the right to free choice and the fact that grown adults have a choice to do whatever they want with their money and their bodies, so that's not a huge issue for me personally.
I don't smoke or anything, this just seems like a good area to get into in which I can showcase my marketing ability.
Thoughts? Would you ever consider working for a tobacco company?
well first off i dont see tobacco going anywhere in the next 100 years personally. its to much of a cash crop and the gov't cant afford to NOT have it. between the lobbying that those companies pay for and the jobs it creates the gov't would be stupid to attempt to ban tobacco.
there are always going to be people picking up the habit, with just as many quiting the habit.
that being said, i dont think many employers would look down on a person for working at a tobacco company. just becuase you work for the company does not mean you endorse the product. if you worked in the oil industry would you endorse $10/gal gas?
morally, thats something you gotta decide. personally, i could look past it. i dont smoke, i dont endorse smoking, i know plenty of people who do smoke. big deal its a job, tobacco is a product just like any other company.
now if i had the job of say the lobbyist in "thank you for smoking" im not sure i could do that part haha
Screw all that think with your heart B.S. Think with your head and your wallet. Nobody forces cigarettes, snuff, dip, cigars down peoples gullets. They are making that decision for themselves. And there is no way in hell 'big tobacco' is going out of business. Uncle Sugar needs the revenue too much.
Don't get all knotted up and verklempt about some great, non-existant moral dilemma.
If it looks like a good gig then go for it. Gain the experience they have to offer, take their money and raid the office supply cabinet for everything it's worth on your way out the door.
Spoken like a true cut-throatr capitalist with no moral fiber. You'll make a great lawyer some day.
im curious how you oppose his statement? only thing i could come up with is that you think big tobacco is shoving things into peoples faces and MAKING them buy & use their product.
Yeah, morally it isn't a huge issue for me. I don't personally smoke, but I know a lot of family and friends who do now or have in the past, and I've always looked at it like "Well, your money and your body, do whatever you want."
I think the big thing I was wondering was if it would be looked upon negatively (because of the moral issues) when I moved on to something else in the future. Of course, as long as the performance is there on my part that would probably be fine, and like josmoe said, I could always spin that as my reason for leaving if I was worried about it when applying somewhere else.
heh, although it's not like anyone would believe me if I tried to explain that I didn't realize tobacco was morally bad when I started there and had a sudden change of heart. "Yeah, I didn't really used to give a sh-t about people getting cancer and stuff when I started, but you know, I sorta feel bad about it now."
It's true though, marketing/sales is all about pushing stuff, and if pushing stuff that people don't love puts more money in my wallet, well, fair enough. I never really payed a lot of attention in my ethics classes anyway.
personally, im not sure how many would agree and i know lawyers dont usually jump jobs BUT ... i see no moral difference in working for the tobacco company (unless you are trying to push the product to kids, but reall you could make a commercial showing how bad they are and say not one good thing about them and people would still go out and buy them becuase you said the products name)
and working as certain kinds of lawyers.
defend a murderer/rapist/pedophile etc or market a product thats unhealthy ( no different then fast food, junk food, etc)
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Would you work for Big Tobacco? - 
